Cut the leaves off at the main stem where they branch out, trim up to the first fruit truss, and remove other leaves as you see fit. This will help let the sun in to ripen fruit as well.
You can, but you don't need to, not on tomatoes anyway. The dead leaves tend to fall off but if many are brown at once and look unsightly, it won't hurt anything to remove them. Usually it's not a concern until the end of the season anyway and you'll probably be removing the entire vine by then.
If your tomato plants are wilting due to lack of water, there is a chance they may recover if you provide them with immediate and thorough watering. Quick intervention can often revive wilted plants and prevent further damage, but prompt action is crucial to increase their chances of survival.
Wilting leaves: wilting leaves are a clear sign that your tomato plant is overwatered. It can be confusing, because often leaves wilt when they are underwatered as well.
Removing leaves is a great way to speed up the growth of new tomatoes. I use this trick often for my plants outside. Removing some of the leaves will help the sun reach the tomatoes, and they will ripen faster. The plant will focus more energy on growing the tomatoes if you remove some of the leaves too.
Don't pick too many leaves from a plant at one time.It scares the plant and it does not like that. Far better is to prune 2 to 3 leaves regularly (like once a week).
In order to speed up the ripening process, all you need to do is trap the ethene gas in with the tomatoes by putting them in a paper bag, cardboard box or empty kitchen drawer. Add a ripening banana or apple, which will also give off ethene to help things along.
Water correctly: Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
Heat and low moisture can cause the edges of the tomato leaves to die back, then twist and curl. Hot dry weather may also cause a symptom called physiological leaf roll. This is a self- defense response, where leaves and leaflets curl slightly to prevent further water loss (Fig. 6).
Overwatering tomatoes can lead to yellow and spotted leaves, while underwatering results in wilt and diseased fruit.
Solution: Misting, pebble trays, or a humidifier will perk them up. Repotting Shock: Damaged roots can cause droop. Solution: Be gentle when repotting, and give it time to recover. Rootbound: Droopiness + roots poking out the pot = time to repot!
Plow in crop debris after harvest to promote the rapid decomposition of infested plant tissues. Soil fumigation with chloropicrin can help provide limited control of bacterial wilt when integrated with other management strategies. Biological agents have shown some promise as effective management strategies.
One sign of overwatered tomato plants is drooping stems and foliage.
To help improve airflow and cut down on the chance of disease, remove the leaves along the bottom 12 inches of the stems of indeterminate tomato plants.
Tomato plants require approximately 1 inch of water per week. Plants may wilt badly when soils are dry, but will revive rapidly when they are watered. A thorough watering once a week during hot, dry weather should be sufficient.
Under-watering: If you notice a droop, and thin, dry, paper leaves, then the droop is likely due to under-watering. To confirm, check to see if the soil is dry 1-2 inches below the surface.
During the late spring and summer, we often get calls about wilting tomatoes. There are a quite a few possible causes of this but, other than lack or excess of water, the diseases southern bacterial wilt and southern blight are probably the most common reasons that tomato plants wilt in our area.
The most likely cause of tomato leaf curl up is usually excessive heat and or light energy. There are two specific instances in which this is a common occurrence: Outdoor growing during the summer in hotter climates. Indoor growing when young plants are exposed to intense grow lights for the first time.
Tomatoes taste great with reduced irrigation. The secret is to keep plants well watered as they establish then reduce watering once the fruits start to ripen. Begin by applying water generously, about two to three times a week, depending on your local climate, weather and soil conditions.
Tomatoes need a lot of water to produce juicy fruits. If there is not enough water in the soil due to high temperatures and/or too much sun, the leaves will curl in an attempt to retain water and survive. Plants in pots are the most vulnerable to underwatering because they typically dry out faster.
Temperatures that are too warm—or too cold—are the most common reason your tomatoes aren't ripening, says Jessica Mercer of Plant Addicts. The ideal ripening range is between 66 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, though you have a little leeway outside those guidelines.
Some growers prefer to use a high-phosphorus fertilizer, indicated by a larger middle number. You can also keep things simple with a fertilizer especially formulated for tomatoes – usually with a ratio like 3-4-6 or 4-7-10. Most importantly, don't over-fertilize. Too little fertilizer is always better than too much.
Light conditions have very little to do with ripening. Tomatoes do not require light to ripen and in fact, fruit exposed to direct sunlight will heat to levels that inhibit pigment synthesis. Direct sun can also lead to sunscald of fruit. Do not remove leaves in an effort to ripen fruit.