CatFacing?

Harry Cabluck · June 12, 2019

Do these photos show what is known as catfacing on the blossom ends? Not all the tomatoes on this particular plant demonstrate this. Any ideas of the cause? Stem ends are shown, in case of questions.

SueCT · June 12, 2019

I don't get a lot of it but see it most often in early fruit and it can be due to weather conditions like low temps. When I do see it, it goes away in subsequent fruit.

https://extension.umd.edu/learn/catf...blems-tomatoes

Harry Cabluck · June 12, 2019

SueCT, Thanks. That was good reading.

June 12, 2019

Harry, some of my tomatoes show a ‘dimple’ like that ... I’ve never considered that cat facing.

jmsieglaff · June 12, 2019

I would agree, I wouldn't call that catfacing. Perhaps a variety that usually has a bellybutton and conditions made it a little worse?

Good catfacing link:
https://extension.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=9475

DonDuck · June 12, 2019

It may be due to weather conditions, but some varieties seem more susceptible than others. Orange Minske was horrible about cat facing in my garden. They looked like bugs from outer space, but they were still the best tasting orange variety I've grown. They would cat face invariably while none of the other varieties did. They were all grown in the same garden in the same weather conditions.

zipcode · June 13, 2019

It's a milder form of catfacing. It's pretty much purely related to how well pollinated the flower is. There are many factors that can affect this, not the least the amount of pollen from the flower. If nutrition is not on point, the amount of pollen will be drastically reduced, for example in case of an overly vegetative growth, lack of boron, calcium, who knows what. Then there's temperature and humidity, etc.

brownrexx · June 13, 2019

I have always believed that it was from a damaged flower from environmental conditions. Some varieties may be more susceptible than others. I never worry about it because it is never every fruit on my plants. I don't believe that it is treatable.

gorbelly · June 13, 2019

Yeah, that's mild catfacing.

Some varieties are more prone to catfacing. I find it most often often in early fruit of large-fruited varieties. Ribbed/fluted varieties seem to be more prone to it than non-ribbed, and globes less prone than oblates. Fused blooms produce catfaced fruit almost all the time, in my experience, too.

Theories include damage to the blossom, colder temps during flower formation, etc. It's just a fact of life if you want to grow larger tomatoes, IMO. Nothing to worry about unless it continues far into the season and/or is so bad that you can't use a large portion of the fruit.

Harry Cabluck · June 13, 2019

Thanks, everyone, for the input.

June 12, 2019	#2
SueCT Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,460	I don't get a lot of it but see it most often in early fruit and it can be due to weather conditions like low temps. When I do see it, it goes away in subsequent fruit. https://extension.umd.edu/learn/catf...blems-tomatoes

June 12, 2019	#3
Harry Cabluck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 217	SueCT, Thanks. That was good reading.

June 12, 2019	#4
PlainJane Guest Posts: n/a	Harry, some of my tomatoes show a ‘dimple’ like that ... I’ve never considered that cat facing.

June 12, 2019	#5
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	I would agree, I wouldn't call that catfacing. Perhaps a variety that usually has a bellybutton and conditions made it a little worse? Good catfacing link: https://extension.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=9475

June 12, 2019	#6
DonDuck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Corinth, texas Posts: 1,784	It may be due to weather conditions, but some varieties seem more susceptible than others. Orange Minske was horrible about cat facing in my garden. They looked like bugs from outer space, but they were still the best tasting orange variety I've grown. They would cat face invariably while none of the other varieties did. They were all grown in the same garden in the same weather conditions.

June 13, 2019	#7
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	It's a milder form of catfacing. It's pretty much purely related to how well pollinated the flower is. There are many factors that can affect this, not the least the amount of pollen from the flower. If nutrition is not on point, the amount of pollen will be drastically reduced, for example in case of an overly vegetative growth, lack of boron, calcium, who knows what. Then there's temperature and humidity, etc.

June 13, 2019	#8
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I have always believed that it was from a damaged flower from environmental conditions. Some varieties may be more susceptible than others. I never worry about it because it is never every fruit on my plants. I don't believe that it is treatable.

June 13, 2019	#9
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	Yeah, that's mild catfacing. Some varieties are more prone to catfacing. I find it most often often in early fruit of large-fruited varieties. Ribbed/fluted varieties seem to be more prone to it than non-ribbed, and globes less prone than oblates. Fused blooms produce catfaced fruit almost all the time, in my experience, too. Theories include damage to the blossom, colder temps during flower formation, etc. It's just a fact of life if you want to grow larger tomatoes, IMO. Nothing to worry about unless it continues far into the season and/or is so bad that you can't use a large portion of the fruit.