Purple Tomato Leaves

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by patioparadise, Jun 12, 2009.

  1. patioparadise

    patioparadise Member

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    Colorado, USA
    Hello everyone! I'm a new poster but have found this forum very useful on other occasions.

    I've got a question about a tomato start given to me by a friend. It was grown in a greenhouse but has very purple undersides to the leaves. As I've understood, purple tomato leaves indicate that the plant has been exposed to the cold. My friend did not know the variety of tomato and I was wondering, is there actually a kind of tomato with purple leaf undersides or does this most definitely indicate that the plant has been under some sort of stress? The plant has since been transplanted to a large container on my balcony. I'm attaching a photo of the plant. Also, I know there are a million kinds of tomatoes and this one hasn't fruited yet, but is it possible that anyone would want to take a crack at identifying it at this early stage? If not, I'm up for waiting for the surprise!
     

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  2. Acoma

    Acoma Active Member

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    You likely have/ had a phosphorous deficiency. Not enough balance in nutrients.
     
  3. JanR

    JanR Active Member

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    I had some tomatoes with purple leaves too. Only some of them had it and as they were all grown in the same soil, I really didn't think that it was a phosphorous deficiency. Someone suggested that the plants could have gotten too cold, which was a possibility as the room that they were growing in was quite cold and they were next to a window. I just went out and checked my plants and they are all now a healthy green without any trace of purple. Is it possible that your plant got too cold?
     
  4. Acoma

    Acoma Active Member

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    Ying....Yang... I love the counter to my thoughts. JanR brings up another great idea.
     
  5. patioparadise

    patioparadise Member

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    They were started by a friend at a local nursery. At any rate, they're happily soaking up sun on my patio now.
     

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