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Tomato leaves rolling, curlingKansas The weather was fairly mild when Kansans put out this year's tomato transplants. The result was vigorous vine growth. Then several things happened--any one of which could make tomato leaves curl up lengthwise. The top causes included the following, according to horticulturist Ward Upham, who coordinates Kansas State University's Extension Master Gardener program: 1. Warm weather hit, and the plants sensed that their top growth had exceeded their root development. So, they reduced their leaf area via rolling. Some varieties thickened their leaves, giving them a leathery texture. Then they focused on developing roots. "This is fairly common in Kansas' spring-to-summer weather shift, Upham said. 2. The weather exhibited abrupt changes that included hard rains. Either of those factors can curl leaves, too. "Certain areas of the state had particularly heavy rains--even flooding. And, too much water can saturate the soil and suffocate tomato plant roots," Upham said. "Even if a root system is simply damaged, it will be less able to transport water up to its leaves. That can have an impact when growth, dry winds and warm temperatures increase a tomato plant's water use." Fortunately, leaf roll typically is a temporary condition, he said. It goes away in a week or so. "Depending on the cause, the plants will acclimate or they'll recover from their injury. Or, the soil will dry out again," the horticulturalist explained. Upham maintains a web resource on common Kansas horticultural plant problems. It opens with an alphabetical list of links at www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=586. Leaf roll, for example, is one of the 18 links under "T" for "tomato."
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