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Old 06-07-2007, 08:44 PM posted to rec.gardens
[email protected] shareyourknowledge@hotmail.com is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Oct 2006
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Default Leaf roll in tomatoe question

On Jul 6, 12:05 am, "Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at
zootal dot com delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote:
Several of my tomatoes are experiencing what appears to be leaf roll. The
lower leaves curl upwards, so that the endges of the leaf touch. It does not
look anything like the leaf curl virus or mosaic virus, or any other disease
that I've been able to find out about, and the plant seems to be otherwise
healthy and vigorous. I can take some pics and post them if anyone wants to
see it. I understand that this can be caused by a lot of things besides
disease, including severe pruning, cold weather, and genetic predisposition.
It seems to be just one type that does this. Still, it bugs me. Has anyone
here seen this in their own tomatoes? Did it go away? Did it effect the
plants?


You are describing a common and usually temporary condition of
tomatoes. Leaf roll is usually caused by the soil being too wet and/or
bad drainage. How often are you watering?Tomatoes by nature like to be
on the dry side. If planted in the ground a general rule of thumb is
to water deeply and infrequently since tomato roots can go deep. If
the plants appear wilted don't automatically water. Put your finger a
couple of inhes into the soil. If it's wet, don't water. The plants
are simply transpiring water faster than the roots can supply water to
the leaves. At night when it cools, you will notice the plants perk up
again if there is enough water in the soil. Of course if the plants
are wilted AND the soil is dry, by all means water. Remember to water
deeply. This sends the roots deeper and in need of less water, not to
mention a stronger plant. Anyway leaf roll is not a serious condition
if it's just a water related issue. Good luck and let us know what you
found out. Regards, Bob.