Content
Why do tomatoes crack when ripening: why is this dangerous and can the harvest be saved
04.08.2024 12:12
Updated: 09.08.2024 13:49
Another nuisance can spoil the mood of a gardener who is counting on a rich tomato harvest.
In addition to late blight and other diseases, the harvest can be spoiled due to cracks that appear on the fruit during the ripening process.
Let's find out why tomatoes crack and whether the harvest can be saved.
Reason one: watering
Lack of moisture causes the fruit to slow down in growth, the skin to become less elastic and crack. In this case, both ripe and green tomatoes can crack.
The same thing can happen to tomatoes in hot weather.
Reason two: agricultural technology
Stepchildren and pinching of the plant should be done carefully. After gardeners remove the side shoots, the plant gives all its juices and strength to ripening of fruits.
Intensive growth causes the skin to burst before it has time to form due to the rapid growth of the fruit.
Reason three: diseases
High humidity can cause diseases such as blossom end rot, late blight, alternaria, and other diseases to develop.
You should not eat such tomatoes. Dangerous bacteria can penetrate through the cracks.
Reason number four: fertilizers
Excess or lack of fertilizers also leads to cracking of fruits.
How to save the harvest
Summer residents need to remember about timely application of fertilizers. During the growth of seedlings, phosphorus and nitrogen are required.
During flowering and fruiting – potassium and phosphorus.
The last feeding is carried out two weeks before harvesting using boron and manganese, potassium and iodine.
