Can tomato plants recover from severe stress or damage?
Written by
Liu Xiaohui
Reviewed by
Prof. Martin Thorne, Ph.D.Tomato plants are powerful after suffering stress or injury. Most plants will fully recover as long as the stressor is removed rapidly. A plant that was over-watered will recover when drainage is improved. An injured leaf will be followed by healthy leaf growth after a pest has been treated. A plant that has suffered nutrient loss will recover when it is fed appropriately. With your timely intervention, recovery becomes possible.
Water Stress Recovery
- Overwatered plants: 7-10 days after drainage improvement
- Underwatered plants: 3-5 days with deep watering
- Salt buildup: 2 weeks after soil flushing
Physical Damage Repair
- Hail damaged leaves: 10-14 days for new growth
- Broken stems: 3 weeks if splinted properly
- Sunscald: 14 days with shade protection
Overwatered tomatoes come back surprisingly quickly! My plants last season wilted due to excessive moisture. I added perlite to my soil to improve drainage and then avoided watering for a week. In ten days, new white roots were visible. They grew normal fruit later in the season.
Plants affected by pests require a deep treatment. Remove all visible insects. Apply organic sprays, like neem oil, every three days. Undamaged buds will develop into new stems. With new growth, cover them with floating row covers. Recovery usually occurs between 2 and 3 weeks.
Nutrient problems are the quickest to fix. Yellow leaves from nitrogen deficiency will turn green in about a week when you add some fish emulsion. Purple leaves from phosphorus deficiency will recover within 10 days with the use of bone meal, etc. Always test your soil before amending it to identify any potential imbalances.
Prune strategically to help with recovery. Remove dead branches right away. Partially damaged leaves can be left on until new growth appears. Pruners should be sanitized between cuts. When using stakes to support recovering plants, they can help minimize stress on the healing tissues.
Read the full article: 8 Common Problems With Tomato Plants and Solutions
