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Curling Branches and Leaves

11 years ago

Hi everyone,


I am a beginner aeroponic tomatoes grower. These are 2 months old heirloom tomatoes grown in Phuket (tropics). Branches are curling downwards and upwards again shaping an 's' and plants look generally stressed I think. Plants were exposed gradually to full sunlight, lately I installed a black shade 50% to lower down the temperature inside the greenhouse. pH is 6.2 and EC was raised from 1.0 to 2.2.


Thank you for your help.





Comments (3)

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Hi aqueio,

    The plants look ok considering your climate. The curling you illustrate in the third pic is fairly common, and even common in some varieties like elongated and heart formed tomatoes which may have epinastic leaf genetics. The first thing you need to mention is the variety.

    The S-form might have something to do with the density you've planted which is very, or maybe too, high so it may contribute that the plant possibly adapts to light by exposing leaves in interesting ways, but i's not a problem itself.

    About your "aeroponic" design, that's best asked in a hydroponic forum, try here:
    GW Hydro forum

    What you call aeroponic does not look aeroponic from the visible part of the design. Tomatoes don't lend well to true aeroponics, without some medium/substrate because they develop extensive roots and gravity will weigh them into a clump, defeating the benefits and even worse, unless you continually agitate the roots. Perhaps you have air bubbles in a deep water culture. That design usually begins to be problematic when plants get large roots, but some small varieties could do well. Your pH and EC are fine for any arrangement.

    There is some lateral curl on the lower leaflets but nothing to get worried about at this point.

    Cheers

    PC

    PS

    I just went out to look at my plants which are in an open ended covered tunnel. The leaves and individual leaflets close to the top (8-10 feet) tend to get baked from sun and they also have shapes similar to yours, narrower and more twisted and bent petioles and rachis, so that might be contributing much of what you see, too. Can you try a fan in there?

    Does Phuket really rhyme with "You get"? :-)

  • 11 years ago

    Agree with what PC said in that it is a stress-oriented growing method for tomato plants and that often results in rolled/curled leaves, wispy growth patterns, longer internode lengths, etc.

    I have no hands-on experience with aeroponic gardening except with leafy greens and some herbs, shallow rooted plants. But as already mentioned it isn't normally associated with tomatoes because of the nature of their root systems. Hydroponics - sure but not aeroponics. So I'm curious why you chose to go that route? What advantages you see in it over traditional hydroponics? I wonder too, with no knowledge of your weather patterns, if this is the ideal season there for growing under cover? As a greenhouse grower in my climate it is well past the GH growing season here.

    Sorry I can't be more help except to say that given the stressors they are exposed to the plants look quite healthy in the photos.

    Dave


  • 11 years ago

    Thank you for your feedback.

    I'm not sure about the shade too as we are in the rainy season. However temperature dropped consistently from 37C to 30C at 1PM.

    I previously developed a non-true aeroponic system working at low pressure and experienced problems with root rot.

    This is how roots look like now in the grow chamber with the high-pressure system:


    PC:

    Phuket really rhymes with "You get". ;)

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