Three main reasons why tomatoes wither in a polycarbonate greenhouse

Gardeners are often faced with a situation where plants planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse begin to wither gradually. Such a nuisance also occurs on tomato bushes. It is necessary to recognize the problem at an early stage and take all measures to protect the plants.

Fungal disease

If tomatoes wither in a polycarbonate greenhouse, the plants may be sick with tomato fusarium wilt. The fungus is activated when the air warms up to + 27 ° C. The disease develops gradually, from the lower part of the plant, and it can be detected only when the seedlings are flowering and the tomatoes are tied.

Symptoms of plant damage by fusarium:

• the first signs appear on the lowest leaves, they turn pale, and the veins gradually brighten;
• foliage petioles are deformed;
• foliage gradually curls and falls off, and the shoots themselves begin to fade;
• the root system gradually dies, the plant ceases to receive nutrition and completely withers.

To solve the problem, preparation is required:

1. Planting material. At this stage, it is required to etch the seeds with an antifungal drug: they are sprayed with a solution of Fundazole or Benazol 10-14 days before sowing.
2. Seedling soil. Any copper-based fungicide can be used for treatment. Many gardeners use available copper sulfate, diluting 70 g of the substance in 10 liters of water. The introduction of dolomite flour or chalk will help to disinfect the soil: the causative agent of the disease does not tolerate soils rich in calcium.
3. Saplings. Before moving the seedlings to the site, it is recommended to treat its root system with a solution of any fungicide. It is enough to dip the rhizome in the solution for a few seconds to get rid of the pathogen.

Important
When the first signs of a disease appear, it is important to immediately treat the bushes with any contact fungicide, adding potassium permanganate to the solution.

Moisture rules are not followed

Main risk factors:

• insufficient moisture application causes cracking of the soil and damage to the root system. the plant does not receive enough nutrition and begins to lag behind in development;
• excess moisture causes rhizome rot and increases the risk of fungal and pest damage.

To eliminate possible wilting, a gardener must follow a few simple rules for watering plants in a greenhouse:

• to retain moisture and reduce the number of irrigations, it is recommended to cover the soil with a layer of mulch or constantly loosen the soil - the earth should always be loose and moist, but not wet;
• young seedlings in large boxes are watered with a small amount of water from a sprayer every day, the best watering time is in the morning before sunrise;
• adult seedlings do not require frequent watering; during the period of vegetables formation and flowering, it is enough to water them at least 1 time in 7 days.

Advice
A drip irrigation system will prevent the development of fungal diseases and wilting of the tops of tomatoes, which will deliver moisture and fertilizing directly to the roots of tomatoes. Water for irrigation should be at least 20 degrees.

Lack or excess of light

Tomatoes love sunlight, but in the greenhouse, due to the temperature difference on the carbonate, condensation often forms, which prevents the rays from passing through. Therefore, it is necessary to make a ventilation system in the greenhouse and constantly ventilate the room. Lack of illumination also occurs due to the short daylight hours and cloudy weather. In such cases, special lamps will be required.

An excess of light and sunlight also causes the tomato shoots to wilt. To protect against burns, especially in the southern regions, it will be necessary to whitewash the roof and walls on the sunny side with lime or chalk. Such protection is easily washed off with water and serves as an additional disinfection of the soil after washing off the chalk layer.

Advice
If there is insufficient light in the greenhouse, simply lay white paper sheets or pieces of modern insulation with a mirror surface on the soil under the bushes. The light will hit the tops of the tomatoes, reflect off the mirrors, and illuminate the underside of the plants and the inside of the shoots and foliage.

Preventive measures

In order to prevent a situation when the upper leaves of tomatoes wither, gardeners will need to perform several simple agrotechnical measures:

1. Compliance with the rules of crop rotation and preparation of soil, seeds and seedlings for planting.
2. To prevent tomatoes growing from year to year on the same land, you will either have to move the greenhouse or completely replace the soil in a stationary structure. If the bushes are affected by the fungus, this is an inevitable measure.
3. Copper sulfate treatment is necessary to disinfect not only the soil. The solution should be sprayed on the steel frame and the surface of the polycarbonate sheets.
4. Healthy and strong plants are less susceptible to disease, therefore, when growing tomatoes, especially at the stage of flowering and the first ovaries, it is important feed the bushes complex fertilizer.
5. The ventilation system should provide ventilation of the plants along the entire height.
6. In case of tomato disease, they are immediately treated with a solution of "Homa", "Ridomil", "Fundazola" or other copper-containing contact fungicide.
7. The wilting of shoots is often caused by an excess of nitrogen in the soil, so it is not recommended to get carried away with the introduction of organic matter in the summer. This is the period of potassium-phosphorus compositions.
8. For the health and development of tomato bushes, you need to constantly loosen the soil and soil mulching in the garden.

Advice
It is important to remember about the need to remove the tomato tops and burn them outside the site. This simple operation will reduce the risk of fungal diseases affecting the plants in the coming season.

For normal development of plants, it is necessary to provide normal conditions: optimal watering, lighting and feeding. The health of the planting and the destruction of fungal spores or pest larvae should be taken care of even before planting the seeds.

It is equally important to regularly inspect the beds and treat them and the greenhouse with a fungicide at the first signs of fungal infection. Only the timely implementation of all agrotechnical measures will allow you to grow a decent crop of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse or in the open field.