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Tomatoes curling

7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

I'm growing heirloom tomatoes under a T5 florescent light, about two weeks ago I noticed my biggest plant it's new growth was very curled. Firstly I thought I was watering them too much so I switched from twice a day to once a day (I'm in Colorado it's very dry here) after a week no change and in fact it looks worse and I notice other plants are curling now. So I try fertilizing, no change. I have gnats so I tried treating the soil with water and hydrogen peroxide to kill the larva, no change. I tried watering more almost excessively because my pots have good drainage, no change. Help! My grow bulbs are a few seasons old I'm going to buy new ones, also could my plants be too close to the lights? But even my smaller plants are curling now too. I don't know where they would have picked up a virus from dirt is all new.

Comments (10)

  • 7 years ago

    sorry I couldn't get the pictures to post on the actual post

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Temperature? High heat can do that. Also poor pot drainage. You are watering a lot! I hate to ask but, where did you get your soil? Looks a little like herbicide damage. Especially if other plants are showing the same effect. Plants can be butted right up against fluorescent lights. No prob with that.

  • 7 years ago

    I got my soil from home Depot, nothing special. If I don't water once a day at least everything wilts we have about 5% humidity here. I'll put a thermometer under and see how hot they are getting, thanks!

  • 7 years ago

    you need a small fan just above the canopy.. without some air circulation, heat starts to build up fairly quick. you're also over watering them if you are watering everyday. doesn't matter it's 5% humidity, with the size of those pots, there's no way they'd need daily watering, you should be watering no more than twice a week.

  • 7 years ago

    Everything wilts if you don't water once a day? You have some bigger problem here. I can imagine the top half inch of your soil dries out each day, but it's going to be moist under that. That's where the roots all are. So the roots are damaged in some way that is making it difficult for them to absorb water, unless the soil is drenched. If your drainage is poor and you kept everything dripping wet, you may have root rot.

    When you water a lot, does water flow freely out the bottom?

  • 7 years ago

    Agree, those plants aren't drinking that much. What kind of Home depot soil? They look a bit leggy, and underfed. Also agree about possible heat damage. Were they close to the lights?

  • 7 years ago

    My plants brush right up against my T8s with no trouble, but maybe T5s are hotter?

  • 7 years ago

    I will put a fan up thank you for the suggestion. Sorry I should have mentioned that I'm watering with a spray mister not soaking the pots it just gets the top. Even so I'll back off and see if it helps. If I pour water from a watering can over them then yes water will flow freely it the bottom. Thank you all for your help!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Well, that's your problem! You can't water plants with a spray. Chances are the soil in the pot is so dried out that it isn't even able to soak up water. You may have to use fresh potting mix and work the water into the soil first (like kneading dough). Then put the pots in a tray and water from the bottom. When the soil soaks up enough water from the tray to make the top look moist, dump the water out of the tray.


    You have fungus gnats because you are keeping the top of the soil wet. They like that. Allow the top of the soil to dry before bottom watering again. And use half strength water soluble fertilizer.


    Collect the fungus gnats with yellow "whitefly" sticky strip traps found in garden centers.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Yes, how moist is your soil? Plants drink through their roots, and not through their foliage, so spraying plants doesn't water them. Not even clear WHY you're spraying them. Soak their soil, and then don't water again until the soil half an inch down is dry. And that's exactly right that you have fungus gnats because you're keeping the top of the soil wet.

    But thirsty plants are going to wilt wholesale, and not just curl their new leaves. So again, I think you have some other problem.

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