Forum home Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Tomato Leaf Issues

Hello All,

I’m growing some bush tomatoes outdoors in pots which are being watered well and fed with liquid seaweed at regular intervals. The plants are in reasonable sized pots and raised up off the ground. The weather has been quite mild if not very sunny but it has rained every few days in the past fortnight that they have been left outside. The leaves on the plants are starting to discolor ( see attached pics) and I’m not sure what’s causing it, whether it’s viral or some sort of mineral or nutrient deficiency, and whether I can treat it or not. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 




Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think you may have been over feeding. Tomatoes don't really need any extras until they are setting fruit, ie - when the first truss of fruit appears.
    The soil/compost they're growing in should have enough nutrients to keep them going. Each time they're potted on, they have fresh compost, and that keep sthem going until they're put in their final position or pot. They don't need the amount of food and water that most people think they do  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Often a chill will cause tomato leaves to take on purpley/black hues.
    As Fg says above, no feeding is needed until the first truss begins to set for the reasons she gives.
    Seaweed extract is good stuff and comprises mostly trace minerals vital for plant health. It also contains some Nitrogen.
    I give most of my veg diluted sw extract every 10-14 days from a couple of weeks after germination onward, either as a foliar spray or root drench.
    But if you over feed with it, it can cause problems

    Most likely it's the weather that's the main cause, tomatoes don't like temps below 13c and they don't like to be rained on a lot - and we've had a lot of both recently!
    If/when it warms up, I think they'll be fine

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Ok thank you both for that. I’ll ease up on the fertiliser till the fruit starts to set but there’s not much I can do about the weather unfortunately, hopefully the leaf discoloring is more temperate related and it might clear up as we progress into summer. My biggest fear was that it was viral/blight etc and I’d have to dispose of the plants altogether, I’ll just hold off for now and see what happens. Thanks for the advice.
     
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think they'll be fine. Temps are a big factor, especially early on when plants are put outside. In most years, they should be growing away well in June, but in many areas, it's been colder than normal which sets them back. 
    We really can't grow them outside here - the overnight temps are too low, and as fluctuating temps are also an issue for toms, it means you have greater control under cover for getting that consistency.
    It's often a case of recognising your own climate/conditions, and working with that.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • After the heavy rain, it's possible that nutrients have been leached out of your pots. Those plants definitely don't look overfed, quite the opposite.

    After exceptional rain, you may have more need to replace nutrients than in normal conditions. I'd add some general purpose feed as soon as possible and see how quickly they improve over the next few days.

    Otherwise agree that warmer weather and less rain will also improve things.
  • Upon further research the two most likely explanations are fluctuating temperatures which should resolve itself in time or a phosphate deficiency in which case I’ll give the plants a little bone meal and also an Epsom salts foliage spray which apparently helps the plant to absorb the phosphate in the soil better. Thanks for the advice Folks.
Sign In or Register to comment.