I had this problem 2 years ago where the leaves on the plants curled and the plants were stunted. They continue to bloom and produce but the tomatoes are sometimes deformed and most are stunted like the plant. The plant doesn't die or even turn brown or yellow. No bugs are present either on the plant or in the soil (other than the beneficial ones).
I had sent a sample to our local cooperative extension and they said they already had several samples like mine but could not figure out what the problem was.
I rotate my crops and had NO problem at all last year. The tomatoes still are not in the first spot they were in 2 years ago and yet they are doing it again.
Hmmm. Maybe I should water only every other day instead of daily. I'll try that. I didn't know it was possible to over water tomatoes after the seedling stage.
Tina Michelle, thanks for that website. It turns out (I think) that it's because of irregular watering. I just realized that the difference between last season and the season before is that last year I covered the beds in grass clippings.
Normally, I get grass clippings from my landscaper/neighbor by May or June but he's apparently been cutting treated lawns this year. So I just got some from my other neighbor who has been bagging them up for the dump! I'm almost positive this will make a difference. If I hadn't checked out that site, I might never have thought of it.
My dirt is almost impossible to regulate the moisture content without mulch. It simply dries out too fast and then I have a tendency to "drown" everything in the morning to make up for it. Everything else does fine but apparently the tomatoes don't like living that way.
Curling Tomato Plants?
Posted - Jul 12 2007 : 07:57:14 AM
