Your home-grown tomato has developed from a golden blossom to a ripe fruit.However, one day you notice that your lovely crop has cracked. Fortunately, new tomatoes will sprout, and you will be able to save your garden from this regular mishap.During the growing season, watering your tomato plants multiple times a day, or maybe once or twice a week, may even be necessary (in particularly humid areas). Tomato plants should only be watered if they are in desperate need. Because roots require oxygen, they will drown if there is too much water. Tomatoes that have started to turn color may ripen on or off the vine, so pick them before a storm and put them in a window to finish ripening. When they are given an irregular amount of water, tomatoes split. Avoiding watering tomatoes and then flooding them rapidly also causes cracks. This occurs when the center of the fruit grows considerably faster than the skin on the exterior due to excess water. As the skin explodes, vertical or horizontal fissures form. Because concentric cracks are usually minor and self-healing, it is safe to eat this sort of split tomatoes. Radial fractures are typically deeper and have the potential to break the tomato in half. To summarize, the majority of cracked tomatoes are fit for consumption.However, keep in mind the crack’s length and quality. There seem to be dangerous insects, bacteria, or fungi that have penetrated the split tomatoes, if indeed the split runs rampant in the fruit. This is particularly true of cracks that run vertically along the stem. Horizontal cracks, on the other hand, are shallower and heal more quickly, making tomatoes with this type of split more recoverable.What does it mean when tomatoes crack and split?An irregular quantity of water causes tomatoes to crack. While ripe tomatoes are more susceptible to shattering, green tomatoes can also be cracked. Tomatoes split open means that the amount of water they receive changes. Heavy rain can cause the insides of tomatoes to grow quicker than the exterior cover, leading to the tomatoes breaking when they are grown in drought conditions or with little additional water.Heavy rain, particularly when followed by periods of drought, is the most common cause of tomato fruit cracking and splitting. This form of breakage is most likely to happen when tomatoes start to ripen, and you’re eagerly anticipating harvest. However, green fruit can still be affected. Rapid fluctuations in rainfall intensity lead fruits to expand faster than the tomato skin can grow, resulting in cracking and splitting. There seem to be two possible patterns for this damage. Radial splitting, or vertical splits along the edges of fruits, is the most dangerous. This dividing pattern is most prevalent in hot conditions with high moisture levels. When it relates to breaking, heavy rainfall is the most common cause, primarily for tomatoes that thrive in dry environments. Tomatoes, on the other hand, can withstand heavy rains but will split open when the weather changes abruptly. This occurs when the center of the fruit grows considerably faster than the skin on the exterior due to excess water. The skin breaks vertically or horizontally as it erupts.Vertical splits, in which tomatoes splitting in radial spreads from the head of the fruit to the bottom, and concentric cracking, which commonly occurs on the head of the fruit, forming breaks around the stalk on huge, heirloom tomatoes, are the two types of tomato cracking. Although both types of cracking can allow bugs to penetrate the fruit or cause decay, concentric cracking isn’t always as bad. Enable the fruit to mature on the vine if indeed the cracking does not reveal the interior of the fruit, but keep a watch on it.Is it normal for tomatoes to split?Tomato plants that have been watered infrequently, dried out, or had a sudden monsoon from Mother Nature or the gardener, will split. It’s notably frequent in heritage tomatoes with enormous beefsteak shapes.When a thirsty tomato plant receives additional water, the fruit adapts to the soil moisture as often as possible. The skin can’t keep up with the rate of expansion and breaks as a result of internal pressure. It’s more common in fruit that’s about to ripen.Radial and concentric cracks are two types of cracks that emerge when there is a sudden increase in water. Radial fractures emerge around the stem end of the tomato, and concentric cracks form a series of rings at the fruit’s top. These fractures are less noticeable than radial breaks and mend over, keeping the thin brown rings.What to do when tomatoes crack and split?Don’t be frustrated if you can’t totally prevent tomatoes from splitting; you can indeed eat them in any food you prepare! Examine them well for any sign of insects or any related rot present, and discard any fruit that stinks or drips. Then, use your gardening treasures to make your favorite cuisine! They won’t keep for long, hence eat or cook with them immediately to get the benefits of your gardening efforts. It’s critical to collect related tomatoes as soon as possible if they split. Split tomatoes are more prone to rot and pest infestation.Weekly, irrigate tomato plants with 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) of water. It is less likely that they will be stunned by severe rain if they are watered on a regular basis. Mulch is beneficial to all plants, but it is especially effective in avoiding tomato cracking. To keep plants moist, add a layer of mulch 2-3 in (5-7.5 cm) deep around them. Fine wood mulch, compost, wood chips, grass clippings, paper mulch, cloth, straw, leaves, or newspaper are all good options. We believe that grass clippings or good compost make the best mulch since they help feed the soil. Mulching might help you avoid a variety of garden issues.Fertilize tomatoes consistently every other day with organic tomato-tone during the growing season. Keep the soil nutritious by using a fertilizer that helps in growing tomatoes as much as possible. Planting tomatoes in raised beds or pots featuring drainage holes will help to alleviate the issue since heavy rain may drain away more quickly in the sandy soil. Planting them on raised beds and pots both drain well if you use excellent, loose soil that just doesn’t bind. Because chemicals leach out of the soil as the water drains, feed them with an organic fertilizer according to the label’s guidelines. You could still go out after heavy rain and pick any almost-ripe or ripe tomatoes as a last-minute solution. Although it may be rather late already, you could still plant crack-resistant kinds. In the description, look for terms like ‘crack-free.‘How to prevent tomatoes from cracking and splitting?Even if you can’t prevent the weather, you can prevent tomatoes from splitting by following these steps. Tomatoes prefer a constant supply of water, and throughout the summer, they require around 1 in (2.5 cm) of water each week. Because rainfall will increase to this total, you may water your tomatoes less when summer sprinkles are predicted. Refresh the plant every two to three days during dry weather.A drip hose, as well as a soaker hose, would provide a consistent water supply for tomatoes. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses both supply water to the roots of the plant, where it is most beneficial. Mulch is helpful in the retention of moisture by plants. It can help your tomato plant absorb precisely the correct amount of water, whether it’s made of bark, wood chips, pine needles, straw, or plastic.Tomatoes, as fast growers, may require additional fertilizer nutrients. The ideal fertilizer for tomatoes is determined by the ingredients specific to your soil, as well as whether or not your soil is deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. However, using too much nitrogen fertilizer to minimize tomatoes splitting can actually cause your tomatoes to produce too quickly and split.
Your home-grown tomato has developed from a golden blossom to a ripe fruit.
