It’s a pity to see that the seedlings that we nurture at an early stage of development suddenly begin to fade, and the leaves turn yellow. All the reasons why the seedlings wither, fall or its leaves turn yellow, can be combined into two main groups. First of all, these are mistakes in the care of young seedlings and diseases or pests.
Why do seedling leaves wilt
A sad sight. But there is more than one reason. It would be a pity to you, but at least one seedling will have to be torn out of the ground and carefully examined - both the top and the roots. And pay attention to the earth.
Any seedlings love moisture. Seedlings of tomatoes are no exception. But if the container in which you grow seedlings stagnates, then the roots can suffocate. It is in this case that the reaction of the seedlings is wilting of the leaves. What should be done first? Make drainage holes in the bottom of the tank or, if any, make them wider so that excess water can drain into the drain pan.
The second reason for wilting is too dry indoor air. Tomato seedlings love heat, but if you put it next to a hot battery, dry air can cause seedlings to become lethargic. In this case, tomato seedlings should be placed away from the heat source and it will come to life. Do not forget to spray it. Spraying moisture will increase air humidity and provide additional moisture to the leaves.
The third reason is drafts. Fresh air is good for seedlings. But the streams of cold air from the open window are destructive for young leaves - they fade. This trouble is also easily fixable - rearrange the containers with seedlings of tomatoes in another place or for a while do not open the window, do not arrange a draft.
Well, the fourth reason - elementary - drying out of the soil, insufficient watering. Just water the seedlings.
All of the above reasons are errors in the care of tomato seedlings, which are quite easy to eliminate. But the same mistakes can turn into more complex problems, which are more difficult to deal with.
Excess moisture and stagnation of water in seedlings can lead to a very insidious disease - a black leg. It is with the disease that the "black leg" seedlings fall.
How to determine it? Easy. Inspect the stem of the seedling. It begins to darken from below, and the stalk becomes soft, may fall. The roots of the seedling at the same time look healthy, and the leaves wither. And then the roots and the whole plant die. At this stage, plants can no longer be helped.
If you notice signs of the disease at the very beginning, when not all the seedlings are affected by the black leg, but only a smaller part of them, there is only one way out: transplant healthy plants into another prophylactic dish filled with new soil. Ill plants cannot be brought back to life.
But it is best if you prevent this disease in advance. It helps to avoid watering the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Another way. Metronidozole is required (sold at the pharmacy). Dissolve 1 tablet in 1 liter of water. Spray seedlings with this solution, you can water the soil. The tool applied in advance is 100% protection against the black leg.
Why leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow
There is more than one reason for this. Experts identify as many as six factors that contribute to yellowing of leaves. If you pay attention to it in time, then it is more likely to help tomato seedlings and eliminate the causes.
- Yellowing of the lower leaves after transplanting seedlings into the ground at a constant place. This usually happens when seedlings grow in small pots or cells. And after the transplant, the roots began to grow intensely, taking food from the lower leaves. Try not to overgrow the root system. Start transplanting the plants until the earthen lump roots are completely braided. Then the root growth will be natural.
- The leaves turn yellow, giving a blue color when the top of the plant or the roots are experiencing sharp temperature fluctuations. This is the cause of measles malnutrition. It has already been said above that it is advisable not to allow overcooling of tomato seedlings.
- Yellowing of only the lower leaves occurs with severe damage to the root system during transplantation or loosening of the soil. For a plant to recover, it needs time to grow new roots and leaves.
- Lack of moisture can also cause yellowing of leaves. As you know, a tomato plant has a long core root, which receives moisture and nutrition from the depths. And if you water your tomatoes only from above with a small amount of water, then this main root is not enough. The basic rule of watering tomatoes is rare, but plentiful.
- If yellowing is worth paying attention to, where, in which part of the plant leaves turn yellow. With a lack of nitrogen, yellow spots appear on the leaves. If there is not enough calcium, the top of the tomato begins to turn yellow. If tomatoes get a little copper along with nutrition, then the leaves in the lower tier of the plant turn pale and yellow. Deficiency of sulfur leads to the fact that the leaves not only turn yellow, but also thicken, become hard to the touch. Few manganese and iron in the soil - the leaves also turn yellow first and then dry. The edges of the leaves turn yellow - not enough magnesium. The top of the leaf turns yellow - not enough phosphorus. And the whole leaf turns yellow - phosphorus, on the contrary, is a lot.
- Fungal disease Fusarium is another reason for yellowing leaves. To determine whether a plant suffers from this disease or another reason, not only yellowness, but also the simultaneous lethargy of the leaves will help, as if the tomatoes had not been watered for a long time. Of course, prevention is best for Fusarium infection. But, if nevertheless this happened, treat the seedlings 3-4 times with an interval of 1.5-2 weeks, for example, Fitosporin.
Have a good harvest!