Experiencing some isolated leaf curl on new growth

[greentomatoes2025]

Hi all,

This is a 4 week old Blue Crimea mainline attempt and have noticed a strange leaf curl on only one of the new growth locations.

Light is 22inch above canopy
DLI recently increased from 25 to 30.
Fan not blowing on plant.

Run off
EC 1.2
PH 5.8

I am using a general nutrient A/B mix from my local hydroponic store with additional CalMag 1ml/L

Interested to see if any others have experienced strange isolated leaf curl such as this.

Thanks!

 

[Gmix]

What medium are you using as the ph is at a hydro/coir lvl
It looks like soil which would suggest your ph is out of range.
However with all these new mediums & only getting a small view it’s best to ask.
I don’t know about your ec lvl as I grow organically.
It does look like your ph is out of range
You might get told to look for bugs if your ph isn’t the problem

 

[greentomatoes2025]

What medium are you using as the ph is at a hydro/coir lvl
It looks like soil which would suggest your ph is out of range.
However with all these new mediums & only getting a small view it’s best to ask.
I don’t know about your ec lvl as I grow organically.
It does look like your ph is out of range
You might get told to look for bugs if your ph isn’t the problem

Thanks for the reply, trying to figure out how to edit my original post to include the requested info.
My grow medium is coco coir..
However ill check levels and calibration of my equipment just in case as well as possibilities of bugs.
Thanks!

 

[TimikaPerez]

Since you’re in coco, your pH and EC actually sound pretty reasonable on paper, especially for a plant that age. If the curl is isolated to just one growth tip and the rest of the plant looks healthy, I honestly wouldn’t panic yet. Sometimes new growth can come out twisted or curled from minor environmental stress and then normalize a few days later.

A couple things I’d still check:
make sure runoff EC isn’t drifting upward over time from salt buildup, and inspect very closely for early pest signs, especially broad/russet mites since they can distort new growth before you see visible bugs. Also consider whether that one top is sitting in a slightly different microclimate under the light or airflow.

The recent DLI increase could also be contributing if the plant was already pushing hard growth. Some phenos react faster than others. Personally I’d hold conditions stable for a few days instead of chasing fixes immediately. If the next sets of leaves emerge normal, it was probably just temporary stress rather than a deficiency or disease issue.

 

[greentomatoes2025]

Since you’re in coco, your pH and EC actually sound pretty reasonable on paper, especially for a plant that age. If the curl is isolated to just one growth tip and the rest of the plant looks healthy, I honestly wouldn’t panic yet. Sometimes new growth can come out twisted or curled from minor environmental stress and then normalize a few days later.

A couple things I’d still check:
make sure runoff EC isn’t drifting upward over time from salt buildup, and inspect very closely for early pest signs, especially broad/russet mites since they can distort new growth before you see visible bugs. Also consider whether that one top is sitting in a slightly different microclimate under the light or airflow.

The recent DLI increase could also be contributing if the plant was already pushing hard growth. Some phenos react faster than others. Personally I’d hold conditions stable for a few days instead of chasing fixes immediately. If the next sets of leaves emerge normal, it was probably just temporary stress rather than a deficiency or disease issue.

Thanks for your feedback and reassurance. A few photos on symptoms and few days later.. I dont think it has significantly progressed but more so the affected area has just grown proportionate to the rest of the plant.
As I am only able to check it every couple days for a short period such as watering, I may have to wait for the weekend to have a good look for these mites with a magnifying glass / loupe.
I do try to perform a mild flush every couple weeks just to prevent EC build up and as you say any number of conditions may have caused momentary distress to isolated new growth.
The rest of the plant amd few growth does seem happy apart from some nutrient deficiency showing on a lower large leaf.
Ill keep an eye on it and perform a thorough check this weekend. All continuing well ill be flipping early next week.

 

[Ninjadogma]

The numbers you posted look okay. You might be looking at some "time travel" there where it's from a past bad moment. Maybe EC spiked or a moisture imbalance. pH is a little low but not in a danger zone. Just keep the numbers good and it should start looking better.

 

[greentomatoes2025]

So I've had a good look with my loupe and no visible signs of any mites.. although from some brief research I may need a microscope.
I removed the curled fan leaves last night and surprisingly another leaf has curled 24 hours later.
I installed a tomato ring yesterday to give radial structure to the now completed mainline structure. All 8x branches (should) be receiving the same light ppfd/DLI.
PH has dropped a bit from 5.8 to 5.3.. my feeding input is now 7.1. I'm not adding any PH down anymore to try and buffer a little bit. EC is at 1.5.
I've moved my oscillating fan a bit lower with half of it blowing on the pot and half through the plant. It is on its lowest setting 1 of 10.
Still somewhat puzzled what is causing random leaves to curl like this!

 

[greentomatoes2025]