Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl or something else??

[Larry Miller]

I have a 600 gallon system with a single 40 gal grow bed and some NFT. They system has been running for over a year now. My tomatoes all look like they are growing great, and since I started adding epsom salt, they have been putting on some decent tomatoes. Growth does seem a little slow, and about a week or two ago the leaves started curling on one of my plants. Now I am noticing curled leaves on my other two plants and the leaves on the first plant are dying off quick. I know stresses can cause leaf curl, but it seams like this may be more than stress, I was thinking maybe a virus like Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl (TYLC). Any one with more knowledge that can help out?? Pics are attached. 

[David Marland]

I am not sure but my tomatoes did simular just as the rains started, in your picture you have another plant leaf that is not a tomato, I have read that some plants will not reach there potential if they are in the same soil together, in Aquaponics they share the same water loop, I put a link on here for you to see if the other plants could be the problem.

I hope this helps,

http://www.gardenate.com/

[Larry Miller]

Thanks David, I am looking into which plants are compatible, and it looks like I may have a problem with it. What little I've looked at so far says that strawberries should not be mixed with tomatoes, peppers or any plant in the cabbage family. I'll make some changes and see if it helps. 

[Jeff S]

I haven't seen anything about not planting strawberries with tomatoes but I am having a similar problem with plants wilting and I did recently add strawberries to the raft bed with the tomato. The media bed on the other end of the system isn't having a problem so the water isn't the issue.

[BK]

Larry, from your pics I notice 2 things, the plants (tomato/strawberry/squash) that appear to be affected are all in the same area of the growbed.  It appears like a plant nearby on the left of the photo is not displaying the same behavior.  I would simply check to see if the affected portion has gone anaerobic (or has decreased aerobic activity).  Solid waste (fish waste/uneaten food or decaying root mass from earlier plantings) can cause portions to become anaerobic.

Also of note is the intraveinal chlorosis (the pale leaf with dark green network) especially on the strawberry along with the fact that the worst damage (dead leaves rather than just curled) consistently appear lower on the tomato plant.  To me this implies a mobile nutrient deficiency (potassium possibly or magnesium).  I see a little bit of that in the squash as well, but that's so common in squash, melons and cucumbers that I'd almost say it's typical, even expected.  Testing your mineral levels is going to tell you alot.  I've also noticed (since my water here is very "hard") that excess of some minerals can affect the uptake of other minerals.  I'd ask someone more educated on that topic than I am to elaborate on that.

[Larry Miller]

Thanks for the information. This actually makes a lot of sense to me. I have had a problem with either magnesium or potassium so I buried a banana in the grow bed right in that area which may be going anaerobic due to the low number of worms in the system right now. I will definitely check the area and see if it is having problems. My only question is that the other plants are seeing some leaf curl too just not as drastic. I guess I'll know more when I dig in there though. 

BK said:

Larry, from your pics I notice 2 things, the plants (tomato/strawberry/squash) that appear to be affected are all in the same area of the growbed.  It appears like a plant nearby on the left of the photo is not displaying the same behavior.  I would simply check to see if the affected portion has gone anaerobic (or has decreased aerobic activity).  Solid waste (fish waste/uneaten food or decaying root mass from earlier plantings) can cause portions to become anaerobic.

Also of note is the intraveinal chlorosis (the pale leaf with dark green network) especially on the strawberry along with the fact that the worst damage (dead leaves rather than just curled) consistently appear lower on the tomato plant.  To me this implies a mobile nutrient deficiency (potassium possibly or magnesium).  I see a little bit of that in the squash as well, but that's so common in squash, melons and cucumbers that I'd almost say it's typical, even expected.  Testing your mineral levels is going to tell you alot.  I've also noticed (since my water here is very "hard") that excess of some minerals can affect the uptake of other minerals.  I'd ask someone more educated on that topic than I am to elaborate on that.

[David Marland]

Have you tried Epson Salts? Its cheaper and you get better results than the potassium and magnesium stuff. Even the tomatoes in my pot plants did better, unfortunately it was to close to winter here at the time, but just wait till next year! Spring starts here next Tuesday officially,