Question
Hi, my parents planted healthy tomatoes and suddenly they started to look weird.  The leaves started to twist and curl and have purplish color, especially the new ones.  We spotted some flea beetles on the plants, could they be the problem?

Answer
Several factors can play into this, but it usually narrows down to either too much watering or excessive fertilizing.

Too much water can saturate the roots, which in turn will prevent the plants from absorbing oxygen and nutrients. Too much fertilizer can slightly burn the roots, which sets them back a couple of weeks, resulting in the same absorption problems as overwatering.

I would sidedress the plants with organic materials such as humus or compost. Keep the water content down to 1" per week; more if temperatures exceed 85F with little rain. And do not fertilize the plants until they reach at least 2 feet tall, and then only once every two weeks at 1/2 the recommended solution. That's all that's necessary if the soil is properly amended as recommended above.

I hope this answered your quesiton. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike