What is the cause or cure to the branches curling on my tomato plants?
Aside from the curling they are growing, flowering and starting to fruit.
It is the beginning of our tomato season as it is spring here in Sydney, Australia.
I have 3 tomato plants which have been planted at the same time. Indeterminates called (1) Truss Plum, (2) Mini-Roma and (3) Tomato Trussty. They are about 1 meter - 1.2 meter in height in the photos. Their age is about 6 weeks
- The pots are laundry baskets and are new.
- The potting mix is new and specific for tomatoes of a respected brand. I mixed some chicken pellets in the soil.
- The "pots" are lined with new garden fabric as I am trying out air pruning.
- Drainage is good with a large hole at the bottom.
I do this as I do not have the room to perform rotate plantings. Hence the A-frame and using fresh potting mix everytime.
Herbicides have not been used in the area.
The irrigation as shown is on the lowest dripping setting and in my opinion adequate watering.
The 3rd plant Trussty shows the most branch curl. There is also some leaf curl in a couple of photos.
(1) Truss Plum
(2) Mini Roma
(3)Trussty
Additional
The weather in Sydney has been unseasonably hot and dry, no rain for 2-3 months. Unusual for spring but not a condition I would think would be anything but great for tomatoes since I keep the moisture up. Not humid and not frosty coming out of winter. The irrigation system is turned on manually by myself and the tap timer turns off after 10 minutes. I water every 2- 3 days depending on how hot it has been.
The landscape fabric the pots are "dressed" in is not weed mat. It is not a plastic. Pillar Products 0.915 x 10m WaterLOCK Premium Mulch Mat.