Why tomatoes can crack in a greenhouse when ripe
Many summer residents are interested in the question of why tomatoes burst. What influences and how to avoid this trouble. Spoiled fruits have no presentation and are unsuitable for long storage.
Why do tomatoes crack in a greenhouse when ripe
Most often, tomatoes are grown for their own pleasure. I want them to look beautiful. The annoyance is caused by spoiled by cracks, green and ripe fruits. Gardeners immediately start looking for a reason.
Fruit cracking is not an infection. But it is worth considering that something is going wrong in development.
A sharp change in the percentage of moisture has a great effect on tomatoes. As a result, the delicate skin bursts, but subsequently it tightens. The tomato is at great risk during the period of violation of the integrity of the fruit structure. At this time, the causative agent of an infectious disease can easily get into it. And thus to destroy not one tomato, but possibly the whole plant. Greenhouse tomatoes are more prone to cracking than tomatoes grown in the open field.
How does this happen
Modern greenhouse coating materials heat up and dry the soil during the day. At the same time, the growth of the plant slows down, the skin of the tomatoes gradually becomes coarser.
In the evening, during abundant watering, all the liquid from the soil is directed to the fruits, organizing their growth. Those, in turn, not withstanding the pressure, give cracks. Then, in an accelerated manner, the plant seeks to overgrow the formed crack. To prevent the infection from getting inside. Green tomatoes suffer most from this, but ripe fruits do not bypass the attack.
How to avoid it
Experienced summer residents recommend that the tomatoes do not crack, perform the following points:
- Dispense the amount of irrigation water. Divide the required volume by 3-4 times. Thus, watering will not have a detrimental effect.
- When the weather is sunny for a long time, it is watered once every 3-4 days, on cloudy days every 4-5 days.
- On sunny days, ventilate the greenhouse more often. (If not grown outdoors)
- Darken the greenhouse shelter using a special mesh or milk of lime.
- If the nighttime temperature is less than 13 ° C, then watering can be done not earlier than 11:00 in the afternoon. In contrast, during the summer heat, watering is carried out in the evening.
- Mulch the roots. This will retain moisture for longer and prevent possible cracks.
- Organize drip irrigation, water will be supplied in metered doses, so there will not be such a problem as cracks in the fruits.
- Purchase varieties that are not prone to cracking.
Gardeners often wonder why tomatoes burst in greenhouses and how to prevent it. Most often, the main reasons are that young novice summer residents make the following mistakes.
- A plant with a large number of ripening fruits is watered more abundantly and more often. Do not forget that a developed root system takes water from a deeper layer of soil. Based on this, you need to water once a week, preferably directly at the root.
- Tomatoes are fed with more concentrated fertilizers. But it is best to take 20 grams. solution in a bucket of water.
- Extra leaves and stepsons are often removed. Only 3 leaves per week can be removed from one bush.
- If the leaves turn yellow or curl, water more often. This is not worth doing, perhaps the reason is different.
These errors listed lead to excess moisture in the soil, as a result of which the tomatoes begin to crack.
Lack of nutrition
The visible deformations of the plant are most often perceived as drying out, but attention should be paid to the features and the following signs.
- The plant stops growing, old leaves brighten. The fruits begin to sing early and remain small. Tomatoes lack nitrogen.
- The plant slows down growth, the leaves are small with curved edges of a purple hue. There is a lack of phosphorus.
- Old leaves look like they are burnt. Soon they completely turn yellow and fall off. Younger leaves gradually begin to turn yellow. Black stripes appear in the fruit. Lack of potassium.
- The yellowed leaves begin to deform, in places there are dead tissues. Lack of calcium.
- The shoots are underdeveloped, the ovary crumbles, and the leaves on the plant turn white. The tomato lacks copper.
- Growth points die off, stepchildren grow. The plant becomes more lush. He lacks boron.
- Old leaves are covered with yellow spots, later they will turn brown. And then they will completely fall off. Tomatoes lack magnesium.
Having carefully studied the plant, it is better to feed. Than unnecessarily supplying plants with unnecessary moisture. Then cracks will not appear.
Non-cracking tomato varieties
Dosed watering and timely fertilization can affect the process of cracking tomatoes. But there is another way to get rid of this problem, choose varieties that will not burst. Yellow tomatoes are most susceptible to cracking.
The most common tomatoes that do not crack are:
- Bohemia f1, a large-fruited tomato, withstands long transportation and is well stored.
- "Asteroid" is large-fruited, resistant to major diseases.
- "Ladies' fingers" are small tomatoes, perfectly marinated as a whole.
- "Grushovka", large-fruited, lie for a long time.
- "Pink honey", very large tomatoes.
- "Raspberry Visonte" is small in size, very unpretentious.
- "Rio Grande", medium-sized fruits, unpretentious and resistant to hot climates.
- "Vladimir" f1, large-fruited, unpretentious tomato variety. The fruits are stored for a long time.
- "Khutorskoy pickling", late, but the tomatoes are up to 5 months old.
The listed varieties are far from all available at present. Before purchasing a new variety, you should read the description on the seed pack or on the Internet.
Why tomatoes crack, the reason may not be unambiguous. It is important to carefully monitor whether the plants are healthy, whether there are enough nutrients in the soil. And most importantly, during the period of active ripening, try not to flood the tomatoes with water.
