Consistent moisture- HOW?

[indigosand]

How do you get consistent moisture for your tomatoes to avoid problems such as cracking? It sounds like it would be the easiest thing in the world to do, but it sure isn't! I've got mine on drip tape under mulch and water about every 3rd day to every other day in over 100 degree weather but I still have lots of cracking fruits. Where am I going wrong?

[kurt]

Direct sun(not enough leaf shading)will expand the water content in a over water compensated tomato.This is one result that will will induce cracking and splitting.Even if you think you have enough plant shading maybe a alternate shade cloth will reduce the overall temp. around the whole row/plant.In some climates where you have high day temps and a big change at nite temps this can also induce cracking and splitting.Some varietys with the multiple lobes can suffer from the temp changes.

[indigosand]

That makes good sense. I'm in the high desert of CA, most of my tomatoes are in full sun all day long and are trellised florida weave style. We do plan to use shade hoop houses next year to protect the plants from the intense sun.

[Tormato]

You may have to do some experimenting (next year?).

Perhaps start with the variety that has the most cracking/splitting, for you. Trial one or more plants of each under different conditions. One with 2 inches of mulch, one with four inches. One watering every two days, one watering every four days.

In my environment, if I do mulch (some years I don't) it is 3 inches, and I usually water every five days.

Watering every day may be causing the splitting.

Dr. Lve Apple

[Tania]

Mulch helps a lot.

I water my tomato plants in the ground every 3-4 weeks, deeply, depending on how hot it is. Otherwise, I keep them on dry side and stop watering completely after the first week of August.

I believe that if the soil is evenly moist 1-2 feet down, this is what matters the most.

Frequent watering does cause cracking. I see lots of that in containers that need to be watered every day as they dry out completely in a hot sunny day.

Tatiana

[joseph]

I water once a week. I pick tomatoes immediately before watering. That tends to minimize splitting because it seems like ripe tomatoes split easier than green tomatoes. It seems to vary from variety to variety as well. One of my favorite canning tomatoes is quite prone to splitting.

[b54red]

There are several things you can do to ease the cracking and maintain an even moisture level. One is to use raised beds as that keeps heavy watering or rain damage to a minimum since the extra water tends to go on through. Another is to incorporate a water absorbing crystal along with organic matter into your soil. The organic mater helps retain moisture and the crystals will absorb extra water as well as release it when it is needed by the roots. Below is a link to the crystal supplier I use. I have found the medium size crystals to be the best for all around use. It is important to only work them into the top 4 or so inches of the soil for maximum effectiveness.

http://www.water-keep.com/shop/

I have also found that a cypress mulch is the best for maintaining that even moisture and for keeping the soil temperature cooler in the hot weather which in turn reduces the amount of water needed. I used to use soaker hoses but had too much splitting and with the good mulch I find that even in the hottest weather I usually only have to water about every 5 or 6 days. I found that the plants created a much more vigorous root system without the drip irrigation which tends to concentrate the roots in one area. When I get rain regularly then watering is not needed at all; but who gets that.

Bill