Why does my tomatoes look like this?

[bluee19]

Why does my cherry tomato look likes this and my orange beefsteak tomato have cracks?

Thank you in advance for your help.

[zipcode]

Those gold flecking in the first picture are usually associated with spider mites, but not always, it's still debated what all causes could be.
That cracking is really quite tame for a heirloom beefsteak. It's usually a variety characteristic and it will be accentuated by rain, uneven watering, etc.

[RayR]

Gold fleck as a physiological disorder.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by zipcode

That cracking is really quite tame for a heirloom beefsteak. It's usually a variety characteristic and it will be accentuated by rain, uneven watering, etc.

Yes, very characteristic. I rarely get large beefsteaks that don't have that top cracking -- the larger the fruit, the greater the cracking seems to be. I always thought the size/weight played into it, but never bothered to research it. As I typically cut out or around the core, I just take the cracked areas off as well.

[MadCow333]

Last year, we had alternating drought and deluge. All of my heirloom beafsteaks split open like crazy. It was disgusting. If left on the vines until fully ripe, they'd just crack even worse and attract insects, even maggots. So I started picking all of them at first blush and bringing them indoors to ripen.

[JosephineRose]

I tried that this year to prevent the cracking and feel they don't taste as good as those on the vine - lacking in sweetness and/or flavor intensity.

What has your experience with indoor ripened been?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by RayR

Gold fleck as a physiological disorder.

Good article, but other articles also cite a genetic cause as well, and I am trying so hard to remember the name of the well know one that is permanently shows the flecking.

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by bluee19

Why does my cherry tomato look likes this and my orange beefsteak tomato have cracks?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Your orange beefsteak shows what is called radial cracking since rays come out from the stem end. And it's a gentic trait of certain varieties.

The other kind of splitting is called circular, and shows splits that circle around the stem

A third kind of splitting is different from the above and is called horizontal splitting and can occur for various reasons..

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...k1.CK4yDq2Ud24

https://www.google.com/search?q=radi...&bih=788&dpr=1

Carolyn

[Worth1]

There's ((((GOLD))))) in them there tomaters.
Worth

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Good article, but other articles also cite a genetic cause as well, and I am trying so hard to remember the name of the well know one that is permanently shows the flecking.



Carolyn

The Speckled Roman tomatoes I've both purchased and grew had a good amount of gold speckling. And last year I saw it on a few of my Dwarf Project growouts that had Speckled Roman as one of the parents.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Good article, but other articles also cite a genetic cause as well, and I am trying so hard to remember the name of the well know one that is permanently shows the flecking.

Carolyn

I wouldn't doubt there is a genetic link to gold flecking. Just like there is a genetic link to some cultivars being more susceptible to BER. At least that explains part of it, but the entire picture is much more complicated than that, isn't it?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

The Speckled Roman tomatoes I've both purchased and grew had a good amount of gold speckling. And last year I saw it on a few of my Dwarf Project growouts that had Speckled Roman as one of the parents.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Speckled_Roman

Nope, no gold speckling, see the link above as to origin and John Swenson.

Carolyn

[bower]

I put a half dozen ruffly-topped beefs outdoors last year, and every fruit was damaged severely by mold spores landing in that convenient water-and-spores catcher on top.
Outdoors with rain protection overhead was okay, greenhouse the best for getting clean and uncracked fruit from those cracky beefs.

Smooth shoulders is IMO a highly desirable trait!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Good article, but other articles also cite a genetic cause as well, and I am trying so hard to remember the name of the well know one that is permanently shows the flecking.

Carolyn

Not exactly gold flecking,but there's the one I was trying to remember.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki...s_Pink_Firefly

Carolyn

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by JosephineRose

I tried that this year to prevent the cracking and feel they don't taste as good as those on the vine - lacking in sweetness and/or flavor intensity.

What has your experience with indoor ripened been?

Some people say they can't taste the difference. As for me, I definitely can taste the difference. It's always vine ripened for me.

Having said that, it depends on the variety. Putting aside textural and aesthetic marketability reasons for indoor ripening, the commercial F1 varieties have less in the way of taste. The perceivable delta between say an indoor and vine ripened Big Beef is a lot smaller than say a Carbon or Black Krim or Esmeralda or most other heirlooms [I'd argue].