yellow tomato leaves
You have diligently planted and watered your tomato garden. Now, like a cautious parent with a new baby, you look after your tomatoes with tender, loving care. One day, however, you notice that the leaves of your beloved tomato plants are turning yellow.
Just like a baby may communicate his or her needs by crying, a tomato plant can communicate what it needs by its appearance.
Parents eventually learn to distinguish the meaning behind their baby’s cries. In like manner, gardeners can better care for their plants when they learn to interpret their tomato’s ‘cries’ for help.
So now that you’ve noticed them, what do yellow leaves on a tomato plant indicate?
Time for a Soil Check
Yellow leaves on a tomato plant can mean your tomatoes are suffering from various issues. The first place to start your investigation is the soil.
That’s right, just because the tomato plants are already growing doesn’t mean your soil involvement is over. Since nitrogen is such an important factor in tomato growth, it’s only logical that you would want to check your soil to make sure it has enough nitrogen and other nutrients.
Nitrogen is a basic element of protein and chlorophyll. It is also a critical aspect in tomato production. Since chlorophyll is the green setting for the process of photosynthesis, it’s only natural that the omission of Nitrogen alone is enough to turn your leaves a yellow color.
Other Yellow Leaf Culprits
Just like people can get sick from bacteria or fungus, yellow leaves on a tomato plant could also be the result of a bacterial or fungus problem. Some tomato plants with yellow leaves may have fallen victim to pests. Regular attacks by worms, Aphids, Whiteflies, or caterpillars can have an adverse affect on the health of your tomato plants.
What can you do?
If you discover that a lack of nitrogen is adversely affecting your tomato plant, you can try to amalgamate a nitrogenous fertilizer or well-rotted manure (which is rich in nitrogen) into your soil. If your plant has a virus or bacteria, eliminate the plant, its close neighbors, and the soil. These infections are contagious and incurable for organic home gardens!
Cry for Help!
If pests are a problem for your tomatoes, don’t give up hope. You do not have to resort to harmful pesticides and chemicals. You can rid your tomatoes of a pest that is ruining them by enlisting help from nature.
First, determine your pest’s natural enemy, and get assistance in exchange for food. For example, aphids are a common villain to organic home gardens. However, aphids have numerous natural enemies. . .
You could enlist the help of birds that find aphids tasty; like Mockingbirds, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and more. Try setting out specialized birdfeed to attract the birds that like your tomato plant’s enemies. With this method, you can attract creatures that may eliminate the pests that are pestering your tomatoes.
If a child doesn’t get better with a little rest and basic essentials, a parent would not hesitate to take him or her to see a specialist. In the same manner, if the essential steps to improving your tomato plant’s health are not successful, be sure to visit a garden center specialist and get some professional help maintaining your organic garden.
Even though yellow leaves can appear for a multiplicity of reasons, it’s nice to know that assistance is available to help your tomato plant grow up to be big and strong.
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Just to say that I have had the best tomato crop ever this year thanks to your growing advice. Also the weather has been better than the past few years on the whole [northern England] so that was probably a contributing factor. Healthy plants have yielded pounds and pounds of tasty sweet tomatoes from my lean-to greenhouse and even from outdoors. I have made super red tomato chutney and also roasted tomato soup. Simply delicious. If anyone wants a recipe just ask.
In the south the leading hidden cause of yellow and dying tomatoes is Magnesium deficieny which is easily corrected by adding 1-2 teaspoons of Epsom salts at transplant time.