A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems Tomato Leaf curling- Help!!

Bought a bunch of heirloom tomatoes, and all of the ones from the same place started having the same problem. At first I thought it might have been over watering as we have had a ton of rain, but if that were it all should be having the same problem. Some of the leaves look fine, but all the new growth is deformed and the leaves are very small and curled. Any ideas? Thanks for any ideas here! Here are some pictures-

Is there a chance that herbicide was sprayed nearby? Even as far as a nearby farm? It looks like 2,4D damage. If you've had your lawn sprayed or even if your neighbor had theirs sprayed, that could have done it, as pesticide has a tendency to drift.

We don't spray here, and have not seen the neighbors spraying. Also, not all the tomatoes are affected, just the ones I bought from the organic heirloom nursery. I would have thought of it was herbicide, soil issue, or watering issue not just these would be affected. I have over 60 heirloom tomatoes in the ground and in buckets now and only the 13 I got from the one place have this issue. I am now thinking some kind of virus maybe?? As you might be able to see from the photos only the new growth is curling, the older leaves are mostly fine.

It almost looks like (but not necessarily) the early stages of Fusarium Wilt which is a fungi that overwinters in the soil. Heat stress usually initiates the symptoms which intensify as the season progresses. The lower leaves will begin to turn yellow and all leaves will become stunted.

If Fusarium Wilt is the cause, you will see a darkening of the vascular tissue if you cut through the stem. If you are sure Fusarium Wilt is the problem, there is nothing you can do but pull up the plants and dispose of them. Do NOT put them in the compost pile!

There are Fusarium resistant varieties of Tomatoes and this will almost always be noted on the plant's tag or seed packet. BetterBoy, Carmen and Merced are among these varieties.


The virus was more than likely in the soil used by that nursery. If that is the case, I would take them back and demand satisfaction! I hope the affected plants are the ones in the buckets so you can get rid of the plants and soil easily.

Tomato Blight usually strikes and kills the plants within a few days.
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/blight1.htm
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/blight2.htm

There are some leaf curl diseases. It's possible they got some spray drift at the nursery, but let me give you several sites to examine, these will be a good reference to save to favorites.
http://www.tomatogardeningtips.com/tomato_troubleshooting_chart.htm
Look halfway down for herbicide damage.
This site is pretty good...
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/..._Newsletter6_4_2009&utm_medium=email
I hope these link through...several sites said they no longer exist.

Dave thanks for the troubleshooting sites... I do tomatoes in my greenhouse and its good to have a reference.

One thing that I have is curled leaves on the new growth of my tomatoes. I think my problem is as Bill says heat stress from the heat of a greenhouse. I haven't seen any damage on my tomatoes though, they still grow well. I do try and keep a balanced watering schedule and have lots of air movement and vents in the greenhouse as well.

Hah, I just realized Bill posted while I was composing a reply. Definitely sounds like the disease came from the greenhouse. I take 'em back, and if they protest, they would wind up where the sun don't shine. Just my suggestion.

You'd be surprised how awful curl on new growth can look, but the leaf diseases are hideously ugly and, as bill said, very fatal. The curl may well be benign, but if it is a virus or fungus, chances are you'd better just yank them out and throw them into an incinerator.
I had to pull one plant already due to what I guess was a blight, it wasn't early blight.
The one utterly fatal blight, that will contaminate the soil and won't respond to chemical controls, is Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. I'll let someone else retrieve any info on it, I'm done in for today.
Actually, another terribly destructive blight fusarium wilt, not specifically a blight, but you'd see brown tissue with that.

thanks for the advice and helpful links! I contacted the nursery and no one has returned my calls yet :/ We'll see what they say!

MY PARTNER DECIDED TO BUY AN OFF THE WALL DIFFERENT TOMATO PLANT THIS YEAR. I STILL STUCK WITH MY BETTER BOYS. BUT THE ONE THAT WAS DIFFERENT(IT WAS SOME KIND OF A STRIPED ONE) GOT THE WILT. I FINALLY GOT RID OF IT, THE OTHERS DID NOT GET IT. BEST TO STICK TO THE ONES I KNOW ARE DISEASE AND WILT RESISTANT LIKE THE BETTER BOYS, BIG BOYS, ETC.

don't have any help just wanted you to know I live in Rector also an grow tomatoes. I havent had any troubles yet I use big boy abd big girl seeds to start my plants
I live by the nature center

This looks exactly like what I have here in Northern VA. 8 heirloom plants in a new raized bed I made last fall all have show dramatic leaf curl even rolling together on top of each other. As test, I have just planted 4 plants in another established bed. I wonder if the compost I used for new bed is carrying a virus. If plants die, I intend to solarize the whole bed during August and start again with a fall crop.

Could this be a result of too much/little fertilizer or such?