I spread fresh wheat straw around my tomatoes just to keep the soil damp: three weeks later, the bottom leaves went yellow and I understood what the straw was taking
That fresh wheat straw you spread around your tomatoes looked like the perfect moisture-retaining mulch—until the bottom leaves turned yellow three weeks later. It’s not disease or neglect; it’s a hidden chemistry battle where microbes decomposing carbon-rich straw are stealing nitrogen meant for your plants.
