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What's Causing Your Tomato Plant Leaves To Curl
By WILL FORD
While tomatoes are a summer garden staple that’s relatively easy to grow and produce a bountiful crop, one pesky problem that plagues many gardeners is curling leaves.
Curling leaves indicate
an issue with your plant; unfortunately, it could be caused by several problems, including exposure to strong winds or excessive sunlight.
High temperatures — particularly combined with low humidity — can cause tomato plant leaves to curl as a protective response to reduce water loss.
Pests like aphids can infest tomato plants and cause leaf curling due to feeding damage. Similarly, diseases such as the tomato mosaic virus can cause leaves to curl.
A lack of essential nutrients — particularly calcium, magnesium, or potassium — can lead to leaf curling. Conversely, excessive nitrogen can also cause leaf curling.
Over-pruning can also cause curling, so only begin pruning your tomato plant after it has established a solid root system. This is often done when the plant is 6 to 12 inches tall.
Maintain consistent watering methods, as inconsistent watering might cause leaf curling. Water the plants deeply but rarely, allowing the soil to dry between waterings.