Each gardener growing tomatoes, hopes for a rich and high-quality crop. And when the fruits have already gained a good mass or even have already begun to ripen, cracks appear. Why do tomatoes crack on the vine? Having understood the reason, it will be possible to stop the appearance of new defects. Do not forget that cracks not only spoil the appearance of the fruit, but also serve as a hotbed of penetration and spread of various infections.
So why do tomatoes crack on the bushes? The first and main reason is irregular agricultural technology. Excessive or insufficient watering leads to the fact that the plant is trying to gain as much moisture as possible. Water enters the fetus, its active growth begins, the thin skin of the tomato does not withstand the increased load and cracks. Therefore, tomatoes should be watered gradually and often. If there was a forced break in irrigation, do not immediately give the plants excess water. It is best to divide the procedure into two stages - on the first day, slightly moisten the ground, and after a day it is good to water the tomatoes. In order to avoid sudden drying out, the soil around the plants must be mulched.
The next reason tomatoes crack is related to the intensity of sunlight. Tomatoes that are exposed to sunlight for a long time may crack. Therefore, plants planted in the open ground, you need to shade a little on hot days, and the walls of the greenhouse can be covered with milk of lime or white material.
Another reason why tomatoes crack is an excess of fertilizer. Particularly dangerous in this regard are nitrogen-containing mixtures or natural substances containing nitrogen, such as chicken droppings. You do not need to completely abandon fertilizers, but you must strictly adhere to the recommended dosages.
Another reason why tomatoes crack is a sharp change in temperature and humidity. If the plant grows in open ground and weather forecasters predict a sharp temperature difference, it may be worth picking tomatoes and letting them ripen in a box. A sharp change in weather conditions is not terrible for tomatoes in the greenhouse , but here it is best to maintain optimal conditions: humidity 50% and temperature no higher than 25 ° .
Quite often, summer residents have a question: why do tomatoes crack for no apparent reason? It seems that the irrigation regime is optimal, and fertilizers were applied in the right proportions, and the weather is the most favorable, but cracks still appear on fruits of different ripeness. In this case, most likely, the problem lies in the wrong variety. Some varieties of tomatoes are designed for a specific climatic region, and when growing this variety under other, even externally favorable conditions, problems may arise. And certain types of tomatoes are genetically predisposed to cracking, because they have a very thin and delicate skin. As a rule, these types include salad and early, early ripening tomatoes.
Here are all the main reasons that can lead to cracking on tomatoes. Applying the right agricultural technology and choosing the suitable tomato varieties, you can avoid the appearance of a similar problem and get a wonderful crop.