My tomatoes started cracking

[Elliot]

Up until last week, we did not have any problem with tomatoes cracking while on the plants. The past few days almost every red tomato is showing signs of cracking. Why the sudden change? Is there anything I can do about it? We have been consistant in watering.

Elliot

Long Island, New York

[French-Connection]

It can be caused by slightly over watering, or erratic watering.
The problem always is to get the water just right for the conditions. Some varieties are worse for it though.

[Elliot]

What is unusual is that it started suddenly. We were getting lots of ripe tomatoes all season without any cracks. A friend of mine who also grows cherry tomatoes also reported the same phenomenon --- sudden cracking

[mjc]

How much rain have you gotten lately?

Have night time temps dropped?

Any big day time temp changes?

[carolyn137]

Elliot, you're in Hicksville, LI, no doubt and starting last week I think many of us were getting short drenching downpours except for yesterday AM when it was a vicious T-storm .

I'm a weather watcher and check the radar at several sites during the day and the scans include the city area as well as LI.

I live and garden in Washington Co, about an hour north of Albany.

And with those downpours fruit near to ripening or ripe can't take up any more moistrue b'c the skin it at its maximum so they split.

And I also assume you're talking about splits other than at the stem end since for many varieties such splits, both radial and concentric, are normal.

The US Open starts in two weeks and I watch it all on TV and I'd just as soon NOT see so much rain after the tennis starts.

[smallstocks]

I live in White Plains, NY and have noticed the same thing regarding cracking. There is no doubt in my mind it is due to the recent rains we have had.

[rsg2001]

It happens most years around this time. I even have a couple of Black Cherries that have some splitting. But evidently some varieties are more prone. EG, Pozhar was doing splits from the beginning, and so was Marizol Purple mostly at the stem end.

[smallstocks]

It is my Black Cherries that are splitting the most.

[ContainerTed]

I only wish I had half of the tomatoes that have cracked and spoiled back on the counter in uncracked condition. My arm is tired from throwing away the truly bad ones - the others get chopped up for canning. I guess there is no one thing that causes cracking, but my chief suspect is the weather - especially the rain.

Day after day of 90+ temps and then heavy rain showers and "Let the cracking begin". I'm even getting some that are just breaking color with cracking/bursting. Even Sungold and Tommy Toe cherries are not exempt. Within the last two weeks, we had a few days without rain, and I noticed that the cracking was markedly reduced.

All of this had me thinking of making my garden a series of raised beds with more compost and mix than soil until I also noticed that my plants in the buckets and tubs were also cracking.

From more than a hundred plants, I am guessing that I've thrown 6 or more bushels of cracked/spoiled tomatoes. It just breaks my heart to have to throw them.

Ted

[b54red]

The worst culprit in tomato cracking is high temps which seem to make the skin less resilient followed by just the least bit too much water and they will crack. I heard ya'll had some high temps there for a few weeks so naturally the cracking will be much worse during the heat and for a short time after it. I never have much of a problem with cracking until I get high temps which start in late May or early June down here. I rarely see a crack in a tomato in the early spring or late fall even if we get a lot of rain; but as soon as those 90s and above get here the cracking gets pretty bad.

[Elliot]

We actually have not had too much rain where I live on Long Island. The grass is brown in most areas and may plants that depend on water from the sky are not doing well.

Elliot

[Elliot]

Originally Posted by rsg2001

It happens most years around this time. I even have a couple of Black Cherries that have some splitting. But evidently some varieties are more prone. EG, Pozhar was doing splits from the beginning, and so was Marizol Purple mostly at the stem end.

Yes, yes, yes, It is almost as if a buttom was pressed and all of the tomaoes on every plant starting cracking. What is annoying is that they are not even ripe

Elliot

[Elliot]

Originally Posted by b54red

The worst culprit in tomato cracking is high temps which seem to make the skin less resilient followed by just the least bit too much water and they will crack. I heard ya'll had some high temps there for a few weeks so naturally the cracking will be much worse during the heat and for a short time after it. I never have much of a problem with cracking until I get high temps which start in late May or early June down here. I rarely see a crack in a tomato in the early spring or late fall even if we get a lot of rain; but as soon as those 90s and above get here the cracking gets pretty bad.

Yes, we have had record high temps this summer on LI. We have had more over 90 degree days than I can ever recall

[dice]

From more than a hundred plants, I am guessing that I've thrown 6 or more bushels of cracked/spoiled tomatoes. It just breaks my heart to have to throw them.

I would like to have a "survival of the fittest" row for this, where
I just throw all of the cracked tomatoes, BER tomatoes, etc,
stomp them into the soil in fall, and let the volunteers fight it
out against disease, pests, and competition the next year.

I tried throwing them into the raspberry patch for a couple of
years, but the native weeds left them in the dust the next
spring and summer.

[travis]

For crack control, try this - http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=liquid+skin