Tomato curling up

[wildinthecountry]

Hi all, help appreciated. My tomatoes keep curling up at the top of the plants - lots of different varieties in two greenhouses, one closed at night the smaller one left open (very hot here lately). This is the first year I've planted them in big long sacks which I've filled with compost from new tomato grow bags. And it's the first year I've grown them from seed (Sungold, Ruby, Skykomish - delicious by the way - many more).
I've read older posts but can't really find a definite answer. I've heard it can be too concentrated feed at the roots, cold temps (don't think so), but anyone know? They try to unfurl some days but each time I water them they curl up again. I'm trying not to water as much as I normally would but it all seems odd to me.
The compost in the grow bags is horrid these days by the way - lumpy old fibrous stuff. My seed compost this year had big bits of stick and hard lumps in it.

[veggiechicken]

Hi and welcome back.
I think its a temperature problem - there have been several similar questions recently. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_93722.html Mine curl up through the day too - cordons more than bush.
I keep the GHs open all day and night and water early morning and in the evening. I'm not sure why you're not watering as much as normal, especially in this weather?

[damian1225]

Soak them morning/night and keep the greenhouses open, temps here at night have been minimum 19c

is there the option to have the sacks have a hole in the bottom so the roots can grow down and go into the ground under the sacks? thats always a benefit if you have the option, as long as your feeds not been used double strength or anything silly its pretty sure to say you can discount that as a cause.

Id not worry too much, once they set fruits I usually trim off around 50% of the leaves anyway so the plant can use its energy and water on the fruits instead of the leaves, they dont need all of that foliage and it helps to get the sun on them to aid ripening as well let us know how you get on

[wildinthecountry]

Many thanks, good to be back and good to see you're all still here! I've obviously been spending too much time in the garden!
I won't worry so much about these tomatoes now - I wondered if the little whitefly which kindly infested my chrysanths during the winter had got onto the tomatoes but I can't find any evidence of them.
The big bags and compost they're in seem to hold the water well so I've only watered when they need it. In past years I've watered twice a day but the tomatoes were a bit 'watery'.
The bags are standing on shingle but the roots could find their way through if they want to.

Thanks so much for help. If anyone knows what I can do about the whitefly before the chrysanths go back in for the winter without using very nasty sprays I'd be forever grateful!

[Jungle Jane]

Whitefly don't like nesting by French marigolds,they exude a natural pesticide in their roots,in my garden I've chased the whitefly from my potatoes by putting a little pot in the top of a few bags. There's a marigold with each tomato to keep them away too. There are some whitefly at the bottom of my garden but they don't seem much trouble at the minute. Also they're attracted to those yellow sticky bits of card,they'd be handy to wave around or have next to the plants somehow maybe?

[wildinthecountry]

Thanks that's great advice. I saw a garden today with marigolds in pots alongside the tomatoes. I thought it was some kind of bug control but now I know what! Will grow some.