I agree with Keriann. Yes, you should really let them dry out. Matter of fact, once my seedlings are as big as yours, I let them dry out pretty much all the way before I water again. You can tell they need watered when you pick up the flat and it feels light as a feather. Then after you water, it's much heavier. Your method of bottom watering is quite unique, I must say. I think that most folks bottom water the way I do, which is to say setting the cells or cups into a tray of water and letting the plant absorb as much as it wants until you see moisture on the surface of the soil (usually takes anywhere from 5-20 min). Now, I can't say for sure what positive or negative effects your method of watering might have, except that it sure sounds like a pain in the hiney to me, and I somehow doubt that the soil is getting properly saturated. You want to simulate mother nature; a soaking rain. Then you want to let the soil dry out. That's how it is in nature. Roots need water yes, because the plant needs water, but then they need to dry out and get oxygen. Damp soil all the time = no oxygen to the roots. Now, I can't say for certain what part of your program is causing your issues, but I would start bottom watering them as described by letting them absorb water sitting in a tray. I think you will find that using this method, you should only have to water every 3-4 days, or less. I would lay off the ferts for a while, and then make sure only to fertilize when the soil is already damp, or you will burn the roots. I just mix the fert with water, then pour into a tray and bottom water as usual. Give this a shot, see if that doesn't help.

Leaf curling alone is a physiological condition caused by stress; it's common in stressed plants, including young plants which don't have the root system to support all their foliage yet, or in times of unusually bright sunlight. If you get it by itself, look to see what may have stressed the plant recently; often it's nothing to worry about. The wilting, dead green leaves symptom resembles bacterial wilt, but that's pretty rare in your neck of the woods, and tends to take the whole plant down very rapidly. Stem borers can sometimes do it; look for little holes in the affected stems. Look for any damage to the stem, in fact. With the yellowing and necrosis -- it's hard to see in that small a photo, but it looks like the dark lesions are following the veins. That's diagnostic of a toxin of some kind -- no virus I know of does that in tomato, no bacterium or fungus is that specific, and no deficiency kills the veins before the interveinal spaces. I've seen a symptom almost identical to that in a case of alcohol poisoning (someone had a cocktail party in a library foyer and apparently the drinks weren't very good, as the potted plants looked pretty rough afterward). It was an unusual enough symptom that it became a teaching example. Toxins can come from outside or from the soil. Pyola is perfectly safe for tomatoes, and the heat wasn't excessive, but make sure the dilution was correct, as too high a concentration can burn leaves much like that. Spray damage can also cause wilted and dead green leaves. If you can sacrifice a plant that's badly affected, dig it up to look at the roots, see whether it has lots of crisp, white, fine roots, not dark or knobby ones. Shave away the skin at the soil line to look for discolorations in the woody stem underneath; cut open wilted green shoots to check for hollow centers from stem borers; and finally split open the main stem to see whether it's hollow or discolored inside. I don't expect much except maybe root symptoms, but you really never know. My personal guess is soil toxicity, especially given that the lower and terminal leaves are the worst affected by the yellowing and dying, and some things take a while to build up in the leaves enough to kill them. One important thing to note is that not all toxins are synthetic chemicals -- an excess of certain minerals or nutrients can poison a plant. pH affects root uptake of anything enormously, especially minerals, but it can have its own effect as well. You may need a soil test -- call your Agriculture Department, Cooperative Extension, or U of O to find an affordable lab. I don't see your symptoms in any of the common nutrient toxicity listings, though, which means it could be something chemical, and there is no general panel for that. Down here in California I'd send it to Sacramento's Plant Diagnostics lab or the extension pathologist at U. C. Davis, but I don't know what pathologists you have at your disposal. This is certainly not a cut-and-dried common disease problem, and even a specialist is going to need some lab work to figure it out, I suspect. I wish I had more answers for you, sorry. --Alison

Hi! I'm so sorry, Jean001a, I haven't replied sooner but i have been away (got the neighbor to look after the garden :). Thank you for you response. I had used miracle grow organic all purpose plant food NPK: 7-6-7 when i transplanted the plants to their grow bags. (i don't know what it is made up of though). Luckily it seems as though they have recovered. the leaves are mostly green. However, i think that the fertilizer had too much nitrogen as the plants are now 1m tall and are only just starting to set their first trusses of flowers.

I suspect that it is because it is in a pot rather than being a disease. How big is the container? What is the potting medium? And have you fed it? These can grow enormous and in a pot they are going to need a lot of care. If it is stressed by lack of food and moisture, which would be likely in a pot, it could exhibit premature fall symptoms.