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Why do tomato seedling leaves curl up or down: reasons and what to do about it
28.02.2023 18:26
Updated: 14.04.2023 09:26
If the tomato seeds have sprouted, it is too early to relax. Ahead is a crucial stage when the immature seedlings can be struck by diseases or weakened by a lack of nutrients.
To keep vegetable bushes healthy, you need to inspect them more often and respond to the signals that the plant sends to the gardener.
The first thing you need to do is react to the change in the shape of the sheets. They can curl up or down, and you need to know about all this. We will tell you about the reasons.
Don't panic
When the veins grow faster than the leaf blade, this is generally normal. The same thing happens with peppers, after which the leaves begin to curl.
Varietal characteristics may also be to blame if you grow the varieties “Cherry”, “Fatima”, “Honey Drop” and others.
Objective reasons
1. When the cause is a nutritional disorder, the leaves may bunch up or down. To understand what fertilizers to apply, you need to watch the color:
purple tint – lack of phosphorus (leaves curl downwards), superphosphate or ammophoska is added;
yellow-orange spots – lack of boron (leaves curl downwards), use a solution of boric acid;
the plate is curled up - add calcium, and if the leaves turn yellow and dry, you need to add iron.
When the tips of the leaves bend downwards, there is a lack of zinc, and if the leaf blade curls into a ring, there is an overdose of nitrogen.
2. In addition, the room temperature (over 30 degrees), improper watering and diseases may be to blame.
In the latter case, it is necessary to treat seedlings from rot, late blight and bacteriosis (phytosporin). Prevention is carried out with a solution of milk whey.
