Preventing Wind Burn on Tomato Plants

Growing juicy, delicious tomatoes is a rewarding experience for any gardener. However, your precious tomato plants can suffer damage from wind burn, resulting in less than ideal fruit. In this article, we’ll discuss what causes wind burn on tomatoes and how to prevent it from ruining your crop.

What Causes Wind Burn on Tomato Plants?

Wind burn occurs when tomato plants are exposed to constant drying winds. The wind quickly evaporates moisture from the leaves and stems faster than the roots can absorb it. This causes the tissue to dry out, turn brown and die. Wind burn usually starts at the edges of leaves, spreading inward. It can eventually kill the entire leaf or plant if left unchecked.

Several factors make tomatoes prone to wind burn:

• Tomatoes have thin, delicate tissue that dries out easily.

• The fuzzy hairs on tomato stems and leaves increase transpiration.

• Tomatoes are thirsty plants, needing consistent moisture.

• Winds rapidly speed up moisture loss.

How to Prevent Wind Burn on Tomato Plants

The key is protecting tomatoes from drying winds. Here are some tips:

Site Selection

• Plant tomatoes in a sheltered area, shielded from prevailing winds. Good spots are against a building, fence, or windbreak of trees.

• Avoid open, exposed areas in your yard.

Support Tomatoes

• Use tall, sturdy cages or stakes to support plants. Tomatoes exposed to wind sway back and forth, damaging stems and stressing roots. Supported plants suffer less.

• Tie tomatoes loosely to supports as they grow. This prevents winding from slapping leaves against cages.

Use Row Covers

• Protect young plants with row covers like Reemay fabric. Anchor firmly so wind doesn’t blow them off.

• Remove during bloom stage so pollinators can reach flowers.

Install Windbreaks

• Place temporary fencing, netting, or plastic sheeting around plants to reduce wind. Make sure airflow isn’t restricted too much.

• Stake tomato cages to the ground so wind doesn’t blow them over.

Increase Humidity

• Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to keep soil consistently moist. Dry soil worsens wind burn.

• Mist plants daily with water to boost humidity around leaves. Avoid wetting foliage at night, which encourages disease.

• Use plastic mulch around plants to reduce evaporation from soil.

• Grow leafy crops like lettuce near tomatoes to shelter them.

Afternoon Shade

• Prevent hot afternoon sun from beating down on plants already stressed from wind. Provide shade with fabric screens, umbrellas, or nearby structures.

Anti-Transpirants

• Apply anti-transpirant sprays to form a protective film on leaves that slows moisture loss. Products like Wilt-Pruf are made for this purpose.

Monitor Watering

• Check soil moisture frequently, watering when top few inches become dry. Don’t let plants experience drought stress on top of wind burn.

• Deep watering encourages deep roots better able to absorb soil moisture. Avoid frequent shallow sprinklings.

• Leach out salt buildup monthly by watering until drainage flows from bottom of containers.

Fertilization

• Moderate fertilization creates healthier plants better able to withstand wind burn. Too much causes excessive, tender growth vulnerable to drying.

• Potassium strengthens tomato cell walls. Apply fertilizer with a potassium component.

• Stop fertilizing in summer heat when growth naturally slows to harden plants off.

Pruning

• Prune away any leaves or stems already showing wind damage to prevent it spreading.

• Remove lower leaves shaded by upper canopy. They don’t photosynthesize well anyway.

• Prune suckers and older interior foliage to enhance air circulation to leaves.

Variety Selection

• Choose tomato varieties with thicker, fuzzier leaves like heirlooms. They hold moisture better.

• Avoid cherry tomatoes, which have thin leaves.

• Look for heat and drought tolerant cultivars better able to handle wind stress.

Monitor for Pests

• Spider mites thrive in hot, dry conditions. Their feeding further stresses plants already battling wind burn.

• Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil if mites found. Be sure to reach undersides of leaves.

• Check for caterpillars and hornworms also attracted to stressed plants. Remove by hand.

Treating Existing Wind Damage on Tomato Plants

If despite your best efforts wind burn still strikes:

• Prune away badly damaged leaves, branches, or entire plants if necessary.

• Shade remaining plants to limit further sun and wind exposure.

• Water diligently to nurse plants back to health. Fertilize to stimulate regrowth.

• Consider using a tent of fabric or plastic sheeting if damage is severe.

• Whitewash stems with diluted latex paint to reflect sunlight and prevent additional burning.

• Apply potassium supplements to aid recovery. 1 tablespoon epsom salts per gallon of water monthly provides magnesium.

• Once new growth appears, gradually expose plants to avoid burning tender tissues.

Avoiding Wind Burn is Key For Tomato Success

Prevention is the best cure for wind burn on treasured tomato plants. Adopt site selection, protection, and care methods before damage occurs. Nurture plants through intense summer winds so you can reap a bountiful harvest of flawless tomatoes. With proper preparation, your tomatoes will thrive rather than struggle in the wind.