Tomatoes turn yellow leaves from seedlings: 9 reasons why and what to do

Very often tomatoes turn yellow leaves from seedlings. The main reason is improper care or maintenance of the plant in unfavorable conditions. Today we will cover the main reasons, how to avoid and fix them.

Tomatoes turn yellow leaves from seedlings: reasons. Lack of light

Tomatoes are very fond of light. Its lack leads to yellowing of the whole plant, and the lower leaves become bright yellow. At the same time, the tomatoes themselves will stretch out in search of light, and look weak.

How to avoid. Place the seedlings on the lightest window, preferably on the south side. To highlight the seedlings until it is a month and a half, to do this, buy a fluorescent lamp and leave it on: on sunny days for 12 hours, on cloudy days for 16 hours. To enhance the intensity of lighting, behind the seedlings, you can put something that will reflect the light, for example, foil, a mirror.

How to fix. Increase fluorescent lighting to 20 hours. Illuminate in the evening and at night. You can also install an ordinary table lamp next to it.

Tomatoes turn yellow leaves from seedlings: the action of sunlight

In the spring on sunny days, the seedlings on the windowsill or in the greenhouse can be burned by the sun. Whitish spots appear along the edge or in the center of the leaf, which dry out. As a result, the sheet becomes thin, paper-like. The plant itself acquires a light green hue, and after a while it becomes yellow.

How to avoid. Shade plants both in the window and in the greenhouse, and also within a week after planting.

How to fix. If the burns are severe, then nothing can be done, the plant will dry out. If only a few leaves are damaged, cut them off. Remove the plant from the window. Place it where direct sunlight will not fall on it. When the tomatoes turn green again, you can bring them back, but be sure to shade them.

Irrigation irregularities

Waterlogging, just like drought, leads to yellowing of seedlings. With strong watering, the leaves wither, turn yellow, but do not dry out. If there is a lack of water, the leaves of the plant fall off, curl and dry out.

With an excess of water, as a rule, the signs appear in all seedlings, with a shortage, signs can appear only in some plants.

How to avoid. Avoid waterlogging and drying out of the soil. Water the plants when the soil becomes dry.

How to fix. If there is a lack of water, tomatoes are watered, but you do not need to immediately pour out a large amount of water. Water intermittently, little by little, until the plants have a natural color. If the leaves on the plants have already curled and dried up, then it is better to cut them off, they will not recover.

If there is an excess of water, watering should be stopped immediately until the soil is dry. If the soil is very waterlogged, then the plants should dive into another container, while adding dry earth to the soil. If after 10 days the yellowness has not passed, then the plant has died.

Dense planting

If you plant tomatoes too thickly, then they will compete with each other for space, light, water and nutrition. Signs of a lack of space may appear as early as the 2-3 leaf stage. The plant stretches out and becomes stunted. The lower leaves turn yellow, and the upper ones turn pale green.

How to avoid. Plant no more than 3-4 seeds in each pot.

How to fix.Seedlings need to be transplanted into separate containers. If you have two plants in pots, one at a time, but they stand close to each other on the windowsill. They will also compete for light. Since the leaves of neighboring plants shade each other. To fix the situation, just place them more freely on the windowsill.

Small containers for planting

Tomatoes that are planted in small containers become cramped over time. Roots have little room for growth, they intertwine, twine around the earth. As a result, the roots begin to perform their functions poorly, the plant does not receive additional nutrition and the lower leaves turn yellow. If you do not take action, then the whole plant will turn yellow.

How to avoid. Plant tomatoes in large containers. Before picking, the volume should be in the range of 50-70 ml, after 200-300 ml.

How to fix. Plant the plants in large containers. We cut off the roots that we twisted with an earthen lump, since they do not carry any function. Cut the other roots a little. After transplanting, the plant should return to its green color in 2-4 days. If, before planting in the ground, the signs appeared again, then they should already be planted in the ground, and if it is too early, then plant them, but do not cut the roots.

Tomatoes turn yellow leaves in seedlings: nitrogen deficiency

If, when feeding tomatoes, you use fertilizers that have little or no nitrogen, then the plant will suffer from a lack of it. Nitrogen deficiency leads to the fact that the seedlings stop growing and become weak. The leaves become smaller and turn yellow. The stronger the lack of this element, the more the plant turns yellow.

How to avoid. Use nitrogen-containing soil for planting. Include this element in fertilizers for dressing.

How to fix. Urgently feed the plant with fertilizers containing nitrogen. You can use complex fertilizers or fertilizers for home plants. But you should not get carried away, since an excess of nitrogen is just as bad for plants as its lack. The seedlings will begin to grow rapidly and will grow long before planting in the ground.

Wrong ground

Tomatoes grow well in slightly acidic soils. If the soil in which you planted the tomatoes is alkaline, then they will not have enough iron. If the soil is acidic, then tomatoes will lack almost all elements.

How to avoid. Choose the right soil. The pH of the soil should be in the range of 5-6.

How to fix. You need to find out what kind of soil you have. For alkaline soil, pour it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Add peat to the soil. Ammonium sulfate should not be used as it is difficult to calculate the correct dose for a small container.

To reduce acidity, an ash solution is added to the soil. Or other store-bought acid-reducing drugs.

Tomatoes turn yellow leaves from seedlings: wrong pick

When transplanting, the seedlings always wilt a little. But if the root system was damaged during the pick, then yellow spots appear on the lower leaves. With slight damage, tomatoes recover within a few days. If the roots are severely damaged, the plant dies.

Also, immediately after picking, you do not need to put tomatoes on the windowsill in the sun. Because the roots have not yet had time to recover and cannot absorb water.

How to avoid. Carefully replanting seedlings, it is better with a lump of earth. After transplanting, you can put it on the window in 2-3 days.

How to fix. In mild cases, water the plant with a root formation stimulant. In heavy, the plant cannot be saved.

Planting unhardened seedlings in the ground

Tomatoes may turn yellow when transplanted into soil. This is due to changing temperature conditions. All this time, it grew in a comfortable temperature for them. And in a greenhouse, the temperature can change day and night. Therefore, the plant is under stress.

How to avoid. Start hardening the plants a week before planting. To do this, take the seedlings outside during the day. First for half an hour, then for an hour, and so gradually for the whole day.Bring it back in at night.

How to fix. As a rule, plants recover by themselves after a couple of days. Gets used to new conditions. But if this does not happen, you can treat it with growth stimulants.