Yellow tomato leaves are a sign of wilting that can be harmful to your fruits.
Despite the immediate feelings of despair that you may feel when noticing yellow leaves on your plant, there are simple solutions that can prevent and treat this condition.
In this post, I’m going to detail the five best hacks for turning your yellow tomato leaves green!
How To yellow Tomato Leaves Green Again!
1. Know That Some Yellowing Is Natural
Can you save a tomato plant with yellow leaves?
Yellow spots on tomato leaves signal a variety of issues…but it’s also a normal part of growth.
Yellow leaves on newly grown plants are known as seed leaves(cotyledons) which fall off normally early on. These are commonly seen as the yellow leaves on the bottom of tomato plants.
Once yellow leaves form on seedlings/young plants, don’t worry because these aren’t important.
2. Water Just Enough
Providing the perfect amount of water for your tomato plant is essential for maintaining green leaves.
If you feel like you’ve watered your plant enough but the leaves are still turning yellow, there are some possible root causes(no pun intended).
Overwatering
Flooding your tomato plant with water promotes the yellowing of leaves because it restricts the flow of oxygen to its roots.
Your tomato plant needs water just like you do every day, but excess just isn’t necessary.
Too Little Watering
As previously mentioned, tomato plants require adequate amounts of water to grow healthfully.
If you aren’t watering the plant at its root, your tomato plant will develop yellow leaves post-seedling stage.
Solution
Make sure you water the tomato plant at its base and check the soil moisture daily.
If the top few inches of soil is dry, this is an indication that more water is needed.
Although the treatment for yellow tomato leaves is easy, it’s a simple fix that can yield tremendous results!
As a worst-case scenario, your tomato plant could be suffering from “root rot“. The best option would be to harvest the tomatoes that you have and dispose of the plants if root rotting is the problem.
3. Wrong Soil Type
Starting your plant in the wrong soil can have a major impact on your results. If you haven’t read our post on the best soil for gardening, we go in-depth on why the loam variety is best.
Besides soil type, starting your tomato plant off with soil that’s tightly compact around the base can be a cause for yellowing.
If compacted soil around the base is your issue, a solution would be to delicately loosen the soil with your hands. Be warned that this could damage roots so tread lightly!
4. Disease
Tomato plants can suffer from diseases that can cause the yellowing of leaves. One common disease is Blight which has three varieties.
Although it’s difficult to treat a diseased tomato plant, you can try spraying a baking soda solution with a dose of insecticidal soap to help treat the yellowing.
This baking soda solution isn’t a definite cure, but it can help treat the fungal disease that exists within your plant.
5. Not The Right Season
If you’re seeing tomato leaves turn yellow, brown, or even white, this could be because it’s not the right season for the plant to flourish.
Tomato plants are best grown in the summer and tend to die off towards fall. Be sure to also understand when the first and last frost is so that you take advantage of the best planting time!
Those were five of the best hacks for turning yellow tomato plant leaves green and preventing wilt.
If you want more garden tips, read our post on how to start growing lentil sprouts in a jar!