Tomato droop

by david
(berwick pa us)

my tomato plants start off great and just before flowering begins, leaves begin to droop and curl downwards like an arthritic hand, sometimes worse than others. What action?

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Answer from Stella/Simon:

Hi David,

Have you ever grown tomatoes before? We have found that the leaves on our tomato bushes often curl under. After much research, we determined that there are many causes for this, the most prominent seemed to be a moisture thing... either too much or not enough (?) Tomato leaves curl naturally if it's too dry, too hot, or too humid.

Tomato leaf curl can also be caused by bugs (usually aphids). Look at the underside of the leaves that are curling. If you see a bunch of tiny white or yellow soft bodied bugs having a party there, you have aphids. Read more about that here: Controlling Aphids

It could also be a fungus/viral problem, in which case you would need to destroy the plants, get them out of your grow area, and sterilize your system before starting over.

But the good news is this: in most cases, the condition is temporary and will have little or no affect on plant growth or fruit production. And that has been our experience. Why not let it go and see if they go on to flower and fruit. If they do, then the leaf curl is really not a problem for you.

Hope this helps!

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