Growing tomatoes, I want them to be beautiful, mouth-watering and flawless. But sometimes all plans collapse due to the fact that cracks appear on the tomatoes. First, the presentation of the products suffers from this. Secondly, pathogenic microorganisms accumulate in the cracks, which can infect tomatoes. Novate.ru will help you figure out how to identify the cause of cracking and correct the situation.
Why do tomatoes crack?
The good news is that tomato flaws have nothing to do with disease. Due to pathological changes, tomatoes rot or darken, but do not crack. There are only two main reasons, we will consider them in more detail.
1. An overabundance or lack of minerals
There are two options for cracking tomatoes. Radial type, in which cracks, like rays, diverge from the center. And concentric, which makes the lesions look like rings around the peduncle. This indicates that the plants lack minerals.
Signs of deficiencies:
- Nitrogen - lightened leaves, tomatoes are smaller than they should be, and ripen ahead of time.
- Potassium - the leaves look like they were burnt around the edges.
- Magnesium - the leaves change color, fall off, and tomatoes ripen before they reach a standard size.
- Phosphorus - the leaves are deformed, becoming purple.
- Copper - often it is not enough in peaty soil, the leaves brighten and fall off.
- Bor - stepchildren do not grow in tomatoes.
- Calcium - leaves are covered with yellow spots.
Determine what mineral is lacking in your tomatoes and feed them. Just be careful with nitrogenous fertilizers. During the formation of fruits, an excess of nitrogen can also cause cracking.
2. Mistakes in leaving
Tomatoes do not tolerate temperature extremes, especially at the stage of fruit ripening. If the tomatoes are frozen over while the ovaries are forming, this can affect their development and appearance. Another reason is improper watering. If you cannot irrigate the tomatoes frequently, the soil dries up, and the plants try to get used to the arid conditions. They are then watered abundantly to catch up, and a collapse occurs. The fruits are so strongly saturated with life-giving moisture that the skin does not withstand and cracks.
How to avoid cracking
If tomatoes are grown in greenhouse conditions:
- water tomatoes regularly without long breaks;
- irrigate dry soil in several stages and extremely sparingly;
- during the heat, water the plants only in the evening and be sure to ventilate the greenhouse;
- if the temperature dropped to -13 degrees during the night, you should not irrigate the tomatoes;
- the roof of a greenhouse made of polycarbonate or glass should be treated with milk of lime or covered with agrofibre to reduce the temperature in a panic;
- do not water bushes abundantly on which there are a lot of ripe or ripening tomatoes;
- do not overdo it with fertilizers.
If tomatoes are grown outdoors:
- Observe regular watering and do not take long breaks between them;
- water the ripening tomatoes sparingly;
- mulch the soil so that it does not dry out too quickly;
- dilute the dressings with water to reduce their concentration.
The most persistent are the fleshy fruits that need to be watered once a week. Softer varieties are suitable for the greenhouse. We also recommend reading how you can grow tomatoes in the country without watering.