Overwatered Tomato Plant: Signs & How to Fix
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Overwatered Tomato Plant: Signs & How to Fix
If you’re worried you’ve given your tomato plants too much water, you can help them bounce back! Here are the signs of overwatered tomato plants, along with what you can do to fix them. At the end there are a few tips on how to water tomatoes to prevent overwatering in the future.
Signs of Overwatered Tomato Plants
If your tomato shows any combination of the following along with damp soil, it could be overwatered.
Yellow or Wilting Leaves
One clear sign that your tomato has a watering issue is wilting or yellow leaves. The leaves may also begin to “roll up” on themselves. While it can be tough to tell whether the discoloring and wilting is due to over or underwatering, check the soil moisture. If you have wet soil, the issue is overwatering. If the soil feels dry, it’s underwatered.
A second way to check is to feel the tomato leaves. Underwatered leaves feel dry and crunchy, but overwatered leaves will feel soft and almost mushy.
Bumps and Blisters on Leaves
You may find brown or yellow bumps and blisters on the tomato plant’s lower leaves if it has been overwatered. When the overwatering is severe enough, the leaves can start to fall off the plant.
Cracked Fruit
If your tomato plant is mature enough to produce fruit, a common sign of excessive watering is cracked fruit. Excess water causes the tomatoes to split open. When you eat the fruit, it might not have much flavor.
Drenched or Moldy Soil
If you notice the soil around the base of your tomato getting overly waterlogged (with sitting water on top of the soil or water oozing when you press a finger into it), your tomato has been overwatered. If it’s a one-time occurrence, the plant will probably be okay, but if it lives in soggy soil most of the time, or if it’s starting to grow mold, you have a clear overwatering issue. This is especially common if you’ve had a particularly rainy or humid summer, or if you’ve got compacted soil.
Rotting Roots
If the soil stays wet for too long, your tomato plant’s roots can get root rot due to fungal diseases. The roots will become dark and slimy and give off a very foul smell.
Stunted Growth
An over watered tomato plant will often stop growing and may stop blooming and producing fruit if it’s mature.
How to Fix an Overwatered Tomato Plant
Now that you identified whether or not you have an overwatered plant, here’s how you can fix it:
If you have a moderately over watered tomato plant, just let it dry out. Don’t water it again until it’s dry. For tomatoes planted in the garden, you might need to turn off your drip irrigation system if you use one or cover the plant with a tarp or bucket if it’s supposed to rain.
For container-grown tomatoes, set the pot out in the sun to dry for a while.
Severe Damage
For a severely overwatered tomato with root damage, you may need to try replanting.
Carefully dig up the tomato plant, making sure you get the full root ball. Then gently work as much of the original soil off the roots as possible. Leave the plant in a warm, sunny location on top of newspapers or paper towels until the roots are completely dry. Inspect the roots for rotting sections and trim the affected areas off with a clean pair of pruners. You can also trim off some of the worst affected leaf sections, so the plant can focus its energy on regrowing.
You can then replant it in a large pot with drainage holes and fresh, high-quality potting soil. If you reuse your old pot, sterilize it first to discourage fungi.
If you want your tomato back in the garden, plant it directly into a new, dry location in the garden where it won’t be overcrowded. This minimizes the chance that the tomato will suffer from root rot again.
Finally, water the replanted tomato at the base of the plant – but just until it’s damp! Pay close attention to the plant, only watering when necessary, until the plant makes a full recovery.
Preventing Overwatering
There are several ways to prevent overwatering in the first place, so you can have healthy tomato plants the whole year without having to worry about fixing them later on. I have a full guide to watering tomato plants correctly that also tells how much water tomato plants need, but here are a few basics to keep in mind:
Tomatoes require about 1 inch of water per week, on average, along with 6-10 hours of full sun. Like many plants, the best time of day to water is in the morning. Water at the base of each plant to prevent wet leaves, which can lead to fungal growth.
Before watering your plant, stick your finger 2-3 inches into the soil. If it’s dry, it’s time to water. If it’s still wet, hold off longer. This will keep your tomatoes from getting overwatered in the first place. Check every day, since your tomato’s water needs will vary based on size and weather. The only sure way to know is to check the soil yourself!
Sometimes it can be challenging to keep up with a watering schedule. Adding a layer of mulch around the tomatoes helps retain moist soil and prevents splashed soil (which causes issues like tomato blight) from getting on the bottom leaves.
If you’re getting heavy rain for a long period of time, you can place a tarp or large bucket over the plant, and then remove it after rain. Just make sure your tomato doesn’t become underwatered in the process.
Enjoy Your Tomatoes!
Even if you have an overwatered tomato plant, you should be able to identify and fix it with the previous tips. Enjoy your fresh and beautiful tomatoes!
Want to learn more? I’ve written a complete guide to growing tomatoes, along with:
