Experienced gardeners always fulfill all the necessary requirements for optimal seedling growth. However, plants often get sick, as if the necessary fertilizing and watering were not carried out. The same goes for tomatoes.
In this case, the question arises: when tomatoes have pale leaves, how to feed this crop? Everything is described in more detail in the article.
Brief overview of the article
- Shortage or excess
- Identify the root of the problem with the naked eye
- Carefully inspect the defects
- Low phosphorus
- When there is little potassium
- Calcium in deficiency
- Lack of magnesium
- If there is a lack of sulfur
- When there is not enough manganese in tomato seedlings
- Low iron
- Lack of molybdenum
- Not enough boron
- When there is no zinc
- Little copper
- What to feed if there is a shortage of certain elements
- Photos of tomatoes
Shortage or excess
What's missing from tomatoes? If the leaves are pale, this does not mean that there is a lack of nutrients. Often the plant also suffers from an excess of potassium or phosphorus.
However, experts say that the pallor of the foliage is often explained by a lack of important microelements. The most common of them are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. When there is a shortage of them, the leaves curl, fade, and wither.
Complex mineral fertilizers
In addition to the above elements, plants need macroelements: calcium, iron, sulfur, magnesium. It is also important to provide various microelements: boron, molybdenum, copper, cobalt, zinc.
The industry produces complex mineral fertilizers for tomatoes, which contain several or a complete set of essential nutrients for full development. They are used for various purposes: to replenish missing elements, stimulate growth, prevent flowers from falling off, or accelerate fruit ripening.
The norms and terms of use of fertilizers are indicated on the manufacturers' packaging; they should be carefully observed, because an overdose has just as bad an effect on the development of tomatoes as a deficiency. In addition, a change in the balance in the complex chemical composition of the soil immediately affects its condition.
Identify the root of the problem with the naked eye
How to determine by the leaves what tomatoes lack? If the lower leaves begin to turn pale and wither, this indicates a lack of phosphorus, magnesium, nitrogen or zinc, or potassium. Deficiency of other elements affects young leaves that grow closer to the top of the stem.
It is not always worthwhile to compensate for the shortage with store-bought fertilizers. It may be enough to feed the tomato bushes with an infusion of eggshells or a weak solution of chicken droppings. Natural compost and vermicompost are also suitable.
What fertilizers should potassium be added with?
In the spring, potassium fertilizers are applied with nitrogen fertilizers, since nitrogen evaporates during the winter. In the fall, to restore the soil after harvesting, potassium is dug up with phosphorus fertilizers. In cold weather, potash fertilizers do not migrate in the soil and by spring they end up in the right place.
How to calculate the dosage of potassium fertilizers for tomatoes
When combining fertilizers containing potassium (for example, organic and mineral), it is necessary to reduce the dosage of mineral fertilizers by half.
If fertilizers for tomatoes contain nitrogen and potassium at the same time, then the amount of nitrogen mineral additives should also be reduced. With the correct calculation of the dosage of potassium fertilizers, a good and healthy harvest of tomatoes is obtained.
Potassium for tomatoes is a useful thing, moreover, necessary, but you should not increase the dosage “by eye”, as this can lead to health problems.
Carefully inspect the defects
If the seedlings look lethargic and lifeless, experts recommend carefully examining the damage to the leaves. When the bushes slow down and a reddish tint appears on the veins of the leaves, the tomatoes do not have enough nitrogen. This is also indicated by the change from bright green to a pale light green hue of leaves.
As a result, young foliage may even begin to turn yellow. It is important to remember that this signal indicates that the plant will no longer be able to bear fruit, so it is urgently necessary to add nitrogen fertilizing.
Lack of chlorine (Cl)
Chlorine deficiency in tomatoes is a rare occurrence. It can only be observed on leached soils.
Visual signs of chlorine deficiency:
Young tomato foliage has pronounced interveinal chlorosis, irregular shape, and withers. Over time, older leaves develop a bronze tint.
How to make up for the lack of chlorine?
You can compensate for the lack of chlorine in tomatoes by foliar treatment of the foliage with a solution of potassium chloride.
The sickly appearance of tomatoes can be caused by other reasons: moisture deficiency, for example. © Aimee
Low phosphorus
If tomatoes lack phosphorus, what is the best way to feed them? A characteristic feature of this problem is the appearance of necrotic spots on the foliage, and necrosis gradually occurs. Such a plant can quite easily be confused with a seriously ill one.
The lack of phosphorus in tomatoes is compensated by the introduction of superphosphate, or potassium or ammonium monophosphates. By the way, the reasons for the shortage may lie in the fact that the plant absorbs phosphorus more slowly than other fertilizers.
Copper (Cu) deficiency
Copper is involved in a number of plant processes, including respiration and the formation of stress resistance.
Visual signs of copper deficiency:
Tomato leaves are flaccid (especially the apical ones), whitened at the ends, twisted into a tube. New ones grow small with a bluish tint. The shoots are weak. Flowers fall.
How to compensate for copper deficiency?
The lack of copper is compensated by spraying the leaf plates with a solution of copper sulfate.
When there is little potassium
What is missing from tomatoes if the stems and leaves look unhealthy and limp? Possibly low potassium. This element is quickly washed out of the soil, which leads to poor absorption by tomatoes.
Lack of potassium leads to the appearance of a large number of parasites under the leaves and on the stems. If there is little potassium, the leaves will look burnt, especially around the edges. They will curl up, wither, and a gray tint will appear.
The pale color of the leaves will gradually spread from the edges to the middle. A lack of potassium will not allow plants to fully bear fruit, so it is important to introduce wood or plant ash with rotted compost at the root.
Home > f) Theory of tomatoes (tomato). > Lack of nutrients in tomatoes (tomatoes) and causes of leaf curling
Published July 14, 2012 Author: Valery Medvedev
When growing tomatoes on their plot, almost all gardeners encounter various deviations in their growth. The first difficulty is how to determine what’s wrong with a tomato? Where to look?
The answer is simple - look at the leaves, or rather, first find out in which part the problem is - at the top of the bush (young leaves) or at the bottom of the bush (old leaves).
One of the reasons is the lack of elements in the nutrition of tomatoes. Below are examples of deviations that I found on the Internet and which I partially know myself.
Watch the video: Lack of nutrients in tomatoes and causes of leaf curling
If the problem starts with the BOTTOM LEAVES (OLD):
Some elements move in the plant from older parts (lower) to young (upper) growing parts, so the deficiency will be noticeable on the lower, older leaves:
Most likely a lack of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and magnesium
N Nitrogen One of the main elements in the formation of organic matter. Regulates the growth of vegetative mass, determines the level of yield
Briefly : the lower leaves turn yellow first + the veins are bluish-red + small leaves of the whole plant.
Deficiency symptoms : The plant turns yellow-green, without energy. The roots are thin and weak.
With a lack of nitrogen, the leaves of a tomato are small, green-yellowish in color, and the veins on the underside of the leaf have a bluish-red tint. The stems may be the same color, the fruits are small and woody. The critical period is the time of fruit formation. A lack of nitrogen during this period can lead to the formation of small fruits. If you decide to grow seedlings for sale, then a lack of nitrogen can lead to the loss of all profits - plants with yellow lower leaves will not be sold.
Excess nitrogen is just as harmful as too little. With an excess of nitrogen in the soil, tomatoes develop a powerful vegetative mass - the leaves and stems grow greatly, the plants become “lazy”, which leads to a decrease in fruit formation and a delay in fruit ripening and a decrease in plant resistance to disease. If you do not get rid of excess nitrogen by vigorously washing the soil with water, then dark yellow dying spots appear on the leaves between the nerves, the leaves curl, although the branching of the stems increases.
P Phosphorus is an energy supply element. Activates the growth of the root system and the formation of generative organs. Accelerates the development of all processes, increases cold resistance, increases resistance to mechanical damage and improves the safety of fruits, increases resistance to root rot and other diseases. Tomatoes consume 5 times less nitrogen than nitrogen, however, it is extremely important for fruit formation and the development of the root system. Considering that the generative organs of the first bunches of tomatoes begin to form early, in the phase of the sixth to eighth true leaves, fertilizing tomatoes with easily soluble phosphate fertilizers is especially effective during the period of growing seedlings.
Appearance : dark leaves + leaves curling inward + purple coloring of veins of leaves and stems.
Deficiency Symptoms : Plant darkens, blue-green in color with crimson undersides of lower leaves. Stunted growth. A lack of phosphorus in tomatoes causes leaf lobes to curl inward.
Purple coloring of leaves and stems.
There are two critical periods: at the beginning of the development of the root system and during the formation of flowers and ovaries
There may also be a lack of phosphorus in cold weather - it is not absorbed.
In the future, if fertilizing with phosphate fertilizers is not carried out, the leaves along the main nerve curl outward and downward, and the lobes of the leaves curl inward, the fruits ripen poorly, acquire a bronze color, and the roots become covered with a rusty coating. With further phosphorus starvation, the plants remain dwarf, young leaves are directed upward at a smaller (acute) angle relative to the stem.
K Potassium - tomatoes are used in small quantities and especially during the fruiting period of plants. The role of potassium is also important in the first stages of tomato development for the formation of stems and ovaries, active assimilation of carbon dioxide. Element of cell youth. Enhances the formation of sugars (carbohydrates) and their movement through tissues, increases resistance to disease, frost, and drought. Makes the plant stronger, stronger, improves the quality of the fruit. Increases the growth of the root system, reduces lodging of tops by strengthening the stem.
Deficiency symptoms : curly young leaves + marginal burn on old ones.
Chlorosis of leaf tips and borders with the appearance of necrosis. Old leaves dry out and crumble. Uneven fruit ripening is characteristic of potassium deficiency. During potassium starvation, ammonia nitrogen accumulates in the leaves (starting from the lower ones), which can lead to tissue dehydration, leaf wilting (even when growing tomatoes hydroponically) or even their death. With a slow outflow of carbohydrates, starch accumulates in the lower leaves, which is easily detected during analysis. The leaves first become dark green in color, then yellowish-brown spots appear along the edges of the leaves, which can form a continuous edge of dead tissue. The dots extend to the middle of the sheet, giving it a bronze tint. The dying edges of the leaves curl up. The growth of branches (stems) stops and they become woody. The plants begin to dry out. Spots appear on the fruits and they ripen unevenly
Zn Zinc - regulates protein, lipid, carbohydrate, phosphorus metabolism and the biosynthesis of vitamins and growth substances - auxins.
Briefly : the spots are chaotic, gray-bronze of different sizes. The veins also fall into these spots and do not remain dark + very small chlorotic leaves.
Deficiency symptoms : Irregular chlorotic mottling is characteristic, which quickly develops into necrotic spots of varying sizes. First, scattered spots of gray-brown and bronze color appear on the leaves of the lower and middle tiers, and then on all leaves of the plant. Leaf blades usually become small and narrow.
With a lack of zinc, the tomato produces abnormally small, chlorotic leaves, reminiscent of the small leaves of fruit trees. The tissue of such areas seems to collapse and then dies. Young leaves are abnormally small and mottled with yellow or uniformly chlorotic, slightly upright, and leaf margins may curl upward. In exceptional cases, the internodes of starved plants are short and the leaves are small and thick. Spots also appear on leaf stems and stems. A lack of zinc causes the death of tissue areas over the entire surface of the leaf, and not just at the top and along its edges. Often the lateral and sometimes the main veins undergo this process. Areas with dead tissue disintegrate much faster than with a lack of potassium.
Mg Magnesium - increases the intensity of photosynthesis and the formation of chlorophyll. It is especially in demand for crops with high potassium removal.
Magnesium is needed throughout the harvest period, although deficiency symptoms appear during periods of heavy fruit load when magnesium dosages are increased and consumption of this nutrient is very rapid.
Briefly : starting from the lower leaves, the veins and next to them are green, and between them there is chlorosis + the tips of the leaves bend inward.
Deficiency symptoms : yellow chlorosis between the veins of old leaves, sometimes accompanied by necrosis. Typically the leaf margins remain green until the deficiency becomes more severe.
Sandy and sandy loam sod-podzolic soils are poor in magnesium. With a lack of magnesium, a characteristic form of chlorosis is observed - at the edges of the leaf and between the veins, the green color changes to yellow, red, and purple. Spots of different colors subsequently appear between the veins due to tissue death. At the same time, large veins and adjacent areas of the leaf remain green. The leaf tips and edges curl, causing the leaves to become domed, the edges of the leaves to wrinkle and gradually die. Signs of deficiency appear and spread from the lower leaves to the upper ones.
Mo Molybdenum regulates nitrogen, carbohydrate and phosphorus metabolism, the synthesis of chlorophyll and vitamins, and stimulates the fixation of air nitrogen.
Briefly : speckled chlorosis + veins remain untouched + leaves curl inward.
Deficiency symptoms : Not very common. With a lack of molybdenum, the first and second pairs of true tomato leaves turn yellow and curl upward with their edges: chlorosis spreads between the veins to the entire leaf blade.
Newly developing leaves start out green but become mottled as they grow. Areas of chlorotic tissue subsequently swell, the edges of the leaves curl inward; Necrosis develops along the edges and at the tips of the leaves.
If the problem starts with the UPPER LEAVES (YOUNG and growing point):
Symptoms of this group are characteristic of a lack of calcium, boron, sulfur, iron, copper and manganese. These elements are not able to move from one part of the plant to another. Therefore, if the soil does not have these elements, then the young leaves do not receive them, as a result of which they get sick and die.
Ca Calcium - stimulates plant growth and development of the root system. Enhances metabolism and activates enzymes.
Briefly : it starts from the end of young leaves, like scorching, and old ones increase in size + apical rot.
Deficiency symptoms : Young leaves are deformed at the tips. The leaf surface dries out starting from the tips and borders (blackening of the fruit shows a characteristic disorder called “tip rot”).
Calcium deficiency is most noticeable on young leaves, which become chlorotic (formation of light yellow spots); old ones, on the contrary, acquire a dark green color and increase in size.
With a slight lack of calcium in tomatoes, especially in unstable varieties, fruits with a gray or brown top appear - the so-called blossom end rot. The brown spot often spreads to half a tomato. Tomatoes with an elongated fruit shape, such as “lady fingers,” are prone to the appearance of this symptom. With a more significant calcium deficiency, other signs appear - the plant grows slower, the tops die, the leaves become irregularly shaped, and the edges may look scorched. In itself, a lack of calcium is unlikely - after all, almost everyone sprinkles lime, dolomite, and ash. However, excessive doses of nitrogen fertilizers, including “natural” ones - manure, droppings, etc., can interfere with the absorption of calcium.
B Boron regulates pollination and fertilization, carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Increases resistance to disease.
Briefly : the top is curved downwards + its base begins to turn yellow + the main veins of these leaves are brown + break easily when bent + brown spots on the fruits.
Deficiency symptoms : In case of boron deficiency, young apical leaves first lose their normal color at their curved base. The top may remain green for some time. Typically, the affected tissues quickly disintegrate, and if the growth of the leaf continues further until it completely dies, the leaf becomes twisted or twisted. The upper leaves are an unhealthy light green color and curl from the top to the base. The main veins of the affected leaves become brown or black in color and break easily when the leaf is bent.
With a lack of boron, the growing point of the tomato stem turns black, and new leaves begin to grow in the lower part, and the petioles of young leaves become brittle. Brown spots of dead tissue form on the fruits. Excess boron can easily lead to toxicity.
With a slight lack of boron, tomatoes simply do not set fruit well. It is recommended to apply boron fertilizers during abundant flowering, 1-2 times per season. With a slight lack of boron, tomatoes simply do not set fruit well. With a severe lack of boron, which is rarely encountered in real life, the growth point dies.
S Sulfur is the building stone for proteins. Participates in the metabolism and transport of substances, in general processes of ionic balance in plant cells. It is part of proteins, being one of the starting products for the biosynthesis of amino acids.
Briefly : the tissues do not die, but the leaves turn yellow, bluish-red veins (like nitrogen), but it starts with the upper leaves + thin stems.
Deficiency symptoms : thin stems. A lack of sulfur manifests itself in slower growth of stems in thickness; the stems become thin, brittle, woody and hard.
The leaves of the plants acquire a light green color, and later yellow, partly with a reddish tint. Unlike nitrogen deficiency (which appears first on older leaves), sulfur deficiency appears first on young leaves. The stems become thin, brittle, woody and tough.
Fe Iron
Briefly : the upper leaves turn yellow, starting from the bases + veins in these places as well. You can see the yellowing top.
Deficiency symptoms : Young leaves become yellow-green in color, then the color becomes lemon yellow and yellow-white as the deficiency increases. Symptoms begin to appear at the base of the leaves. Signs of iron deficiency: plant growth is stunted, the youngest leaves become chlorotic. In case of acute deficiency, the leaves turn white and only the leaf veins along the edges remain green. Iron does not move from old leaves to young ones.
Iron deficiency is also called chlorosis. It is found on alkalized soils, on soils where too much lime has swelled.
The treatment is quite simple. By applying a solution of iron sulfate (no more than 1% concentration) to the leaves, such chlorosis goes away in just a few hours.
In tomatoes, this type of chlorosis is more common in the early seedling period, when round-the-clock illumination of seedlings is often recommended. If such illumination is not stopped, then without iron-containing supplements, chlorosis will occur sooner or later (approximately 1-2 weeks).
Cl Chlorine
Deficiency Symptoms : These leaves are irregularly shaped with severe intervenous chlorosis. Plants require relatively high concentrations of chloride in their tissues. Chloride is very abundant in soil, reaching highest concentrations in salt marshes, but may be deficient in leached soils.
The most common signs of deficiency are chlorosis and wilting of young leaves. Chlorosis forms on the intervenous parts of leaf blades. With a more severe deficiency, the surfaces of mature leaves acquire a bronze color. Generally crops are chlorine tolerant, but some species such as avocados, stone fruits and grapes are sensitive to chlorine and show toxicity even with low chlorine levels in the soil.
The maximum chlorine content in greenhouse soil for tomatoes is 0.02% on air-dry soil
Mn Manganese - regulates photosynthesis, respiration, carbohydrate and protein metabolism, activates enzymes.
Briefly : starts at the base of the upper leaves, as in iron deficiency, but the veins are not uniformly colored and are greener than in iron deficiency.
Deficiency symptoms : Typically begin to appear on the youngest leaves, where chlorosis between the leaf veins contrasts with the patchy dark green leaf veins. As the deficiency progresses, the spaces between the veins become more yellow compared to iron deficiency, in which yellowing begins at the base of the leaves. Not very common. It happens on soils where fertilizers with microelements are rarely used, and where they add a lot of lime or simply water a lot with very hard water from a well. With this type of chlorosis, the veins also remain green, but yellow spots appear between the veins and the entire leaf becomes variegated and bright. You can confuse it with a viral mosaic and get very scared.
Curling of leaves.
The observed curling of tomato leaves is explained by several reasons: sharp changes in day and night temperatures (the difference should be within 5-7 degrees); removing a large number of shoots or leaves; low temperature and high humidity at night.
Leaves lying on the ground, sick or yellow, are removed regularly. And also leaves or shoots that form on the racemes, the so-called growths.
To improve ventilation, lighting and reduce humidity, the lower leaves are removed three weeks after planting. However, in a week you should not remove more than 2-3 leaves from tall varieties and 1-2 leaves from low- and medium-growing varieties.
By the beginning of fruit ripening on the first cluster, but not earlier, all leaves before it must be removed. To get a good harvest, it is enough for the plant to have 13-18 leaves, not counting those at the top.
Tearing off leaves and pinching is carried out the day before watering and foliar feeding, so that the wounds have time to heal and are not a gateway for the penetration of diseases, especially gray rot.
According to my observations, this is the case.
And one more thing: Everything is in order if the top has curled leaves by morning, and in the afternoon they straighten out, the flowers are bright yellow, 2 flowers bloom at once in a cluster, the fruits at the base of the cluster are larger, the clusters are located at an obtuse angle to the stem.
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Lack of magnesium
The leaves wither, turn pale, a brownish tint appears between the veins, gradually the entire leaf area becomes covered with brown spots, but the veins often remain green.
As a result, the leaves curl upward and fall off. Spraying with magnesium nitrate will relieve the problem. The solution is made simply: 1 small spoon of nitrate per bucket of water.
Signs of battery shortage
A lack of any nutritional element inevitably leads to weakening and development of diseases. In each case of the disease, characteristic symptoms can be distinguished.
How to Recognize Macronutrient Deficiency
Nitrogen deficiency can be identified by small leaves with a yellow-green color and bluish-red veins on the reverse side (appears first on the lower leaves). The plant has roots that are thin and weak, and the fruits are small and woody.
Signs of phosphorus starvation are visible in thin, weakened stems, the plant darkens, the leaves below become reddish-purple. In young plants, the leaves are directed upward at an acute angle. Flowering occurs later, the fruits are small and ripen poorly.
Potassium deficiency is characterized by curved, wrinkled leaves with chlorosis at the tips. The stems are thinned and woody, and the fruits ripen unevenly. Potassium fertilizers are the most important for a good tomato harvest.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency manifest themselves in chlorosis of the leaves, they curl up, the veins remain green. Magnesium starvation is more strongly felt on acidic soils, therefore, along with the application of fertilizers containing magnesium (magnesium nitrate, potassium magnesium), liming is carried out.
Signs of calcium deficiency include leaf chlorosis, stem growth cessation, leaf tips dying and flowers falling off. A black spot appears at the top of the fruit, which gradually increases.
The problem can be eliminated by adding calcium nitrate to the soil (separately from sulfur- and phosphorus-containing preparations), as well as by performing foliar feeding.
Sulfur starvation is characterized by a light green tint to the leaves, which later turn yellow and then reddish. Symptoms are similar to nitrogen deficiency, but appear first on young leaves. It is eliminated by adding sulfur-containing preparations to the soil - ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, and also using liquid fertilizers.
If there is a lack of iron in tomatoes, their growth is delayed. Starting from the base of the leaf, the color changes from pale yellow to almost white. Starvation is more intense when the soil contains excessive phosphorus and potassium deficiency. The problem can be eliminated by applying organic fertilizers and foliar feeding of tomatoes with Brexil.
Lack of microelements in tomatoes
Boron deficiency leads to darkening of the top of the stem, death of the growing point and the growth of new shoots at the base of the bush. Flowering is weak, the ovary falls off, the stems are brittle. The fruits darken, brown spots and hollow spots appear. The problem can be prevented by soaking the seeds in a 0.02% boric acid solution, and cured by spraying the plants with Boroplus.
A lack of copper leads to inhibition of the root system, slower growth of shoots, the appearance of a dark blue-green color on the leaves, their curling and loss of turgor. Signs of chlorosis appear and new flowers do not form. It is especially noticeable in the heat. Deficiency of the element can be prevented by soaking seeds in a 0.05% solution of copper sulfate, foliar fertilizing with copper sulfate and applying polychelates simultaneously with watering.
Fertilizers for soil mixture
As a basis for the soil of the greenhouse, you can take a mixture of turf soil and humus in a one-to-one ratio. Mineral fertilizers for tomatoes in the greenhouse are applied immediately before planting. For one hundred square meters you need to use 400-500 g of superphosphate, 250 g of potassium sulfate and 75 g of ammonium nitrate.
Peat is also used as a basis for the soil mixture. For the same 10 m2 add 4 kg of superphosphate, 1.5 kg of dolomite flour, 2-3 kg of potassium chloride. Instead of potassium chloride and superphosphate, you can use ash.
If there is a lack of sulfur
Tomatoes cannot fully grow without this microelement. When the level of sulfur decreases, the leaves of the plants turn a little red, and then turn uniformly yellow, but do not turn pale, but immediately wither. Lack of sulfur affects all types of leaves, both young and lower, older.
A characteristic sign of a lack of this substance is that most leaves acquire a pinkish tone. This condition cannot be allowed to develop, otherwise the tomato bushes will stop bearing fruit, and the disease will spread to the stems of the plants. Magnesium sulfate will save the situation.
Boron deficiency (B)
The main danger of boron deficiency in tomatoes is the inability to set fruit. In addition, resistance to diseases worsens.
Visual signs of boron deficiency:
With a slight boron deficiency, tomatoes bloom but do not set fruit. The tops are highlighted and curled down. With a stronger one, which does not occur often, the leading growth point dies. Young leaves curl from tip to petiole. Large veins become dark (brown, black), and leaves become brittle. Stepchildren are intensively formed. Dark brown necrotic spots may appear on the fruits.
How to compensate for boron deficiency?
You can compensate for the lack of boron by treating tomato leaves during flowering with a solution of boric acid. It is better to repeat the procedure several times.
When there is not enough manganese in tomato seedlings
This is a more complex case than if the plants lacked sulfur or calcium. Manganese deficiency affects gradually. Initially, the tomatoes look healthy, but after a while the leaves suddenly lose their appearance. Sometimes chlorosis develops only in small areas of young foliage.
At the same time, the pattern of veins is enhanced. A characteristic feature of manganese deficiency is that the stems and leaves acquire a grayish sheen or become covered with small brown spots. It is worth spraying the plants with a solution of manganese sulfate.
Manganese deficiency
It is quite difficult to detect the lack of manganese in tomatoes. Externally, the leaves look almost healthy and intact. Interveinal chlorosis begins in small areas of leaves and develops to a strictly defined extent.
Manganese deficiency
Young leaves are the first to be at risk. Mild chlorosis and an increase in the pattern of veins - that’s all that can be diagnosed at the initial stage, and only if you look through the leaf into the light. As the deficiency develops, the leaves acquire a gray metallic “shine” and dark “bumps” and necrotic areas form along the veins. Purple marks form on the upper surface of the leaves.
In this case, the plants are sprayed with a 0.25% solution of manganese sulfate or potassium permanganate.
Low iron
In this case, the plant stems are affected first, and then chlorosis spreads to the leaves. Iron is low in calcareous soils that are poorly saturated with oxygen or if there are large amounts of heavy metals.
The tomato bush looks like it is burning out. The green tone of the foliage will quickly return to the iron sulfate solution. At first the veins will bloom. This is the first sign of plant recovery.
Molybdenum deficiency in tomatoes
If the amount of this element is insufficient, variegated spots and some interveinal chlorosis are visible on the leaves. An early sign of molybdenum deficiency is general chlorosis, similar to a symptom of nitrogen deficiency, but usually without the reddish coloration on the undersides of leaves. This is due to the need for molybdenum to reduce nitrate, which must be reduced before it can be assimilated by the plant.
Thus, the initial symptoms of molybdenum deficiency are actually symptoms of nitrogen deficiency. However, molybdenum has other metabolic functions in the plant and hence deficiency symptoms occur even in the presence of reduced nitrogen. At high concentrations, molybdenum has a very characteristic symptom of toxicity - the leaves become bright orange.
Molybdenum correction
Of the molybdenum fertilizers, the most common is ammonium molybdate, a water-soluble white finely crystalline salt containing 50% molybdenum.
Lack of molybdenum
The leaves of tomato bushes turn pale and curl from the base. They look like they are rusting. However, the inner surface remains green. Often, molybdenum deficiency is accompanied by a lack of such an important element as nitrogen.
Therefore, it is necessary to correct the shortcomings by introducing fertilizers such as ammonium molybdate solution and nitrogen fertilizers.
Help
The lack of nutrients can be easily compensated for by feeding, which can be root, foliar, mineral and organic.
Top dressing
Tomatoes love organics. Manure, compost, and humus contain everything necessary for their growth and development. If there is a nutritional deficiency, the bed is covered with a thick layer of compost. If this valuable fertilizer is not available on the site, humic preparations and ash will help.
Two large spoons of potassium humate and a handful of ash in 10 liters of water will revive the most “boring” bush. The ash is infused in a small amount of water for two to three days, mixed with humate and brought to the required volume with water.
Complex multicomponent fertilizers
Complex fertilizer contains from 3 to 7 chemical elements. This is a quick and effective way to eliminate nutritional deficiencies in a greenhouse or open field. On sale are:
- Master,
- Crystalon,
- Kemira-Lux,
- Mortar.
Not enough boron
This element significantly nourishes tomato fruits and, if there is not enough of it, the plant seems to burn out. The leaves turn yellow and dry out. If a summer resident overfeeds tomato bushes with boron, they may die from an excess of the toxic substance.
If there is a deficiency, the stem and leaves will gradually acquire a reddish tint. The bush dries out quickly. It is enough to spray the plants with boric acid and the defects will disappear.
Scheme for feeding tomatoes with folk remedies
The composition of tomato fertilizers may vary. For those gardeners who do not like “chemistry”, here are proven compositions that use artificial chemical compounds to a minimal extent:
№1
- 20 liters of water per liter of infusion of bird (chicken) droppings.
This composition is a good replacement for the use of ammonium nitrate or urea. The consumption rate for this mixture, as well as mixtures No. 2 and No. 3, is one and a half liters for each plant.
№2
For 20 liters of water:
- one liter of bird droppings infusion,
- 16 teaspoons superphosphate (or monophosphate),
- 8 teaspoons of potassium sulfate.
It should be noted that superphosphate dissolves slowly in water, so it will take a long time to prepare the composition.
№3
For 20 liters of water:
- one liter of bird droppings infusion,
- 8 teaspoons of potassium sulfate,
- 14 grams of boric acid.
№4
100 grams of wood ash infused for at least 5 hours in 10 liters of water. Potassium and phosphorus in this composition are in the most easily digestible form for plants;
№5
Herbal infusion (similar to compost) is prepared by grinding the grass, filling it with water and keeping it in this state.
It is good to add a little rotted hay to the green mass, first filled with hot water and then cooled. This will cause the development of Bacillus subtilis, which will inhibit the activity of pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic fungi. Yeast can be used instead of hay.
№6
- one teaspoon of whole, unsterilized milk per liter of water.
After spraying with this mixture, tomato leaves are covered with a thin film of fat and are better protected from diseases.
№7
For 10 liters of water:
- one liter of whey,
- 20 drops of iodine.
This composition disinfects the soil well, reduces the risk of late blight and improves fruiting. The consumption rate is 1 liter for each plant bush.
Let's consider the use of these compounds.
After planting seedlings in the ground
Within a week and a half after planting, the seedlings will settle in and acquire new micro-roots and leaves. At this moment, you need to make the first nitrogen fertilization of tomatoes with composition No. 1, which will stimulate the growth of the green mass of the plant.
Approximately 14 days after this, it is recommended to carry out a second fertilizing with composition No. 2, which will add basic nutrients to the soil.
Of these, phosphorus will be added the most, 90 percent of which will go to fruit formation.
At the beginning of flowering
At the moment the flowers begin to bloom on the first cluster, the tomatoes are fed with composition No. 3. The microelement boron included in it has a very good effect on the formation of fruits from the flower ovary.
This fertilizing can also be done in a foliar way, that is, by spraying. With this method, due to the large receptive area of the leaves, nutrients are absorbed more quickly by the plant.
Further growth of tomatoes
As they grow, tomatoes extract a lot of nutrients from the soil that need to be replenished.
Therefore, fertilizing must be repeated periodically, alternating root and foliar methods.
When there is no zinc
Pitting corrosion will appear on the leaves, as if they were “sprinkled with freckles.” The veins will remain in a rich green tone, which will mislead an experienced summer resident, since this is typical for a lack of iron.
If it is precisely determined that tomato bushes lack zinc, zinc sulfate will save the situation. In addition, plants can be sprayed with a solution of zinc sulfate.
Local fertilizers for tomatoes
These fertilizers include all substances that can be obtained directly on the farm, namely: compost, manure, ash, peat, green manure.
How to use manure or humus
Manure is the most common and complete organic fertilizer for tomatoes. You can bring it to the site only in the fall for plowing. But it would be more correct to plant tomatoes the next season after using organic fertilizers.
If you apply fresh manure before planting, there will be a strong development of the vegetative mass and a slowdown in fruit ripening; the plants will become fat. The exception is poor soils. It is imperative to use organic matter there.
To rid the manure of pests (mole crickets, chafer larvae), it is spread on the beds in winter, when the ground freezes to 6 cm. There it lies until spring, all the pests freeze out, and the manure itself turns into dust, which is buried in the soil in the spring. For feeding, mullein is used, which is pre-prepared: fill the container halfway with it, fill it with water, and leave for 5 days.
The best effect for plants is provided by humus - manure that has been rotted to the state of a crumbly brown mass. It is completely safe and there is less chance of overdose. This valuable tomato fertilizer is suitable for greenhouses, potting mixes and open ground.
If feces are used for fertilizing, they must be properly prepared: the compost is placed in a sealed chamber, conditions are provided to create a temperature of 50 °C. To do this, they are placed in layers with food waste, sawdust, and straw. To ensure oxygen access and prevent caking of the compost mass, it is periodically shoveled.
Attention: according to WHO data, feces cannot be used as fertilizer earlier than two years after being placed in compost pits.
Ash is a universal fertilizer
Ash is the residue formed after the combustion of wood, dry grass or peat. It is considered an affordable universal fertilizer. In addition to phosphorus and potassium, it contains more than 30 microelements: magnesium, iron, calcium, silicon and others. Neutralizes soil acidity, increases yield, its effect lasts about 4 years.
It is quite possible to replace potash and phosphorus fertilizers with ash, using a norm of 7 kg per hundred square meters. It is added before planting or sowing, incorporated into the soil. Store ash exclusively in a dry place, otherwise it will absorb potassium by absorbing moisture from the air.
Green manure is an inexhaustible source of nutrition
If there is no manure or humus, a good way to make up for the lack of organic matter is to sow green manure. In terms of nutritional value, they are equal to manure; they enrich the soil mainly with nitrogen, so it is necessary to additionally apply fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium (ash) to tomatoes.
Oats, wheat, mustard and rapeseed are sown early. Before frost, the area with the crops is dug up shallowly and the organic matter rots until spring.
Winter crops - rye, clover, alfalfa - are incorporated into the soil in the spring, making the top layer of soil loose, and the gradually decomposing green manure supplies fertilizer for tomatoes throughout the entire gardening season.
Peat as a component of fertilizer
Peat is the semi-decomposed remains of plants in waterlogged conditions. Not all peat is good to use as fertilizer. Lowland peat contains slightly more useful elements and is less acidic than highland peat.
Each of them is best used after composting. To do this, peat and manure are laid in layers. For one cubic meter of peat, add 5 kg of phosphate rock, potassium fertilizer, and the same amount of lime. In the middle of the laid materials, to prevent water from draining, make a depression, periodically watering with slurry and digging.
What to feed if there is a shortage of certain elements
Mineral fertilizers are good if tomatoes do not have enough phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, and potassium. Among the useful ones are kalimag, magnesium sulfate or nitrate.
Organic fertilizers, which can be found in the natural environment, are also very necessary. These are ash, bird droppings, dolomite flour. Tinctures on the shells of chicken eggs are also good when tomatoes lack calcium.
Fertilizing tomatoes in open ground
For the main processing, organic matter is added (if added), and fresh manure is not used. On rich soils, it is better not to fertilize with organic matter at all; limit yourself to mineral fertilizers. Chlorine-containing fertilizers are applied in the fall: this element is poorly retained by the soil, and it is harmful to tomatoes.
The N:P:K ratio for tomatoes is approximately 1.5:4.0:1.0 for the active ingredient, half before planting, half during planting and as fertilizing. The dose depends on the nutrient content in the soil and the planned yield. The first feeding is N20P40 or N20P20K20 2 weeks after planting, the second is N20P20K20 at the beginning of fruiting.
Fertilizing is combined with watering. They are carried out as needed, especially on long-fruiting varieties.
It is recommended to carry out foliar fertilizing with a 0.5% solution of double superphosphate in the flowering phase of the first cluster, a dose of 300 g of fertilizer/area.
When fruit sets, the need for potassium and boron increases. Nitrogen at this time increases the overall yield, manganese increases sugar content, molybdenum improves quality, reducing the nitrate content in fruits.
Of the microelements, as a rule, it is desirable to add:
- on sod-gley soils – boron,
- chernozem - manganese,
- sod-podzolic – zinc.
If there is a shortage of a specific battery (see above), then it is necessary to add it, and urgently.
Below in the video you will find tips on fertilizing tomatoes in open ground from the Russian Central Plant of Soil Conservation. Experts will tell you how to carry out root and foliar feeding, and will also give fertilizer compositions.
Photos of tomatoes
The importance of potassium fertilizers for tomatoes
A lack of potassium in tomatoes is characterized by the following symptoms:
Potassium, along with nitrogen and phosphorus, becomes a full participant in the complete mineral nutrition of tomatoes. Soluble potassium salts are found in plant cells, influencing not only the development, but also the taste of the fruit. The particular importance of this mineral increases during the ripening period of tomatoes.
The use of potassium to fertilize tomatoes helps to increase the immunity of plants, increases their resistance to various diseases, as well as adverse weather conditions.
Zinc and magnesium deficiency
A lack of zinc is expressed in the spread of gray-bronze spots . Areas of tissue die over the entire surface of the leaf. Young leaves become smaller, covered with yellow specks, and take on a slightly vertical position. They become asymmetrical and twisted.
Zinc deficiency
For foliar feeding, 5 g of zinc sulfate is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
Magnesium deficiency begins to appear on the lower leaves . The veins remain green, and around them yellowing occurs, then a slight reddening of the leaf tissue, and a purple tint may appear. The edge of the leaves bends upward, giving them a dome-shaped bend. Magnesium chlorosis occurs more often on acidic soils.
Foliar feeding is used . Dissolve 1 teaspoon of magnesium nitrate in 10 liters of water, which will replace Epsom salt.
