Tomato leaves curling...is normal?

[Matthew Reed]

I just noticed that the leaves of my tomato plants are starting to curl upwards. The plants are otherwise healthy, quite vigorous, and just starting set fruit. Is this normal, or something to worry about?

[Neil]

Hi Matthew,

I don't know if it's normal but mine are starting to do the same thing so I guess I'm more bumping this to the top than answering. I'm gonna read up on it later so maybe I'll find an answer then.

Cheers Neil

Matthew Reed wrote:

[higgledy]

It is most likely caused by stress. To dry or wet or newly transplanted? Or there may be a sap sucking pest in the curled leave. Finally, it may be one of several virus, this is the least likely, this year I had a grape tomato with a virus. With a virus the leaf not only curls but becomes mutated and does not even look like a 'mater leaf.

Neil wrote:

[Matthew Reed]

I have changed the watering lately - I completed a sprinkler system, and now it gets a good soaking twice a week. I would not thing that would stress it. Also, the temp has increased about 20 degrees this last week. I'll watch it to see where this goes. My tomatoes are doing very well, I would hate to loose them all :(

[Pat Kiewicz]

There may be nothing wrong with them. Some tomato varieties tend to leaf curl. Get a nice mulch on those tomato plants if you haven't already. Mine are mulched with a mix of shredded leaves and cocoa shells. If I had finished compost, I'd use a layer of that. Grass clippings (from lawns that haven't been treated with herbicides) would work. I like to dry them out on the driveway before putting them on the plants.

I've got 11 varieties planted and one of the varieties ('Anna Russian') has really odd curly leaves but is perfectly healthy and vigorous.