Dull, limp leaves on tomato plants

[bigdog]

Different varieties potted up in Morrison's black flower buckets. Plenty of drainage holes and crock at the bottom. MIxture of approx 3/4 B&Q multipurpose compost with 1/4 vermicculite.
Occasional total wilting of some leaves but mainly just limp and lacking turgidity.
Made sure they have plenty of water and adequate ventilation.
I'm stumped and fed up.
Any ideas?

[womble]

I've had total collapse from too much water, maybe it could be something like that.

[HeyWayne]

Might be a daft question - but are you feeding them?

Are they in a greenhouse? Shaded?

[Bigmallly]

Like many questions, there are numerous answers, see if this helps.

Growing Vegetables: Tomato plant leaf curling, water soluble fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer

[zazen999]

I'd say too much water, if you are giving them plenty. At the moment mine are hardly in need of any and they are in a greenhouse.

[teakdesk]

Different varieties potted up in Morrison's black flower buckets. Plenty of drainage holes and crock at the bottom. MIxture of approx 3/4 B&Q multipurpose compost with 1/4 vermicculite.

Are they inside, outside, greenhouse, heated, etc.?

Occasional total wilting of some leaves but mainly just limp and lacking turgidity.

What did you do to stop the "total wilting" ?

Made sure they have plenty of water and adequate ventilation.
I'm stumped and fed up.
Any ideas?

As suggested above, you might be overwatering but another thing comes to mind.

If you are watering from the top and have lots of drainage holes then it is possible that water is not being absorbed by the compost (except at the top) but is running down the side of the pot and straight out of the drainage holes. This will leave you with a totally dry root-ball.

To cure this you need to stand in water for a long timeto let the compost get thoroughly wet.

After that I wouldn't water again until the pot feels lighter when I lift it up a little bit (in fact if you try and lift it when it is wet you will know how heavy a well-watered pot is to compare with a drier pot).

Over-watered compost will prevent the roots growing properly.


What do you mean by "Adequate ventilation"? Tomatoes don't like cold draughts - in fact they don't like cold but will tolerate a little cool if they are not getting hot at other times of the day - ie they prefer an almost constant temperature with the daytime around 20 degC and night time a little cooler.


You don't mention feeding them so I assume you haven't started feeding too early. Feeding early can also stop the roots growing properly.


How big are the plants?

[SarzWix]

Sounds like cold to me - was flippin' cold here last night and the temp has been hovering around 6 - 7c in my unheated greenhouse for the last few nights. Where you are, it could well have been colder? Have you got a max/min thermometer in the greenhouse?

[Tomatoking]

Like a few have already said, it initially sounds like a classic case of over watering. Plant heads do tend to go quite dark green with lack of water, and in this dull rainy weather I am only giving mine a good drink only every 3 days or so.
Yours are in pots so you do have to be slightly more careful, as as been sugested, lift the pot to feel how heavy it is which will give you an idea if the whole pot is wet.
I would ease off watering for a few days, especially if it stays damp, you should see a darkening of the head slightly after a few day.
Plants will cope far better in damp conditions, underwatered than over watered.

Like most people here I am guessing, but a picture would help.

Mr TK.