Curling Leaves

[Oregonfarmer]

Hi all,

Have not planted tomatoes for 30 years. This year I planted 44 plants and 24 varieties. Many heirlooms. Planted from seed 6 weeks apart. On my older plants I have some leaf curling. Recently installed drip system, maybe too much water. I hope it is not virus.

Soil beneath plants 8 inches is dense with clay. When the clay gets too wet it is sticky. When it gets to dry it is like cement. When it is medium it seems to be good soil.

Live south of Portland, Oregon at the base of the coast range, Have a lot of fungus in the valley. The Italian varieties Pomodero Soernti and Costoluto Florentino seem most prone to it.

Any suggestions or comments would be of great help.

Thx

Oregon Farmer

[carolyn137]

They should soon be OK. The plants are still small and sometimes the part above the soil line grows faster than the roots do. It's called unbalanced growth.

So you can see cupped leaves,upside down ones as well, but if leaves curl up entirely it could also be due to aphids as well and some F1 hybrids also do it normally.

Could you share with us the names of some of the varieties out there,whether hybrids or OP's and where you got the seeds from,whether from trades or vendors,and you don't need to share the last option with us,that's OK as well.

Please keep us up dated.

I just noted that you mentioned two Italian varieties as doing better, but I'm not so sure that is the answer.

Carolyn

[Oregonfarmer]

The two Italian varieties show the worst of the leaf curl. I hope your right. I bought the seeds from territorial seeds. The Pomodero Sorenti seeds I brought back from Italy 3 years ago. This plant has the worst leaf curl. I also bought seeds from White Flower Farm and the Bonnie plant from Lowes.

These are the varieties I am growing:

Green Zebra
Pomoderpo Sorenti
Sun Gold
Gold Nugget
Costoluto Fiorentino
Lizzano
Orange Paruche
Old German
Martian Giant Slicer
Sweet Million
Sweet Apertif
Gold Nugget Organic
Candy Land
San Marzano
Brandy Wine
Dona
Ramapo
Blonkopfchen
Chocolate Sprinkles
Sun Sugar
Plack Prince
Pineapple
Moskovich
Bonnie Original

[KarenO]

I think they are cold. mine are the same here on Vancouver Island and it's still pretty cold at night. It`s not harmful, I think your photos show nice healthy plants with a bit of a stress response to cold. keep them well fed and watered to avoid any additional stressors and wait for warmer temps. it`s very early in the season.
KarenO

[Spartanburg123]

Those will be fine- I agree. Interestingly, Black Krim seems to do this every time I grow it, whether in the ground or in pots. The other varieties do not show this. The plants always end up just fine.

[zipcode]

The exact causes can be many and vary from garden to garden.
For me it is usually high sun intensity or very high heat.
The most curled variety for me has been Caspian Pink, basically almost to the top even on mature plants. They have been one of my most productive varieties despite this.

[Oregonfarmer]

Thx. I think it was 42 degrees the other night. Didn't even think of the night being to cold.

[Oregonfarmer]

So the Caspian Pink has cupped leaves all the time and it still bears lot of fruit?

[Al@NC]

Yeah, I think the PNW is somewhat known for physiological leaf roll...


Al

[zipcode]

Originally Posted by Oregonfarmer

So the Caspian Pink has cupped leaves all the time and it still bears lot of fruit?

Yes. They are more prone to sunscald though, obviously.

[Oregonfarmer]

The main cause of the curling leaves I believe was the cold nights 42 degrees and combination of overwatering of clay soil. The curling was permanent and I removed most of them as they were bottom leaves touching the ground. After 3 weeks now seem to be growing well.

The Italian varieties seem to like the warmer weather and are more prone to curling leaves. The San Marzano Gigante always seems to have curling, twisted leaves. Photo attached. Very ugly plant. Hope it produces tasty fruit or sauces. Have 2.

Nights are still cool at 49 degrees and not all varieties are fruit setting. The hot wind during the days also causes leaf curling but seems to be temporary and is gone by morning.

Intersting to see what grows well and are my keepers in Oregon. First year for me of the keeper process. I am addicted.

[KarenO]

Your plants look great now for growing outdoors in cold nights.
There are definitely varieties more suited to hot climates and warm nights, you just need to experiment and find what works best in your area. As a Canadian gardener I have not had much luck with Italian pastes for example but there are some Russian and other European ones that did well so experiment with various ones. For now, everything looks very good I think, hopefully lots of fruit will set soon.
KarenO