The leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow for several main reasons: lack of nutrients, root problems (for example, too small capacity), lack of light, and watering problems. But how to determine why your tomato seedlings turn yellow? Let's try to figure it out.

Tomato seedlings turn yellow: what to do?

Tomato seedlings turn yellow due to nutrient deficiency

Nitrogen . Most often, when seedlings turn yellow, the following picture is observed: in tomato seedlings, the lower ones turn yellow. lower leaves(and not just veins), which eventually dry out and fall off. The plant itself also looks pale, thin. This is a classic picture of nitrogen deficiency. Nitrogen could be low in, or it could wash out with excessive watering through the drainage slots.

In principle, there is nothing catastrophic in this. Of course, the plant will lag behind in development a little, but with your prompt intervention, significant losses can be avoided. If you have fertilizer for "adult" plants, you can use it, but at a concentration 2 times lower than for "adults".

For example, they take ammonium nitrate or urea (urea) and dissolved in water at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter of water (per bucket - 1 tablespoon). If we were talking about preventive feeding, we could get by with watering, but here it is better to water and spray the plants so that the plant gets nourishment faster. Please note that yellow leaves seedlings will not become green, but young ones will grow up healthy. But it is also not necessary to overfeed seedlings with nitrogen - so as not to. Top dressing is carried out several times with a two-three-day interval.

It happens that the leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow from a lack of other elements, but this happens less often. In this case, it is recommended to treat the plants with complex mineral fertilizers, the assortment of which is widely represented on the shelves of gardening stores. In addition to nitrogen, their composition also includes vital micro and macro elements.

Specifically for seedlings, tomato leaves may turn yellow from a lack of:

- Iron. If the young leaves have green veins, and the leaf tissue between them has turned yellow, this indicates a lack of iron. Most often this happens if you are too "carried away" by potassium permanganate - it prevents the iron from being absorbed.

- Copper . There is a lot of peat in purchased soils, which can cause plants to suffer from a lack of copper. It looks, rather, not like yellowing of seedling leaves, but like their twisting, wilting, inability to straighten up even after watering: due to copper deficiency, root rot begins, and the roots cannot provide plants with food.

-Phosphorus . In this case, the underside of the leaves and the stem of the plant do not turn yellow, but also change color: they acquire purple hue, with the upper part of the leaf turning dark green. The leaves become smaller, rust may appear on the roots. The reason for phosphorus starvation can be not only the lack of this element in the soil, but also too low temperatures, due to which phosphorus is not absorbed.

Tomato seedlings turn yellow from heavy watering

Lack of moisture is, of course, a serious reason why young plants may turn yellow. But in practice, it often happens the other way around - you do the seedlings a disservice, and water it too often. As a result, an unimaginable number of fungi and bacteria multiply in the earth, and root system oppressed, and, perhaps, begins to rot. Very often the situation is aggravated by the lack of light and dense soil. In this case, the leaves brighten, turn yellow, necrosis (drying spots) appear on them. Wherein cotyledon leaves also turn yellow in tomato seedlings.

You can save these plants, although this is quite laborious. Carefully remove all the contents from the container, clean the roots from the ground and see if they are damaged. If seriously damaged - black, rotten, dark - it is unlikely that such a plant can be brought back to life. If insignificantly, cut off the rotten parts with scissors. If the roots are white - the root rot did not have time to get to your tomatoes.

Tomato seedlings are transplanted into new ground- light, barely damp, and always in a spacious container. Immediately after planting, you can pour a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Provide the plant with enough light, and henceforth - do not flood. The soil should not be constantly wet - it is watered as it dries, and it must be loosened from time to time so that a “crust” does not form on the surface, preventing air from reaching the roots. Otherwise, is it any wonder Why are the leaves of tomato seedlings turning yellow?

Tomato seedlings turn yellow: other reasons

-small capacity . When the seedling outgrows, its root system becomes crowded, and it cannot properly “feed” the seedlings. The plant needs to be planted immediately permanent place, or transplanted into a more spacious dish.

- lack of light . With a lack of lighting, especially accompanied by low temperatures, tomato seedlings may turn yellow. Tomatoes need to be illuminated in the morning and evening, or the seeds should be planted a little later - when the daylight hours become longer.

- Stress. After transplanting (picks, or to a permanent place), seedlings may turn yellow as the root system is rebuilt to a new habitat. This is normal, but the plant can be helped by feeding it with a growth stimulator (Epin, etc.). And even before moving to a permanent place, it is better to harden the seedlings - this way it is easier to adapt to the new environment.

Tomato seedlings turn yellow- this is an alarming, but not the only signal that something is wrong with the plant. , - all this can happen if you do not follow the agricultural practices of cultivation. Often, the cause of yellowing or wilting of tomato leaves can be difficult to determine, since there are several causes, and they exacerbate each other (for example, cold soil and excessive watering, lack of nitrogen and lack of light). That is why it is easier to take care of preventive measures than therapeutic ones: feed seedlings in time, treat pests, protect from drafts, and most importantly, respond in time to the slightest signs of poor health of your plants.
Tatyana Kuzmenko, member of the editorial board of the Sobcorrespondent of the online publication "AtmAgro. Agroindustrial Bulletin"

Tomatoes are perhaps the most desired vegetable on our table. Despite the fact that tomatoes appeared in the diet of Europeans not so long ago, compared to other vegetable crops today it is extremely difficult to imagine a summer diet without tomato salads or a winter table without canned tomatoes. In addition, any borscht is also hard to imagine without tomato paste or tomato juice. We can conclude that tomatoes are an indispensable thing on our tables, albeit not in their pure form.

You can grow tomatoes in any region, since today there are a huge number of varieties that are bred for certain climatic terms. In addition, there are varieties that are designed exclusively for growing in greenhouses, greenhouses or even on balconies.

The advantage of growing tomatoes can be considered growing their seedlings from seeds, which saves a lot of money and allows you to control the growing process from the very beginning. Despite the simplicity of this process, many often encounter such an unpleasant phenomenon as yellowed leaves from seedlings. It is this factor significantly affects the yield and taste of tomatoes. This article will discuss what needs to be done so that the tomatoes can grow well and correctly, why yellowness appears on the leaves of tomatoes and how to deal with this phenomenon.

Necessary conditions for growing tomatoes

In order for the harvest to be truly worthy, it is necessary to make sure that the seedlings are healthy and will be able to gain a foothold in open field. In the future, in order for the tomatoes to grow properly, it is necessary to create seedlings terms in which they are comfortable to be, namely this:

However, there are the following factors that may affect deterioration conditions of seedlings or contributing to its death, namely this:

• irregular watering;
• watering cold water;
• excess fertilizer, especially those containing nitrogen;
• stagnant air;
• top dressing with fresh manure;
• waterlogging of the soil (excessive watering);
• high humidity air;
• prolonged cooling;
• acidic soil;
• stagnant heat with temperatures above 35 degrees.

Why yellowness appears on tomato seedlings

In most cases seedling begins to turn yellow for the following reasons:

• low level of soil quality in which tomato seedlings are grown;
• an excess or shortage of various nutrients;
• improper watering;
• lack of sunlight;
• close planting of seedlings, in which seedlings cannot grow and develop normally.

The presence of at least one negative factor can lead to deterioration, as well as appearance plants and lower yields. To do this, you need to react in time and try to correct the current situation. Needs to be considered in more detail every from possible causes, due to which the seedlings begin to turn yellow and form an action plan to prevent the death of the plant.

The influence of soil on tomato seedlings

Planting tomato seeds for quality planting material only needed in purchased soil for seedlings. It is absolutely impossible to use fenced soil or already used soil for indoor flowers. This is due to the fact that seedlings tomatoes are very fragile, and its roots are weak, the use of unsuitable soil can cause yellowness or not sprout seedlings at all due to the severity or acidity of the soil.

The effect of watering on tomato seedlings

Tomatoes prefer uniform and moderate watering. Excessive watering leads to soil oxide and air deficiency in the soil, which leads to the slow death of the root system, the first signal of this phenomenon is the yellowed cotyledon leaves of seedlings. Neglect watering is also impossible, since the seedlings immediately begin to turn yellow from a lack of water. It is worth remembering that in dry soil, the absorption of nutrients important for the plant deteriorates noticeably, after which phosphorus and nitrogen begin to move into the stems and such a detrimental phenomenon as yellowness occurs.

The effect of feeding on tomato seedlings

If the plant lacks nitrogen, or, conversely, there is an excess of it, this leads to a clear yellowing of the leaves. Nitrogen is part of chlorophylls and proteins, and such nutrition must be balanced and provided to the plant at all stages of its growth and formation. In addition, it is worth noting that the plant has the properties ferry nitrogen to those parts of the plant where it is needed most, for example, from old leaves to young ones. If the tips of the leaves turn yellow, followed by drying, this indicates a lack of potassium in the seedlings.

Lack of lighting and close planting on tomato seedlings

For normal growth and formation, seedlings need a long daylight hours, a minimum of which should be twelve hours within one day. Lack of light can affect the appearance of yellowness on the leaves of tomatoes. You can increase the daylight hours of tomatoes with a fluorescent lamp or with a phytolamp. It is worth remembering that it is impossible to highlight tomatoes around the clock, as there is a risk of iron deficiency in the leaves, which also leads to yellowing.

disembarkation seed material should be done poorly. If the seeds are planted close to each other, it begins to stretch and turn yellow due to the lack of the required area on which the nutrients are located. Very often, with a dense planting of seedlings, such an unpleasant phenomenon as phytophthora is observed.

In addition to yellowing seedlings can lead to:

• improper use of fertilizer or its poor quality;
• water ingress to seedlings daylight, which causes leaf burn;
• getting into the ground with seedlings of excrement of domestic animals.

Ways to remove yellowness from seedlings

If the cause of yellowness was excessive watering of seedlings, then, in the case when the soil has not yet acidified, it can be sprinkled with ash. But if the soil began to turn sour, you should transplant the tomatoes into fresh soil. It is worth remembering that this should be done very carefully, because, in addition to the fact that the seedlings already feel very bad, they also have a fragile root system.

transplanting into new soil required also if:

If yellowness appears on the leaves due to a lack of fertilizer, the plants should be fed without fail. An addition to such therapy for tomatoes can be foliar top dressing with chelates.

A universal method in the treatment of tomato leaves is the treatment of leaves with a solution of epin. Such a solution is able to remove the consequences of any negative nature.

No one is immune from failures in growing tomato seedlings. To get healthy and strong plants, you need to know the main causes of deviations in the development of seedlings. Most often, leaf shedding and slow growth are alarming.

Why do the lower leaves of tomato seedlings fall off?

As a rule, this phenomenon occurs with pale seedlings of tomatoes, and the lower leaves first turn yellow, dry out and fall off. There are several reasons for this, but the main two are excessive moisture soil and lack of lighting.

The peculiarity of growing seedlings of this crop is that the soil cannot be constantly kept wet. Watering should be moderate, allowing the soil to dry out. Tomato seedlings should be kept on the most well-lit windowsill, and when the weather permits, they are taken out to bask in the sun (it is better to put them on the balcony).

What to do if the leaves of the tomato seedlings have already fallen off? Alternatively, you can transplant the plants into fresh soil. The old soil is removed from the roots of the seedlings, their condition is checked. If the roots turned yellow, rotted or turned black, such seedlings will have to be thrown away. For planting use light soil with good aeration. You can pour a spoonful of potassium permanganate solution (faint pink color) under each plant and put the cups in a sunny place. If the seedlings wither after transplantation, they are shaded for a while.

For good development of tomato seedlings, periodic watering and good lighting. These are the main factors on which health depends tomato seedlings. If the watering rules are followed and the seedlings are in good light conditions, and the leaves fall, you need to look at the color of the remaining leaves. Perhaps the plants are deficient in a particular nutrient.

Another reason for the drying and falling of the lower leaves of tomato seedlings may be excessively dry air. In this case, the leaves will fall from all seedlings, that is, the phenomenon is massive. As a rule, the edges of the leaf plate dry out first, the entire leaf gradually dries out, and it falls off. Correcting the situation is quite easy - you need to put a container with water near the seedling boxes.

Efflorescence on the soil is another sign that the seedlings are growing in unfavorable conditions and the lower leaves are starting to fall off. With “oversalting”, the work of the nutrition process is disrupted, an outflow of nutrients into the soil occurs, as a result, the leaves become thinner, turn yellow and discard. The reason for the "oversalting" of the soil is watering with hard water and fertilizing in in large numbers. What should be done in such a situation? Upper layer soil must be removed and replaced with fresh, for irrigation use only soft water (melt, filtered or rain). Top dressing is postponed for at least 2 weeks.

A lack of potassium can also cause the leaves to dry out and drop. It is useful to feed seedlings with ash infusion or use infusion banana peel. For a week, 3 such top dressings are made.

Tomatoes are one of the most common crops in household plots. Usually their cultivation does not present any particular difficulties: they quickly and amicably sprout and get sick a little. But sometimes a vegetable grower, in the process of growing tomatoes, is faced with the fact that leaves begin to fall off in adult plants or seedlings. There may be several reasons for this. The main ones will be discussed below.

Lack of batteries

One of the reasons for the fall of leaves on plantings of tomatoes may be the lack of basic nutrients.

nitrogen deficiency

Most often, nitrogen deficiency manifests itself during the seedling period, when young plants are limited to seedling containers. It is very easy to determine the lack of this element: first, the lower leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, then the yellowness begins to rise higher. At the same time, the leaf blades turn yellow completely, there are no veins of any other color on them.

In this case, helping the plants is very easy. It will be enough to carry out one top dressing with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer, for example, urea.

Important! When fertilizing, it is very important to follow the recommended dosage. An excess of nitrogen will lead to excessive growth of tops, and there will be practically no flowers and ovaries.

potassium deficiency

Potassium is like an elixir of youth for plants. The need for it increases during fruiting. It activates the protective processes in plants, increases their resistance to diseases and all kinds of adverse weather conditions.

With a lack of this element in plants, the death of the edges of the leaves is observed, which then spreads to the entire leaf. The lower leaf plates dry out completely and fall off. With the progression of the deficiency, the growth of the stems stops, and later the plant dries up.

Zinc deficiency

Zinc in plants is responsible for metabolism and the synthesis of growth hormones. With its deficiency, light gray spots are observed on the leaves of tomatoes, which even extend to the veins. The lesion starts from the lower leaves and gradually rises up. At the same time, young leaves are very small, yellow specks can be seen on them. Zinc deficiency progresses much faster than potassium deficiency.

Magnesium deficiency

Magnesium is responsible for the normal course of the photosynthesis process and the formation of chlorophyll. Most often, its deficiency manifests itself during the fruiting period. It is characterized by leaf chlorosis against the background of green veins. Later, the tissue between the veins dies, and the leaf itself disappears. Signs of magnesium deficiency spread from the lower leaves to the upper ones.

Tomato diseases: brown spot (video)

Errors in growing conditions

The cause of leaf fall in seedlings and adult tomatoes can also be disturbances in growing conditions.

Over watering

Very often, when growing seedlings, inexperienced vegetable growers allow it to be flooded. At the same time, the earth in the planting tank turns sour, and the roots of tomatoes cease to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen. The plant reacts by shedding the lower leaves. To prevent this, it is necessary to make drainage in the planting containers, as well as observe the irrigation regime.

First aid during the bay consists in drying the soil, and in cases of acidification, transshipment of plants into fresh soil.

Temperature regime

Tomato seedlings can shed their leaves even if the temperature regime is violated. Very often this happens when seedlings are placed on a cold windowsill or under an open window.

Lighting

Plants can also respond to a lack of light by dropping leaves. Very often this is observed with too dense crops at the seedling stage or with a thickened planting of adult bushes.

Diseases as the cause of leaf fall

Diseases are another reason that causes the leaves to dry out and fall off.

Alternariosis

A fungal disease that affects the leaves and stems of tomatoes. It starts spreading from the lower leaves. They first appear large brown spots, which increase very quickly until they cover the entire leaf, after which it dries up and falls.

An outbreak of Alternaria occurs when high temperature air. It is necessary to start processing plantings of tomatoes immediately, without waiting for the further spread of the disease. For these purposes, copper-containing fungicides are used, for example, "Skor".

Cladosporiosis

The second name for this disease is brown olive spotting. It is a fungal disease. Most often found in closed ground. The disease begins with the defeat of the lower leaves: first, on their upper side, yellow spots, which will subsequently merge.

On the reverse side leaf plate appears brown plaque, which is the spores of the fungus. Under its influence, the leaves first curl and then dry. The outbreak of the disease most often occurs in the flowering phase.

Septoria

The spread of this disease is facilitated by high humidity and temperature. Tomatoes are processed from it with copper-containing fungicides.

Gray rot

fungal disease that affects all above-ground parts of the plant. First, wet spots appear on the leaves, which are covered very quickly. gray bloom. After that, the leaves curl and dry.

Most often, outbreaks of gray rot are observed at the end of summer. Its occurrence is facilitated by high humidity in combination with low temperature. To stop the further spread of gray rot, you need to remove all infected leaves.

Pests as the cause of the problem

Pests, like diseases, can cause significant damage to tomato plantings. That is why their timely detection and destruction is so important.

Aphid

A very common pest, usually small insects of green, rarely black, which form rather large settlements on the underside. sheet plates. Aphids have the property of multiplying very quickly, so the fight against it must be started as early as possible.

It feeds on the juices of the plant, sucking them out of the leaves. The leaves affected by aphids first curl and then dry out and fall off. To combat it, systemic insecticides are used.

whitefly

Systemic insecticides are used to control whiteflies.

Physiological problems

In addition to all the above reasons, leaves can also fall off due to physiological problems. In some cases, this is a normal and natural process that does not require any intervention.

Phytophthora on tomatoes: fight (video)

For example, when planting seedlings in a permanent place, their root system is damaged. While the plants are recovering and returning to normal, their diet is disrupted. But in nature, everything is provided, first of all, the bushes try to keep the crown and therefore begin to shed the lower leaves that they are in. this moment unable to feed.

What a pity it is to see that the seedlings we nurture on early stage development, suddenly begins to wither, and the leaves turn yellow. All the reasons why seedlings wither, fall, or their leaves turn yellow can be combined into two main groups. These are, first of all, mistakes in caring for young seedlings and diseases or pests.

Why do seedling leaves wither

Sad spectacle. But there is more than one reason. No matter how sorry you are, you will have to pull out at least one seedling from the ground and carefully examine it - both the top and the roots. And pay attention to the ground.

Any seedling loves moisture. Tomato seedlings are no exception. But if water stagnates in the container in which you grow seedlings, then the roots may suffocate. It is in this case that the reaction of the seedlings is the wilting of the leaves. What should be done first? Make drainage holes in the bottom of the container or, if there are any, make them wider so that excess water can drain into the pan.

The second reason for wilting is too dry indoor air. Tomato seedlings love warmth, but if you put it next to a hot battery, then dry air can cause lethargy of seedlings. In this case, tomato seedlings should be placed away from a heat source and it will come to life. Don't forget to spray it. Diffusion of moisture will increase the humidity of the air and give additional moisture to the leaves.

The third reason is drafts. Fresh air useful for seedlings. But the streams of cold air from the open window are detrimental to young leaves - they wither. This trouble is also easily fixable - move the containers with tomato seedlings to another place or do not open the window for a while, do not make a draft.

Well, the fourth reason is elementary - drying out of the soil, insufficient watering. Just water your 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 that are harder to deal with.

Excess moisture and stagnant water in seedlings can lead to a very insidious disease - blackleg. It is with the disease "black leg" seedlings fall.

How to define it? Easily. Examine the stem of the seedling. It begins to darken from below, and the stalk becomes soft and may fall. At the same time, the roots of the seedling look healthy, and the leaves wither. And then the roots die, and the whole plant. At this stage, the plants can no longer be helped.

If you notice signs of the disease at the very beginning, when not all 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 disinfected dish filled with new soil. Diseased plants cannot be brought back to life.

But it is best if you prevent this disease in advance. Helps avoid it from watering the soil weak solution potassium permanganate.

One more way. Requires the drug Metronidazole (sold in a pharmacy). Dissolve 1 tablet in 1 liter of water. Spray the seedlings with this solution, you can water the soil. The remedy applied in advance is 100% protection against black leg.

Why do tomato seedlings turn yellow?

There is not only one reason for this. Experts identify as many as six factors that contribute to the yellowing of the leaves. If you pay attention to this in time, then it is more likely to help tomato seedlings and eliminate the causes.

1. Yellowing of the lower leaves after transplanting seedlings into the ground to a permanent place. This usually happens when the seedlings grew in small pots or cells. And after transplantation, the roots began to grow intensively, taking food from the lower leaves. Try not to overgrow the root system. Start transplanting plants until the roots are completely braided with an earthen ball. Then the growth of the roots will be natural.
2. The leaves are getting yellow, which gives off blue when the top of the plant or the roots experience sudden temperature fluctuations. This is the reason for the violation of measles nutrition. It has already been said above that it is advisable not to allow hypothermia of tomato seedlings.
3. Yellowing of only the lower leaves occurs when severe damage root system when transplanting or loosening the soil. In order for the plant to recover, it needs time to grow new roots and leaves.
4. Lack of moisture can also cause the leaves to turn yellow. As you know, the tomato plant has a long taproot that receives moisture and nutrition from the depths. And if you water your tomatoes only from above with a small amount of water, then it is this main root that lacks it. The basic rule for watering tomatoes is rarely, but plentifully.
5. When yellowing, you should pay attention to where, in which part of the plant the leaves turn yellow. With a lack of nitrogen, yellow spots appear on the leaves. If there is not enough calcium, then the top of the tomato begins to turn yellow. If tomatoes receive little copper along with nutrition, then the leaves in the lower tier of the plant turn pale and turn yellow. Sulfur deficiency leads to the fact that the leaves not only turn yellow, but also thicken, become hard to the touch. There is little manganese and iron in the soil - the leaves also turn yellow at first, and then dry out. 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 - on the contrary, there is a lot of phosphorus.
6. Fungal disease fusarium is another cause of yellowing leaves. To determine whether a plant is suffering from this disease or another reason, not only yellowness will help, but also the simultaneous lethargy of the leaves, as if the tomatoes had not been watered for a long time. Of course, prevention is best for Fusarium. But, if nevertheless this happened, treat the seedlings 3-4 times with an interval of 1.5-2 weeks, for example, with Fitosporin.

Happy harvest!