Using your tomatoes can improve the taste of these dishes and feel very rewarding.
However, what happens if the leaves of your tomatoes are starting to turn white?
When there are color changes to the leaves when you are growing vegetables, you can automatically think that your tomatoes are dying.
However, it does not mean this at all. There are ways to fix your tomato plants to make sure that your tomatoes keep growing in great condition.
This article will take you through the reasons why the leaves of your tomato plants are turning white and how you can fix them.
This will make sure that your plants keep thriving so that they taste delicious when they are fully grown.
Reasons Why Tomato Leaves Turn White
It is very common for tomato plant leaves to turn white, but why does it happen?
There are a variety of reasons why the leaves turn white and you must be aware of what is causing the problem so it can be fixed in the right way.
If you do not know the root cause of the problem, you will not be able to get rid of it.
You can find out some of the reasons why the leaves of tomato plants turn white and how you can fix them. Find out more below!
The Temperature Is Too Cold
If the temperature for the tomato plant is too cold, white patches will begin to appear on the leaves.
This happens when the temperature is too cold as the cells of the tomato leaf begin to close up to retain heat, which indicates that the temperature is too low for the tomato plant to grow.
When the leaves begin to turn white and it is due to the cold temperature, you must move the plant to a warmer location.
If the plant is left at a cold temperature, it will damage its growth and cause it to become whiter.
Too Much Sunlight
The leaves of a tomato plant are extremely sensitive, so you need to make sure that they are not exposed to too much sunlight as they can burn.
If they are, this can cause white patches to appear on the leaves as a result of the plant being left in direct sunlight for too long.
Leaving the leaves in the sun for too long can cause white patches and pale yellow patches.
If you begin to see patches that are white or yellow, this can be due to the sunlight affecting the leaves.
Nutrient Deficiency
Nutrient deficiencies can cause the leaves of a tomato plant to turn white if they are lacking in certain nutrients.
These nutrients can include nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, and tomato plants can have deficiencies in all of these.
The nutrients that tomato plants need to grow properly can be found in fertilizers and they will prevent the leaves from turning white.
Compost can also provide tomato plants with the nutrients that they need to grow to their full potential.
Fungal Diseases
Fungal diseases can cause the leaves of your plant to turn white so it is important to make sure that they are treated properly.
If the disease isn’t treated correctly, it can worsen and it could cause the fungi to grow on the roots.
Your tomato plant can develop a fungal disease when it has been overwatered, so it is important to make sure that you do not overwater your tomato plant.
Overwatering puts the plant at high risk of developing a fungal disease.
How To Fix White Tomato Plant Leaves
Once you are aware of what the causes of white patches are on tomato leaves, it is important to know how to fix them.
Fixing the problem effectively is important for making sure that the problem goes away, so you need to be aware of the solutions to the problems.
How To Fix White Leaves Caused By Cold Temperatures
When tomato plants are exposed to cold temperatures, it can cause the plants to stop growing and in some conditions, the plants can die.
To fix this problem, you need to make sure that your tomato plants begin their growth either indoors or in a greenhouse.
This will ensure that they are kept at the right temperature and won’t become too cold.
If you then move your tomato plants, you need to make sure that the soil is above 60 degrees.
If the plants are exposed to temperatures that are below 50 degrees for longer than a couple of hours, their growth will be affected.
You should always make sure that they are at appropriate temperatures to help them grow properly.
You can look to see what the best variety of tomato plants to grow in your area is to make sure that they can withstand the temperatures.
You do not want to grow varieties of tomato plants that need cooler temperatures in warm climates, and you do not want to grow tomatoes that need warm temperatures in cold climates.
Making sure that your tomato plants are grown at the right temperatures will help them grow and prevent the leaves from turning white.
Keeping the temperature at a suitable level will stop white patches from forming and keep the leaves healthy.
How To Fix White Leaves Caused By Too Much Sunlight
White leaves and curling are the main signs of burning on your tomato plant, and if the leaves are white and curled over, there isn’t much of a chance for you to save the plant.
As you cannot cure burnt leaves, you must focus on preventing your tomato plant from being burnt by the sunlight.
To prevent the tomato plant’s sensitive leaves from burning from exposure to too much sunlight, you need to be careful when you move your tomato plant outdoors.
If you begin by growing your tomato plant indoors or in a greenhouse and then move it outdoors, your plant can become shocked as it won’t be used to sunlight exposure.
To harden off your tomato seedlings, you will need to gradually expose them to outdoor conditions.
This means that you need to bring the plant outside and leave it in the shade to let it get used to the conditions outside.
The tomato plants should also gradually be exposed to sunlight over 2 weeks before you leave them outside so it isn’t a shock.
This will prevent the plants from burning and allow them to get used to the sunlight before they are planted outside.
How To Fix White Leaves Caused By Nutrient Deficiencies
If the leaves of your tomato plant have turned white due to nutrient deficiencies, you must use a fertilizer that can be used on tomato plants and can help increase the nutrient levels.
When you are looking for a fertilizer for your tomato plant, make sure that it is not only suitable for tomato plants, but that it is well-balanced and includes nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
You should also look for a fertilizer that includes magnesium and calcium to make sure that your plant is getting all of the right nutrients.
Although you want to make sure that your tomato plant has the right amount of nutrients and doesn’t have a deficiency, giving them too many nutrients can also cause the leaves to turn white.
When the levels of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen are too high, they can burn the plant and affect its growth.
If the plant has a nutrient deficiency, you can either use fertilizer to help increase the nutrient levels, or you can add manure and water that has had straw soaked in it to increase the levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil.
If the plant has too many nutrients, you should re-pot the plant in soil that has the right levels of nutrients as you cannot take nutrients out of the soil.
How To Fix White Leaves Caused By Fungal Diseases
Fungal diseases can be a big cause of the leaves of tomato plants turning white, so it is important to make sure that you treat the fungal diseases to stop them from worsening.
If your tomato plant has been overwatered, there is a good chance that the roots will begin to rot, especially if the tomato plant is unable to drain properly.
To make sure that the roots do not rot, only water your plant when it needs it.
If your plant doesn’t need watering, then don’t water it! It won’t be doing the plant any good and it will only cause the roots to become so wet that they begin to rot.
Not overwatering your plant will help to prevent this from happening.
Another way for the roots to begin to rot is when the plant is unable to drain properly.
This can cause the roots to rot as there is nowhere for the water to go, so the roots will not have a chance to dry out.
Constantly wet roots will introduce fungi into the system of the plant, so make sure that the pot allows the plant to drain properly.
If your plant already has fungi that you can see in the form of white leaves, try treating it with fungicide.
This will help to get rid of the fungal disease and keep the leaves healthy.
You can get fungicide at a garden center, but you need to make sure that it is suitable to be used on tomato plants as they are very delicate.
How Often Should You Water Tomato Plants?
As you shouldn’t overwater your plant, it is important to water tomato plants frequently, but not too much.
Your tomato plants should only receive 1-2 inches of water during a week, which is more than enough to help them grow and reduces the risk of them developing fungal diseases from overwatering.
Should You Cut White Leaves Off A Tomato Plant?
Once you know what the cause of the white leaves is for your tomato plants, you must treat them properly.
Treating the plant for a different issue will not fix the problem, so once you find out the cause of the white leaves, treat the plant correctly.
After you have begun to treat the plant, you can then cut the white leaves off.
This will encourage new growth and make the plant healthier, so keep treating the plant for the problem and you will be able to see new leaves develop.
Your plant will look healthier and you will have treated the problem correctly.
Cutting the dead leaves from your plant also allows food to supply more to your tomato plant, so it will be much healthier.
Simply trim away the dead leaves and monitor your plant to make sure that the leaves are growing back healthier than before.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, there are a variety of different causes for the leaves of your tomato plant turning white and you must find the right solution to fix it.
The problem can be between too much sunlight, fungal diseases, low temperatures, and nutrient deficiencies.
There are different solutions for each of the problems, you just need to know the cause.
Treating your tomato plant for the wrong problem will only worsen the issue for your plant.
It will cause the problem to worsen and it will affect the growth of your tomato plant and possibly cause it to die.
Find out what the cause of the leaves turning white is and make sure that you treat your plant the right way!
Hi, my name is Angie Strousse and I am a gardening enthusiast. Ever since I was a young girl, my favorite time of year was when I was able to get out in the yard and watch my dad begin his yearly gardening.
Growing up, we had a massive yard full of trees, shrubs, and plants. We would all bundle in the car and head down to the gardening center, where my brothers and I were able to pick one pack of seeds each to grow that year.
