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serge94501

leaf curl - overwatering?

serge94501
10 years ago

I took a trip for a week and came back to this leaf curl. Before I left the tomato was vigorous and had no visible issues. My in-laws proudly told me how they kept all my plants watered while I was gone. Bless em, they really are great, but I wonder if they didn't perhaps OVERwater things?

I am growing the tomatoes in raised beds (3' x 6' x 1') and the medium is something veggie-growing blend I got from the soil store that has produced good results for our neighbors. The bed is not quite full sun, but almost.

I water every 2-3 days. I think my in-laws watered every day for a week. I fertilize every 7-10 days.

It's been hot for 10a (80+) and will be for a few more days. Still, I am thinking of holding back water for a while if you think that's the cause of this leaf curl.

The other tomatoes are starting to show a little curl, but not as pronounced.

Thanks. I've botched tomatoes every year I've tried and really want to do well this year.

As a note, I tried two different approaches:

For the first, I bought young plants and snipped off 2/3 of the lower foliage, then planted it DEEP with all the cuts below ground (I read this in an article - supposedly the cuts re-grow as strong roots) and those plants have been MASSIVE.

For the second, I paid $10/plant for some "Mighty 'Mato" while have grafter rootstock (I am guessing they have been discussed heavily here) and they are puttering along but nowhere as big or healthy-looking as the deep-buried ones.

I have one plant that showed up in the middle of a flower pot (I guess there was a seed left over from last year!) so I transplanted it and it's doing well - I have no idea what it is though, kind of hoping it's not one of those black heirlooms I tried - blech.

THANKS in advance for any help!!

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