Alchemy Garden Journal Entry 10: Curled Tomato Leaves?

I found a few brown and crispy tomato leaves, so I decided to cut them off. The leaves don’t look so hot, so I found a video by MIgardener that really helped me to understand what is going on.

This is a fantastic video that showed me how different curling actions seen in plants can determine what may be going on with them. Since I just planted my tomatoes, I was afraid they were already struggling, especially since some of the leaves were browning.

The video taught me that leaves that curled upward are a normal tomato response to stress factors such as weather meant to protect the plant until the harsh weather passes. Fortunately, this is what my tomatoes were experiencing, and no further action is needed. But, I do need to check leaves regularly for cocoons, Curly Top (a viral infection that stunts plant growth), and Root Rot, which is my nemesis from two years ago.

Root rot and some of the other fungal infections some of my plants are experiencing now probably have to do with the fact that this is an unusually cold May. I’m in Virginia! It’s supposed to be hot by now! But, I’m continuing to monitor my plants, watering them just a little less, and making sure they’re all out in full sun. I’ll spray more fungicide next week.

In the meantime, I’m relieved that the excessive curling my tomatoes are doing is normal. It’s probably a bit too nippy for them. According to my Accuweather App, we should be seeing some warmer temperatures soon.