I have three questions regarding tomato plants.
1.) One of my plants has lower leaves that are curling up/in and are
beginning to look shriveled. On the same plant, the upper leaves are
cupping down, forming a dome which would work well as a mouse
umbrella. Are the two items related? Should I be concerned?

2.) Yesterday I was pawing through the mulch around the plants, and
found several very small snails near the base of the stems. I tossed
them out of the plant bed just in case they were dangerous. Anyone
have advice regarding these critters?

3.)I live in the Atlanta area, and these are my first attempts at
tomato plants. It's been more rainy than usual over the past month,
and the moisture seems to be trapped under the bark mulch and on top
of the lovely clay I have to plant in (I'm sure why the snails were
there). Is this moisture-trapping detrimental to the plants?

Thanks for all help!
Jessica

(Jessica) wrote in message . com...
I have three questions regarding tomato plants.
1.) One of my plants has lower leaves that are curling up/in and are
beginning to look shriveled. On the same plant, the upper leaves are
cupping down, forming a dome which would work well as a mouse
umbrella. Are the two items related? Should I be concerned?

2.) Yesterday I was pawing through the mulch around the plants, and
found several very small snails near the base of the stems. I tossed
them out of the plant bed just in case they were dangerous. Anyone
have advice regarding these critters?

3.)I live in the Atlanta area, and these are my first attempts at
tomato plants. It's been more rainy than usual over the past month,
and the moisture seems to be trapped under the bark mulch and on top
of the lovely clay I have to plant in (I'm sure why the snails were
there). Is this moisture-trapping detrimental to the plants?

Thanks for all help!
Jessica


Snails have a hard shell. I assume what you are referring to is slugs.
They look like a snail except they do not have a shell. Bark mulch is
a magnet for slugs because they need moisture and cannot tolerate
sunlight because it dries them out. Left untreated, they will be
detrimental to your plants and lawn.

You need to remove the bark mulch. I believe Atlanta gets enough rain
that you do not need a ground cover to retain moisture. If you are
doing it for weed control, you might consider other alternatives.

The South's red clay is a very fertile soil - it sure has grown tons
of cotton, soy beans, and peanuts! To keep it loose for a garden
requires mixing with other soils like compost and sand. After a couple
of years of working in this mixture, you'll have a nice loose garden
that will grow anything you want. If your property had been farmed in
the past, you should also consider getting a soil sample tested to see
what nutrients and conditioning your soil needs.

Good luck with your gardening.

Bob S. (in Alabama)

(Bob S.) wrote in message . com...
(Jessica) wrote in message . com...
I have three questions regarding tomato plants.
1.) One of my plants has lower leaves that are curling up/in and are
beginning to look shriveled. On the same plant, the upper leaves are
cupping down, forming a dome which would work well as a mouse
umbrella. Are the two items related? Should I be concerned?

2.) Yesterday I was pawing through the mulch around the plants, and
found several very small snails near the base of the stems. I tossed
them out of the plant bed just in case they were dangerous. Anyone
have advice regarding these critters?

3.)I live in the Atlanta area, and these are my first attempts at
tomato plants. It's been more rainy than usual over the past month,
and the moisture seems to be trapped under the bark mulch and on top
of the lovely clay I have to plant in (I'm sure why the snails were
there). Is this moisture-trapping detrimental to the plants?

Thanks for all help!
Jessica


Snails have a hard shell. I assume what you are referring to is slugs.
They look like a snail except they do not have a shell. Bark mulch is
a magnet for slugs because they need moisture and cannot tolerate
sunlight because it dries them out. Left untreated, they will be
detrimental to your plants and lawn.

You need to remove the bark mulch. I believe Atlanta gets enough rain
that you do not need a ground cover to retain moisture. If you are
doing it for weed control, you might consider other alternatives.

The South's red clay is a very fertile soil - it sure has grown tons
of cotton, soy beans, and peanuts! To keep it loose for a garden
requires mixing with other soils like compost and sand. After a couple
of years of working in this mixture, you'll have a nice loose garden
that will grow anything you want. If your property had been farmed in
the past, you should also consider getting a soil sample tested to see
what nutrients and conditioning your soil needs.

Good luck with your gardening.

Bob S. (in Alabama)

Thanks for the reply.
They were very small snails, the size one often finds in aquariums.
While growing tomatos/veggies without Mom and Grandpa doing the work
"for me" is a new experience, gardening in general is not, I do know
the differece between the slow-and-slimy-ones (one of first memories
is "melting" invading slugs with salt, with my grandfather).

since I posted, I have done further research regarding snails and the
lower-leaf curls, so I believe I have likely answers to those
questions. I am still looking for information on the upper leaves
curling under, however.

My area does not hitorically get a great deal of rain during the
summer, the past month being a bit odd in my experience. If I remove
the mulch (which my landlord put down--I rent) then the minute our odd
weather goes back to normal, the soil will be caked and cracked and
dry, past gardens have taught me that much. However--would clearing
the immediate tomato area of the mulch be useful? I could then push it
back in as the weather inevitably dries up.

I am in a firmly suburban area, I am just fortunate enough to have a
small patch outside our building in which our landlord allows us to
plant. The previous residents obviously had some sort of garden in the
area I am planting in, though I would guess it was a flower garden, as
the perimeter of the bed still has a few day lilies and miscellaneous
flowers in it.

Again, any imput is appreciated!

Jessica
Atlanta suburbanite