It’s bound to happen at some point in your gardening journey. Not all summers are ideal; sometimes Mother Nature can throw a wrench in your gardening plans. Usually, when that happens, you click this site and get more information about tomatoes. However, sometimes, your wilted tomato plants need a little attention, and they’ll be back on track.
Identify why your tomato plants are wilting
Knowing what to do is only half the battle to solve the problem of your wilted tomato plants. You also need to know why your tomato plants are wilting. If you know why, you can immediately prevent further damage by addressing the problem.
The most common culprit of wilting is not enough water. Stick your finger in the soil and see how dry it is. You know why your tomato leaves are wilting if your dirt is as dry as a bone. The plants aren’t getting enough water, and they’re telling you just how thirsty they are.
If the summer was excessively hot, that too could be another reason. Tomatoes love the heat, but if it’s hotter than all get out, that’s a problem. You might want to look into shading your tomatoes a little bit since you can’t put sunscreen on them.
Yes, tomatoes, just like people, can get diseases. A diseased tomato plant will have wilted leaves, and it’s a sign that it’s not doing well. The good news is your local gardening center has something that will cure it. You might want to take a few pictures of your tomato plants and show the worker at the gardening center what you’re dealing with so they can prescribe the best treatment.
How to prevent wilting?
Now, let’s get into how you can prevent wilting in the first place. Wilting is one of those things that’s easily preventable if you’re willing to put forth a little effort. All of these things are things that you should be doing anyway to make sure that your tomato plants are healthy.
The first thing you want to do is make sure your tomato plants are getting enough water. Yes, it’s easy to forget to water your plants, but no, you can’t count on the rain to be enough. Your tomato plants need a lot of water to produce fruit, so you’ll need to ensure they get enough water.
Not enough or too much fertilizer can be another reason your tomato leaves are wilting. You need to find a fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium to prevent wilting. Don’t add too much, or that will cause a whole heap of problems, but not using any at all is a recipe for disaster.
You need to be aware of the two diseases of Fusarium wilt and Verticillium wilt. Yes, these diseases are actually wilting diseases and can be difficult to treat. If you know that your tomatoes have either one of these diseases, it’s best to get rid of the plants so they don’t infect your entire garden.
Wilted tomato plants are a sign something isn’t right
It’s our job as gardeners to ensure that our tomato plants are as healthy as they can be. Wilted tomato plants aren’t a huge cause for concern, but they should raise alarm bells. You need to act quickly and decisively if you want to protect your garden and your tomato harvest.
