How to Understand What Tomatoes Need: Look at the Leaves
As is known, proper growth and development of tomatoes require sufficient amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, copper, boron and magnesium in the soil.
But how can you understand what exactly the plants lack? In this case, experienced gardeners pay attention to the appearance of tomato bushes.
Thus, the need for nitrogen can be recognized by yellow and dry leaves, as well as small fruits.
If there is not enough phosphorus in the soil, the tomato plant will often get sick and its leaves will be small. In this case, they often curl at the ends and fall off.
Potassium deficiency can be judged by burns on leaf blades, which will soon turn yellow and fall off. In addition, tomatoes are “decorated” with brown stripes.
If your tomatoes need calcium, you will know this by the gradual yellowing of the leaves. At first, small yellow spots form, which grow larger over time.
By the way, with a deficiency of this element, tomato fruits are especially susceptible to blossom-end rot.
Signs of copper deficiency include white leaves and frequent flower shedding, and you can tell that you need to add boron by the excessive growth of side shoots and oversaturation of the bush.
