If the tomatoes you planted show brown leaves, this damage puts hobby gardeners on high alert. A concentrated investigation into the causes is of the highest urgency. You can find out what problems can be behind it here.

Prime suspects: late blight

If brown leaves appear on tomatoes during warm, humid weather, an outbreak of the dreaded late blight is to be feared. As little as 10 hours of constant moisture, the spores of the pathogen come into play, which multiplies explosively. Brown spots on foliage and stems are considered the first symptom of the plant disease. Immediately remove all discolored parts of the plant and dispose of them in the household waste.

Since there is still a lack of effective control agents, prevention is becoming more relevant. Potatoes should never be planted in close proximity. Always choose a sunny, well-ventilated location. So that the leaves do not become unnecessarily wet, always pour the irrigation water directly onto the roots.

Trigger in dry weather

If brown leaves are revealed on tomatoes in consistently dry weather, this is no reason to give the all-clear. Various other causes come into question, with equally fatal consequences.

  • Pests of all kinds, such as aphids, tomato rust mites or thrips
  • Early blight at temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius
  • Tomato wilt caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium Michiganense
  • Stem and root rot, a common fungal infection after watering errors
  • Leaf spot disease, also a fungal infection with additional curling leaves

Brown leaves indicate a lack of nutrients

Once diseases and pests have been eliminated from the culprit, take a critical look at the fertilization of your tomato plants. A lack of certain nutrients sometimes also causes brown leaves:

  • A lack of nitrogen causes the leaves to turn brown from the top
  • a lack of phosphorus causes the roots to wither and turns the leaves brown
  • too little potassium will result in brown foliage edges that spread toward the center
  • When there is a shortage of magnesium, the leaves first take on a light yellow color and later turn brown

tips and tricks

Anyone who plants their tomatoes under a rain shelter has the best chance of not being confronted with brown leaves. A separate greenhouse is not absolutely necessary for this. With a little manual skill, you can build a rain cover yourself and improve the growing conditions many times over.

Category:

Vegetable garden