Tomatoes with curling leaves

[Terry Coombs]

I noticed yesterday that some of my tomato plants have something unusual going on . The lower leaves on a couple of my plants have turned a darker green and started curling up toward the top side . They feel strange to the touch too , kinda "leathery" for lack of a better word . Anybody got any ideas what I might have going on here ? Plants are in "virgin" soil , used to be oak forest . Ground was broken for the first time this spring , plants were put in holes with a 50/50 mix of dirt and manure/compost , a tbsp of epsom salts in the bottom of each hole . 3 weeks after planting I applied a light feeding of 13/13/13 . THis problem has just shown up in the last few days and I'd like to nip it asap . They've all but one got tomatoes on them .

[The Cook]

Try this site for information.

Lots of pictures.

[Billy]

Sometimes the problem comes with the plant , or the seeds. Hopefully, the site that "The Cook" gave you will identify your problem, and then you can take steps to address it.

[Pavel314]

Have you checked the soil pH? Tomatoes like 6.0-6.8, slightly acidic. Since you're planting in a former oak forest, the soil might be too acidic for them.

[songbird]

every thing i'm seeing says that this is caused by the plant top growing faster than the roots (many reasons) and that the plant should grow out of it.

has there been uneven weather lately (too much rain, not enough sun, or vice versa) or are you watering regularly if it is too hot and dry?

songbird

[Terry Coombs]

We've had some really hot/dry weather , and I've been watering when the soil is dry abt 1/4" deep . Cook - I checked out your link , nothing there that resembles what I'm seeing , but lotsa good info thanks ! Tomorrow or wednesday I need to run into town on some other business , I think I'll run a sample leaf past the county extension office - along with a soil sample for testing . Could very well be a ph problem as Pavel314 suggested .

[songbird]

Terry Coombs wrote: ...

Terry, i used the following search in google and found several results:

"tomato plant darker green leaves curling"

give that a try...

songbird

[Farm1]

Bacterial canker perhaps?

[Pat Kiewicz]

Most likely tomato leaf roll, caused by a specific gene ('wilty' gene) in response to stress (anything from heavy fruit load to high heat or excessive nitrogen).

Virus that cause leaf roll usually also cause the leaves to become lighter, rather than darker green.

Herbicide damage is most likely to affect new growth and cause more extreme distortions.

See:

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[Terry Coombs]

Found my answer at Texas A&M's extension website ! Thanks , I seldom use long search strings because the results are often weird but this time I found exactly what the problem is . Conditions fit too , it was pretty wet for a while and now we've gotten into 95 degree days with intense sun all day .

1. Q. What causes tomato leaves to curl?

A. The exact cause of tomato leaf roll is not fully known. Tomato leaf roll appears about the time of fruit setting. The leaflets of the older leaves on the lower half of the tomato plant roll upward. This gives the leaflets a cupped appearance with sometimes even the margins touching or overlapping. The overall growth of the plant does not seem to be greatly affected and yields are normal. This condition appears to be most common on staked and pruned plants. It occurs when excessive rainfall or overwatering keeps the soil too wet for too long. It is also related to intensive sunlight which causes carbohydrates to accumulate in the leaves. Some varieties of tomatoes are characteristically curled

[songbird]

you're welcome. there was another answer that included your description of thickened/leathery leaves. to me that the plant wasn't dropping leaves was a good sign.

songbird

[The Cook]

Thanks for that information. I have a couple of plants that looked like they were about dead but have perked up since we have had a few days of no rain. We have had 6.8" of rain this month and I believe it was close to that last month. Add that to a very cold spring that kept me from setting out tomatoes I think I will be lucky if I get decent crop. Oh well, there are lots of canned tomatoes in the basement.

[Billy]

The practical philosophy of a gardener.

"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get" - Mark Twain

[Billy]

Don't forget that green tomatoes can be used in place of tomatillos to make salsa verde. I'm salivating at the thought.