I'm growing some Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes. They are just starting to ripen, and most are still green. I'd say they are about
10-15 days late in ripening. However, some, that are still green, are starting to split. It's not a complete split, but a ridge around one side. Does anyone have any suggestions about curing this problem. It's getting very hot here, but we had a big rain yesterday, and I water them about every 4-5 days.I wouldn't say for sure, but it sounds like they are getting too much water. I've hade this problem before (actually right now) and water was the problem. They are still edible after they split, just pick them early and let them ripen on the porch rail. Select those that are still good and dispose of the remaining.
In my experience, splitting is due to overwatering. You don't say where you are, but it sounds like the big rain + watering might have done it.
I was taught that after tomatoes flower, you cut back on water, so "strength" goes into fruit, not leaf/stem growth.
Opinions?
Persephone
Persephone wrote in news:J66dncVfm_np_1DZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com:
I dunno. I have just small, generic tomatoes and we're not having a lot of rain AT ALL and mine are splitting, too. I don't water my plants (no outside water source) so they aren't getting anything other than natural rainfall and the ground is hard and dry right now. We get a sphitz every now and then but it doesn't even moisten the ground. Last fairly nice rainfall was two weeks ago when my tomatoes were just hardly there.
(I'm in west central Indiana.)
Not so much 'over watering' but too much water applied too quickly, as in 'big rains after dry spell.'
The fruit takes up water faster than the skin can expand, resulting in splits. Maintaining an even moisture supply can reduce the damage, but some varieties are simply more prone to splitting than others. Split tomats are harder to market, but for the home gardener, it don/t make no never mind.
Agressive suckering / pruning can also lead to spliting, b/c the root system is larger than the foliage it supports.
Over the past month, I've pruned most of the suckers. I did water yesterday morning, then we had a huge rain the late afternoon. Another thing I've noticed is the lack of new blossoms. The temp here in St. Louis the next few days will be about 100 degrees. I'll hold off watering until the end of the week.
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