Home
Newsletter Sign Up
Tomato of the Month
Tomato Growing Tips
Growing Tomatoes Tomato Varieties
Buy Tomato Seeds
Start Tomato Seeds
Potting Mix
Planting Tomatoes
Growing Tomatoes
Raised Bed Tomatoes
Staking Tomatoes
Pruning Tomatoes
Mulching Tomatoes
Watering Tomatoes
Fertilizing Tomatoes
Harvesting Tomatoes
Tomatoes in Pots
Hanging Tomatoes
Tomato Tools
Off-Season Tomatoes Fall Tomatoes
Indoor Tomatoes
Save Tomato Seeds
Tomatoes & Frost
Tomato Problems Problems on Leaves
Problems on Stems
Problems on Fruit
Other Problems
Tomato Diseases
Tomato Pests
Blossom End Rot
Using Tomatoes Canning Tomatoes
Freezing Tomatoes
Drying Tomatoes
Tomato Recipes
Tomato Fun Fruit or Vegetable?
Tomato Facts & Trivia
Tomato Books
Tomato Glossary
Tomato Costumes
Tomato Jokes
Tomato Quiz
Tomato Shirts
Tomato Gifts
Gardening Quotes
Privacy & Contact

Problems on Tomato Leaves: How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Them

Problems on tomato leaves can mean the onset of a disease, an attack from a tomato pest, a nutrient deficiency, or conditions that can lead to trouble.

Healthy tomato plants have leaves that are green and evenly-colored. Look for these red flags on your tomato leaves to quickly identify problems.

Black, brown, dark, or water-soaked spots

Bacterial speck
Bacterial spot
Early blight
Gray leaf spot
Late blight
Septoria leaf spot
Spider mites
Tomato spotted wilt virus

Dark streaks

Tobacco mosaic virus

Holes in foliage

Aphids
Slugs
Tobacco hornworm
Tomato cutworm
Tomato hornworm

Irregular spots

Gray mold
Late blight

Leaf browning

Bacterial canker

Leaf distortion

Herbicide injury

Leaf mottling

Cucumber mosaic virus
Tobacco mosaic virus

Leaf roll

Aphids
Curly top virus
Herbicide injury
Physiological leaf roll
Potato leaf roll

Purpling veins

Phosphorus deficiency

Spiral designs

Leaf miners
White flies

Sticky dew (“honeydew”)

Aphids
White flies

Stripped foliage, defoliation

Tobacco hornworm
Tomato cutworm
Tomato hornworm

White spots

Leaf mold
Magnesium deficiency
Powdery mildew
Spider mites

Yellowing and wilting

Bacterial canker
Bacterial pith necrosis
Bacterial wilt
Fusarium wilt
Iron deficiency
Pith necrosis
Salt damage
Tomato spotted wilt virus
Verticillium wilt

Steps to take to prevent problems on tomato leaves

  • Plant healthy, disease-free plants.
  • Water at the base of plants. Overhead water spreads disease easily.
  • Water in the morning or midday to minimize the amount of time leaves are wet.
  • Monitor plants daily to check for pests.
  • Avoid working on plants when leaves are wet.
  • Remove and destroy affected plants at the end of the season.
  • Solarize soil at the end of the season to destroy soil-borne fungi and bacteria.
  • Rotate crops each year.

Some reasons tomato leaves may have problems

Different kinds of tomato blight and how to tell them apart ...

How to identify and treat early blight ...

How to identify and treat late blight ...

How to identify and treat Septoria leaf spot ...

How to identify and treat fusarium wilt ...

How to identify and treat verticillium wilt ...

How to identify and treat bacterial wilt ...

How to identify and treat walnut wilt ...

How to identify and treat gray leaf spot ...

Tomato worms: how to keep them away from leaves and stem ...

Tomato hornworm can defoliate your plants ...


Other tomato problems

Problems on tomato stems ...

Problems on tomato fruit ...

Tomato diseases: how to identify and control them ...

Tomato pests: how to identify and control them ...


Are There Problems on Your Tomato Leaves?

Do your tomato leaves have a problem? Explain what the problem looks like. Share what tomato variety you’re growing and when you first noticed the problem. While you’re at it, describe your growing conditions, the weather, and how much water your plants have had. Any details you can share will help us help you with the problem on your tomato leaves!

Enter a title, such as “My Tomato Plant’s Leaves Have Yellow Spots with Dark Dots.”

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ]

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name

(first or full name)

Your Location

(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.


(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Tomato problems:
tomato leaves are turning yellow
and stems are dying off
  starstarstarstarstar
Dear Tomato Dirt,
Can you help please? The leaves on my tomato plant are yellowing and the stems are falling off. Am I over-watering? Do they have ...

Brown spots on tomato leaves, turning necrotic  Not rated yet
Q. I've noticed over the last few weeks that the leaves on my tomatoes, which are mostly heirloom varieties, have developed brown spots which eventually ...

Indoor tomato plant leaves are yellow and curling  Not rated yet
Q. We purchased a tomato plant already potted in Florida and carefully brought it back to western PA in the beginning of December. At first the plant ...

Tomato Plant Leaves Have White Spots  Not rated yet
Q. Our tomato plants began having white spots on the leaves which eventually overtook the entire leaf that became all white, withered and died. We live ...

Wilting and eventually death  Not rated yet
Q. I'm stuck between thinking the wilting and death to my tomato plants may be pith necrosis or walnut wilt. There is an abundance of walnuts nearby and ...

Yellow, curling, mottled leaves on my potted tomato plant. What is it?  Not rated yet
Q. How do I treat yellow, curling, mottled leaves on my potted tomato plant?

A. Yellowed leaves by themselves could indicate under-watering, over-...

Holes in several tomato leaves  Not rated yet
Q. I keep finding holes in the tomato leaves. Some books tell me that it's normal and some say it's not at all. I'm really confused!

A. Holes in leaves ...

My tomato leaves are curling, but have no spots  Not rated yet
Q. My tomato leaves are changing. They look like they are curling, and are now misshaped. Ihe middle vein is getting bigger and the leaves are puckering....

Tomato leaves have yellow or whitish spots  Not rated yet
Q. I am trying to grow tomatoes in a container and have noticed that some of the leaves have yellowish or whitish spots. We have been getting a lot of ...

Wilting  Not rated yet
Q. I planted 10 tomato plants and every one has wilted. I have tomatoes on a few of them, but I don't think they will ripen. Last year, the same thing ...

Problems on tomato leaves: light spots  Not rated yet
Q. I see that you have that problem listed, but can you tell me what causes light spots and how I can help my plant? I'm growing my tomatoes in huge pots....

White "channels," on leaves...look like little paths  Not rated yet
Q.The leaves of my plants have little curvy channels from the bottom of the plant up. The lowest leaves are turning yellow and brown. What is this and ...

Curled leaves and flowers on tomatoes  Not rated yet
Q. My tomato plant leaves and flowers are curling. I don't see any pests. They don't have brown spots or brown edges. Can you tell me what the problem ...

Yellow Leaves On Young Tomato Plants  Not rated yet
Q. The lower leaves on my young tomato plants are turning yellow. What can this mean?

A. Yellow leaves can mean several things. Check other symptoms ...

White spots showing on leaves and leaves wilt  Not rated yet
There are white spots showing on tomato leaves. Also the leaves are wilting. I have seen some small flies on the plants. Can this be the problem?

Dear ...

Yellow leaves with silver black edges on container tomatoes  Not rated yet
Dear Tomato Dirt ,
Hi there. I am trying to grow tomatoes in pots. A couple of them are getting yellow leaves with black silver edges. The plant still ...

Tomato disease: black spots on leaves  Not rated yet
I have 10 cherry tomato plants in my front yard next to my porch in a 8 x 9 area. My neighbor told me to sprinkle powdered milk all over my plants and ...

Return from Problems on Tomato Leaves to Tomato Dirt home



New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave a comment in the box below.

Search This Site


Join us on Facebook


FREE! Tomato
Growing Tips

20-page guide
when you sign up for
Tomato Dirt newsletter!

free report cover

Email

Name

Then

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you Tomato Dirt.



tomato plant

Best Tomato
Growing Tips

Share your best
tomato growing tips
with Tomato Dirt readers!
Your Favorite Tip

tomato sprouts

Got a tomato question
or problem?

Click here

Gardener's Supply Company



Tomato Growing Book