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Over the years of planting tomatoes I have had a problem with a lot of the fruit cracking. I need some advice as to how to eliminate that.

Niall C.
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user3120
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  • Do you have a photo you can add to your post? This other question may also be useful: http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/935/cracks-on-bottom-side-of-tomato – Niall C. Feb 10 '14 at 00:14
  • What type of cracking have you noticed? Are you talking about circular cracks around the stem? Or actual splits in the tomato? – michelle Feb 10 '14 at 13:30

1 Answers1

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Tomato fruit splitting, assuming it occurs as the fruits are growing/ripening, is caused by uneven or irregular water supply, or wildly fluctuating temperatures. If they're in a heated greenhouse, check that the temperature remains fairly even night and day - a temperature drop at night is fine, but not if it's dropping by a lot. Equally, if the greenhouse heats up in the sun during the day, the temperatures reached may be excessive, so shading and ventilation are important.

Otherwise, keep them well watered on a regular basis. If the plants get a bit dry and are then given plenty of water, what tends to happen is the fruit swells rapidly, and the skin can't keep up - regular supply of water prevents this by steadying the growth rate. By watering regularly, I don't mean keeping them waterlogged though, there should be good drainage.

Bamboo
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  • is this true even if all of my fruit are splitting only once they hit their peak ripeness? I've got some cherry tomatoes that are perfectly formed until they go from orange to bright red - then they split vertically. – That Idiot Oct 06 '14 at 15:40
  • @ThatIdiot; yes, that or too much heat. – Bamboo Oct 06 '14 at 17:16