You know why the leaves of the seedlings curl
Growing seedlings is an occupation that requires not only free space and time. It is also necessary to understand the intricacies of caring for it, otherwise the question may soon arise why the leaves of the seedlings are twisting. After all, it is known that a leaf is an indicator of health. Whatever seedlings you grow, be it garden or flower crops, the first thing the state of the leaves will tell about the problems. They will begin to change shape and color, fade and fall off. If you do not take action in time, the seedlings will die.
Why do the leaves of seedlings curl: common reasons
- care errors;
- imbalance of nutrients;
- pest attacks;
- a sign of the onset of the disease.
Care errors
When growing any seedlings, it is important to observe the light and temperature conditions and take proper care of them. So, the cause of foliage curling can be:
- Insufficient lighting. The leaves turn pale, curl up, and the seedlings stretch out if there is little light. In spring, the natural daylight hours are still too short, so additional lighting must be provided.
- Elevated temperature. It is needed only at the stage of seed germination. In the future, in order for the seedlings to be strong and not stretch out, the daytime temperature should not exceed 18 °, and the nighttime temperature should be about 15 °.
- Lack or excess of moisture. If watered rarely, the leaves become lethargic and curl downward. With an excess of moisture, they wrap up, and the seedlings begin to rot and hurt. You should either urgently water the seedlings, or dry the soil. In the latter case, you need to temporarily increase the temperature by a couple of degrees and often loosen the soil.
Nutritional imbalance
Seedlings develop rapidly and nutrient reserves are reduced in small containers. The changed color of the leaves can tell what exactly the plants are missing. So, if they curl and acquire a purple hue - this is a lack of phosphorus, turn yellow - nitrogen. Twisting without discoloration indicates a lack of potassium.
At the initial stages of seedlings, nitrogenous fertilizers are needed. Then it is advisable to switch to mineral complexes. They have a balanced composition of trace elements, which will help to avoid overdose. It also has an extremely negative effect on the seedlings and may even kill them.
If there is an excess of nutrition, only transplanting into fresh soil can help the plants.
Pests and diseases
Bite marks on the background of a twisted leaf plate covered with a cobweb on the reverse side indicate the presence of a spider mite. Kidney mite does not leave cobwebs. Another frequent "guest" in seedling beds is aphid. She also sucks out the juice, which leads to curling of the foliage.
If the seedlings are in a living room, it is better to use folk remedies.Spraying with onion peel infusion or, in extreme cases, potassium permanganate is suitable. In greenhouses, you can quickly get rid of pests by using insecticides.
Twisting and the appearance of spots of a different nature also occurs as a result of fungal diseases. So, with top rot, the twisted leaves quickly fall off. Then comes the complete dying off of the top of the plant. In this case, help fungicides.