What to do if leaves of tomato seedlings begin to wither?

Many gardeners had to observe a sad picture: the leaves of young tomatoes grown with great difficulty on the windowsill turn yellow and curl. It is painful to watch the tomato seedlings wither, but you should not panic: in most cases, the death of the plant can be prevented or at least saved the crop. The main thing is to find out why this is happening, and in a timely manner to take adequate steps to eliminate the cause of wilting.

The main reasons for wilting tomato seedlings

Any cause of seedling wilting falls into one of two main categories. This is either improper care, or the presence of diseases, pests. A tomato is a capricious plant, so the answer to the question of why the leaves of tomato seedlings wither should begin with an analysis of the actions of the gardener himself.

If it is established that he is caring for the seedlings correctly, then the cause must be looked deeper. If the roots are "chopped down", then the pests are to blame. A pinkish tint of the stem at the root indicates the presence of a fungal disease. Light mucus flowing from the stem indicates that the cause of the disease is the so-called "bacterial cancer".

It is possible that the plant does not die at all, but simply did not have time to adapt to new conditions after transplanting into open ground. If the seedlings are not planted too often, are healthy and properly cared for, then over time they will recover on their own. In this case, nothing threatens the crop.

Improper watering

The most common reason for the wilting of tomato seedlings is improper watering. If you pour it too much, the roots gradually rot, as a result the leaves and the stem gradually wither, and the plant falls. The lack of moisture also negatively affects the condition of the seedlings. Withering begins with the lower leaves, which curl up like a funnel, turn yellow, and crumble. Then the negative processes become even more noticeable. When the top of the plant falls, it can no longer be reanimated.

If the seedlings wither, first of all, you need to find out whether the tomatoes have enough moisture, whether the water stagnates. To do this, you will have to sacrifice one plant: pull it out of the ground and carefully examine both it and the soil under it. If there is water at the bottom, you need to improve the drainage system in the greenhouse or expand the drainage holes in the pot if the seedlings are grown on a windowsill.

With excessive dryness of the soil, the measures to counter the wilting of tomatoes will be the simplest - to increase watering. The regularity of watering depends on the temperature in the greenhouse: the higher it is, the more often you need water the seedlings... On average, it is watered once or twice a week, but abundantly enough, trying to get the moisture as deep as possible.

Light, warmth and fertilization

Temperature conditions also matter. Tomatoes do not like extreme heat, they cannot stand cold weather. If the temperature in the greenhouse is above 34 degrees, trouble cannot be avoided. Tomatoes are no less painful when the temperature drops sharply. The optimum temperature for them is from 20 to 24 degrees during the day, and from 15 to 17 degrees at night. If the reason lies in the wrong heat regime, it must be adjusted, and then the future harvest can be almost completely preserved.

Tomato is a light-loving plant. If the greenhouse has tinted glass and no fluorescent lamps are installed, tomatoes will wither without light. To prevent trouble, it is enough to equip the greenhouse with suitable sources of artificial lighting.

Tomato seedlings love fresh air, and a light breeze will not harm it.Moreover, with a lack of air, it begins to wither. However, drafts also do not go badly for seedlings. You should also take care of equipping the greenhouse so that it does not “blow out”.

It is necessary to fertilize tomato seedlings, but not with anything. It is wrong to act according to the principle “the more the better”. Why? Yes, because an excess of minerals and salts is no less harmful to the plant than their lack. Examine the plant, paying particular attention to the leaves. If they are clearly visible yellow spots, they lack nitrogen, and if the stem is thickened - nitrogenous fertilizers the seedlings were overfed. The yellow top signals a lack of calcium. When the leaves have a yellow border, it is most likely due to a lack of magnesium. A purple vein is a sign of a lack of phosphorus. With this in mind, fertilizers need to be applied.

Advice

Do not fertilize tomato seedlings with manure - ammonia salts burn the roots and leaves.

Diseases of tomatoes

It is possible that ideal conditions for tomatoes have been created, but, nevertheless, the leaves of the seedlings curl up like a funnel and turn yellow. Why? What to do in such a situation? In this case, the answers will have to be looked for in the reference literature on plant diseases.

One of the most dangerous diseases of tomatoes is fusarium. It is caused by a fungus that develops best in high soil moisture. An overabundance of nitrogenous fertilizers is a contributing factor. The plant is usually infected during transplantation. More often, seedlings grown in a greenhouse are susceptible to fusarium. The disease develops quickly, so urgent action should be taken.

First of all, you should make sure that the diagnosis is correct. To do this, you should carefully consider the stem cut. If dark streaks are clearly visible inside, this is bad, we are in fact talking about fusarium. Whitish mucus secreting from the stem indicates the presence of another disease, which is treated similarly to fusarium.

To do this, the diseased plant will have to be removed, the soil must be cleaned. The remaining seedlings must be treated with an antifungal agent (fungicide). Such funds as "Fitosporin", "Fitolavin", "Glyokl-din" and a number of others help well. They need to be processed 3-4 times with an interval of 3-4 days.

Preventive measures

Any disease, even when it comes to plants, is easier to prevent. A number of preventive measures will prevent the leaves of the seedlings from turning yellow, she herself wilted and died.

1. Purchase quality seeds from a source you trust.
2. The choice of quality soil is equally important: if it is infected with a fungus, it is unlikely that it will be possible to prevent infection of the plant.
3. Learn the rules of caring for tomato seedlings, its whims and addictions, take care of it correctly.

If these measures are taken, then most likely you will not have to look for answers to the questions why tomato leaves wither and what to do to save them.

Noticing that tomato seedlings are withering in a greenhouse equipped with the latest garden technology, there is no need to bury the future harvest in advance. You should not panic, even if a significant part of the tomato bushes are dying before our eyes. There are a lot of chances that the harvest will not be lost entirely.

There is no definite answer to the question of what to do to reanimate the seedlings and prevent them from withering completely - it all depends on why the plants feel so bad. Most often, the reasons lie in improper care or in the presence of a fungal infection that has affected the plants. Effective action can be taken in any of these cases. If everything is done correctly, you will definitely harvest tomatoes, even if not as large as you hoped for.