5 Signs Your Tomato Plant Is Screaming for Help (And How to Save It Before It Dies)
Tomato plants can’t scream, but they have a range of symptoms that act like cries for help! When you pay attention to your plants, you’ll notice these symptoms early on before they become larger issues. Seasoned grower Jerad Bryant provides five solutions for these five common problems.
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Summer is the season of the tomato. This fruiting crop is essential in the home garden, and it’s one of the most popular global foods. Though tomato plants are easy to grow, these top performers sometimes struggle in less-than-ideal conditions.
Whether too wet, too dry, or too cold, a garden can make or break how well these crops perform. They tolerate some drought, though they prefer consistent moisture. They’ll survive temporary cold temperatures, but they’ll dislike frosty weather. Give them what they need and protect them from harsh conditions so they reward you with baskets of fruit.
When tending your plants, watch for these five common signs that your tomato plant is screaming for help and learn how to save it. Frequent garden walks will help you catch these problems before they unfold into extreme issues.
Leaves Are Wilting
Wilting tomato leaves are a common sight when temperatures rise and sunlight grows abundant. Infrequent watering, excessive heat, and too much direct sunlight can cause leaves to wilt and grow limp.
Excessive watering and soggy soil can also cause leaves to wilt. They’ll turn yellow before falling off. The wetness prevents the tomato roots from drinking water, which causes similar problems as if they were sitting in dry soil.
How to Save It
Save your screaming tomato plant by watering regularly, but not too frequently. Clay soils stay wet for long periods, and sandy ones dry quickly. Moderate your watering to match the soil type. Then, trim the wilting leaves and monitor the plants while they recover.
For extra support, add a two to three-inch-thick layer of compost on top of the soil. The compost feeds the ground with nutrients, microbes, and worms, and it prevents moisture from evaporating. You’ll have to water less often when you add compost.
The Plant Isn’t Growing
A lack of growth stems from infrequent watering, extreme temperatures, pests, or diseases. It also occurs shortly after transplanting, as the seedlings adapt to their new home. Don’t worry if the seedlings are struggling after you transplanted them. Simply monitor them for a week until they begin growing again.
If, instead, the plants have been growing and suddenly stopped, there may be an issue with the planting site. A lack of growth means the tomato plants are missing something important that’s preventing them from thriving.
How to Save It
After adding compost and watering regularly, check the site around your plants. Check your weather app to make sure hot or cold temperatures haven’t been occurring. Temperatures above 95°F (35°C) will prevent flowers from forming, causing the plants to appear like they’re not growing.
If pests are eating tomato stems, they’ll struggle to sprout new shoots, blooms, and fruits. Spray off pests like aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies to prevent them from forming large infestations. Foster a healthy population of predatory insects by avoiding pesticides, or by choosing ones that don’t harm bumblebees and beneficial insects.
Cold temperatures, like hot ones, shock the tomato plants and prevent them from growing. Protect your specimens in spring and fall by covering them with frost cloth or greenhouse plastic on frosty nights.
Flowers Are Falling Off
Flowers falling is a common symptom of high heat. Extremely hot temperatures prevent the fruits from forming, so the plants drop their flowers as a response. They’ll begin sprouting again when temperatures fall below 95°F (35°C).
As with a lack of growth, blossom drop also occurs because of cold temperatures. Tomatoes appreciate a middle range. If you have high temperatures in the summer, consider growing heat-resistant tomatoes like cherry varieties.
How to Save It
You cannot do much about the weather, but you can help save your tomato flowers by buffering the plant against extremes! Consider adding a shade cloth during excessive heat and a frost cloth on frosty nights. These tools will mitigate the damage caused by extreme temperatures.
Blossoms will begin sprouting and morphing into fruits again when the daily and nightly temperatures fall between 55-95°F (13-35°C). Start seeds indoors and transplant tomatoes early in the growing season so they have ample time to mature before summer’s heat arrives.
The Plant Lacks Flowers
This scream for help is more of a plea! Tomato plants can look like they’re thriving with ample leaves and stems—if they have no flowers or fruits, then something might be wrong. A lack of blooms is an indicator of too many or not enough nutrients. It can also stem from not enough sunlight or water stress.
Excessive nitrogen is the most common cause of a lack of flowers. Nitrogen promotes ample leafy growth instead of root, bloom, and fruit formation. Not enough potassium, calcium, and phosphorus can also cause a lack of blooms.
How to Save It
Save your tomato plant by applying a well-balanced organic fertilizer, avoiding those high in nitrogen. If you suspect excess nitrogen is in the ground, set a hose on a low trickle at the growing site to leach it out.
Tomato crops appreciate regular fertilizing with a low dose. Apply a low amount every two weeks while the plants are actively growing to ensure they stay well-fed and healthy.
Stems Are Flopping
Floppy stems can indicate various issues, depending on the symptoms accompanying them. If the stems are floppy and leaves are spotted or marked, a disease is likely infecting the plant. If, however, the stems are floppy and the soil is dry, you likely need to water.
If the stems are flopping and the soil is wet, sogginess is the likely issue. Another common issue is that pole tomato varieties are growing without support. They need a stake or cage to keep them upright. Bushy, determinate cultivars grow better without a supporting structure.
Inspecting your plants, soil, and garden is the best way to identify what’s wrong. A plant is part of an ecosystem, and many factors influence its success.
How to Save It
Regular moisture is imperative for tomato success! Infrequent watering causes tomato splitting, floppy stems, and wilting leaves. Fortunately, you can save your tomato plant with simple water-conserving practices. Prevent swings in moisture levels by covering the soil with an organic mulch, like compost.
If you don’t have compost, try leaf mold, fallen leaves, or straw. Organic mulches are best, as they decay into humus-rich soil and foster a healthy ecosystem.
Tomato diseases are often difficult to control. Quarantine sick plants by isolating them from healthy ones, and try growing resistant, hybrid varieties in areas where diseases are common.
