Why do tomatoes crack in greenhouses and open ground? How to deal with the problem?

Sometimes, when ripening in open ground and in a greenhouse, tomatoes crack, which significantly reduces their further shelf life. This happens most often with pink and yellow tomatoes because they have thin skin. There are several reasons why gaps appear: errors in care, poorly chosen variety, unfavorable environmental conditions. Advice from experienced farmers will help you on what to do and how to save your plantings.

What is cracking of tomatoes during ripening?

First, it’s worth understanding what is meant by cracks. This is a deformation of the fruit with lines and scars covered with brown or gray dense skin. Cracks occur where the tomato attaches to the plant . There are two types of cracking:

• Radial . In this case, the cracks radiate away from the place of attachment of the fetus.
• Concentric . In this case, the cracks in the skin form concentric circles, the center of which is also where the fruit is attached.

With rare exceptions that prove the rule, tomato skins only crack when the tomato has reached ripeness.

The danger of cracking tomatoes

Furrows on tomatoes look unattractive, so this phenomenon can cause significant harm to the budget of a farmer who will not be able to sell illiquid vegetables.

But, in addition to their ugly appearance, such tomatoes can pose a danger to human health. In the recesses of the pulp, a favorable environment is created for the proliferation of pathogenic microflora. The infection penetrates with dust, and it is also carried by ants and slugs, which are attracted by the cracked peel.

Deep furrows on tomatoes are an annoying phenomenon for every farmer

Attention! Regular consumption of infected tomatoes can trigger the development of diseases of the digestive system and lead to intoxication.

How is this problem developing?

Cracking is not associated with any diseases or parasites, the reasons are much simpler and more commonplace:

1. external environment;
2. variety of tomatoes.

To begin with, the problems of the plants themselves will be considered. Since decades of breeding have led to the emergence of many varieties of tomatoes, it is easier to point out the characteristics of tomatoes than to list all the relevant varieties.

If the fruits exhibit the following signs, then there is a high chance that they may crack:

• large size;
• thin skin;
• a small amount of;
• not covered with leaves from the sun;
• when ripe, it is clear that the skin is inelastic;
• weak cutinization;
• thin pericarp.

As for problems with the external environment, they are as follows:

• High humidity . Excess water in the soil causes the skin to lose its extensibility and elasticity. As a result, with rapid growth, cracks appear on the skin. While the fruits are small, the cracks are almost invisible, but as they grow, the cracks also grow and deepen. Humidity problems are especially common in greenhouses.
• A sharp increase in humidity . In conditions of lack of moisture, the skin also loses its elasticity. And as soon as abundant watering occurs, the plant is saturated with moisture and nutrients, which leads to fruit growth and the appearance of cracks.
• Temperature fluctuations . Sometimes, with a sudden change in temperature, cracks can also form. Most often, temperature changes “work” in tandem with abundant watering. The roots actively absorb moisture, and then the temperature suddenly changes. The plant does not have time to adapt to the new conditions, and the skin breaks through, which reduces the pressure inside the stem and roots.
• Sunlight . If the fruits are not covered in any way from direct sunlight, this can also lead to the formation of cracks.

A reasonable question is: is it dangerous? The cracks themselves are not dangerous, they just spoil the appearance. However, their formation is the appearance of entrance gates for infections and viruses. So, if a crack has formed on a tomato, it is better to remove it .

Are cracks in tomato fruits dangerous?

Loss of integrity of the tomato skin leads to rotting of the fruit. Fungal spores enter the fruit through cracks. In conditions of high humidity in the greenhouse, mold and rot develop. Plants with bursting fruits become breeding grounds for diseases in the greenhouse.

When inspecting the plantings and finding burst fruits on the plants, they are immediately removed. Ripe tomatoes are processed (ketchup, tomato sauce), green tomatoes are disposed of.

Advice. A small crack in a green tomato can be thickly sprinkled with salt and the fruit can be left to ripen. The salt will close the wound and prevent mold from developing. The tomato will ripen without damage and can be eaten.

If the crack in the tomato is small, it may heal on its own. But an ugly scar will remain on the skin. If tomatoes are grown for sale, such fruits have a low price due to their poor presentation.

Fighting methods

It will not be possible to cure already cracked tomatoes, since the marks from the cracks are actually scar tissue.

However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of cracks if you correctly follow the growing tips.

Watering rules

Since tomatoes love moderately moist soil, they should be watered abundantly, but the amount of watering depends on the stage of the growing season.

1. The first week and a half after planting the plants, it is better to water them every day. Each bush should have 1.5–2 liters of water.
2. After a week and a half, the plants should be watered once every 6–7 days. And as they stretch upward, you can gradually increase the volume of water.
3. As soon as the first and second flower clusters begin to form, and also when the tomatoes are actively filling with juice, the plants should be watered once every 3-4 days. Usually one watering can goes into one adult bush and another one goes into the gap between the bushes.

Important : Do not start watering before half past seven in the morning. If the last week was rainy, then watering should start an hour later, and it should be less abundant.

Mulching the soil

Naturally, you cannot stop only at proper watering - mulching the soil also plays a significant role. The loosened, still moist soil should be covered with a layer of :

• humus;
• sawdust;
• any other organic matter.

Mulching not only helps improve watering efficiency . Thanks to this, you can get the following effects:

1. The likelihood of the spread of fungal diseases is reduced.
2. Loosened soil allows oxygen to reach the roots better.
3. Weeds grow worse.
4. The roots do not overheat.
5. The soil is gradually saturated with natural fertilizers.

Protection from direct sunlight

As mentioned above, if the fruits are not protected from direct sunlight, then there is a high chance that they will crack. To reduce this impact, especially if the variety itself does not have many leaves, you can:

1. Install a special dispersive mesh in the greenhouse. Then the plants will be in light shade.
2. Cover the inside of the greenhouse walls with lime milk. This will reduce the permeability of the material, and hence the influence of sunlight.
3. If there are not many bushes, then you can lightly spray them with chalk solution.

Is it possible to save already affected plants?

Since tomatoes whose fruits are cracked are not sick, there is nothing to treat them for. But, as mentioned earlier, cracks are a violation of the protective shell. Just as a virus can get into a wound in a person, a plant can get sick. Ideally, you should remove the affected fruit if you are afraid of infection .

Cracked tomatoes - danger or myth

Gardeners do not always attach great importance to cracked vegetables.

• do not have an aesthetic presentation. They are no longer suitable for sale, only for processing into tomato products;
• tomatoes with dry cracks will be stored for several days, but fruits with obvious tears in the skin begin to rot immediately;
• cracks on fruits are a “portal” for the penetration of spores of fungi, bacteria and viruses;
• bursting fruits become easy prey for insects that don’t mind eating a fragrant and sweet vegetable.

Why do fruits burst in a greenhouse?

The reasons for cracking tomatoes in a greenhouse are no different from those described above. Another thing is that in a greenhouse, problems with excessive soil moisture are much more pronounced. Accordingly, the ways to avoid cracking are the same. Additionally, we can only advise watering the tomatoes in the morning so that the evaporation of water is uniform and the air is not too humid by the evening.

At the same time, although it is much easier to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, this method has its pitfalls, which concern not only cracking. Any damage will be quite difficult to track, since there is no way to inspect the bushes from all sides.

Why do tomatoes crack?

Why does it happen that tomatoes crack when ripe? There may be several reasons. Let's look at the most common ones.

Reason 1. Improper watering

Improper watering is most often the reason why tomatoes crack on the bush. What do you do when you feel very thirsty? That's right, you drink. And you don’t just absorb water, you drink a lot and greedily. Tomatoes do the same. When the soil is dry and you water it, the tomatoes begin to absorb this life-giving moisture at high speed. The skin simply cannot stretch that quickly and therefore bursts due to excess liquid. This is especially true for inhabitants of greenhouses, where, due to high temperatures, the soil dries out very quickly after watering.

One-time watering does not help matters, and tomatoes almost always lack moisture.

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Reason 2. Unsuitable microclimate

If you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, improper growing conditions may also cause cracking tomatoes. For normal development of tomatoes, the daytime air temperature should be 22-25°C. If the days are hot, then inside the greenhouse it can be 40 or even 50°C. Under such extreme conditions, fruit growth stops and the skin becomes denser. When the tomato begins to grow again, the hardened skin breaks and a crack forms.

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Reason 3. Incorrect feeding

It’s probably not worth explaining that tomatoes need fertilizer as much as they need moisture. But improper feeding can bring harm rather than benefit to the developing fruit - the tomatoes on the bushes will begin to crack. How to properly feed tomatoes?

• During the growth period, tomatoes need feeding twice a month. Fertilizer application must be combined with watering. At the stage of fruit formation, tomatoes have the greatest need for potassium. Phosphorus and nitrogen can already be excluded at this time.
• Carefully monitor the concentration of applied nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium preparations. If you feed your tomatoes with concentrated fertilizer rather than diluted with water, the fruits may crack. In a greenhouse, the concentration should be even lower than in open ground, because due to high humidity, nutrients are absorbed faster and the plant simply does not have time to absorb them.
• Don’t forget about the microelements that tomatoes especially need during fruit ripening. Their deficiency can be indicated, for example, by yellowed or curled leaves on plants.

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Reason 4. Excessive pinching and leaf removal

When a sufficient number of fruits have already formed on the tomato bushes, many gardeners pinch the tops of the bushes and remove excess side shoots. In this way, they try to use all the energy of the bush to ripen the fruits. But this medal also has a flip side. Having lost most of the green mass, the bush gives all the moisture that went to the leaves to the fruits. If there is an excess of it, cracks may appear on the tomatoes.

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Varieties that do not crack

Since the work of breeders never stops, it would be natural to assume that varieties have already been bred that are resistant to cracking . And there really are such varieties, they include:

• F1 Boomerang . This is an early ripening hybrid, which is designed for cultivation in greenhouses. In addition to resistance to cold, it has fruits with thick skin, and their weight reaches 250 grams.
• F1 Koenig . Another early-ripening hybrid, suitable for both open ground and greenhouses. The fruits are fleshy, with a large amount of dry matter.
• F1 Diva . Early maturing hybrid for open ground. The tomatoes themselves are dense, which protects them from cracks. White filling. This variety is suitable for open ground and is early ripening.
• Gift . This variety is mid-season and requires staking, as the plants are determinate.

Instead of conclusion: tomatoes that don't crack

Do you consider yourself an inexperienced summer resident or are you not ready to spend a lot of time taking care of vegetables?

Choose tomatoes that are not prone to cracking - these are late-ripening varieties with thick skins, resistant to excessive moisture, drought, and able to withstand improper care. There is plenty to choose from: Raspberry Viscount, Grushovka, Bohemia A1, Lady's Fingers, Asteroid, Pink Honey. Among the varieties that tolerate excess moisture well are Bear's Paw, Miracle of the Earth, Rio Grand, and Khutorsky Salting. Also popular are non-cracking varieties such as Nasha Masha, Diva, Favorite, Hercules, Podmoskovny, Betta, and Beautiful Lady.

Use the right varieties, follow basic agricultural practices, and your harvest will be beautiful and healthy.

Advice from experienced agronomists

In addition to the recommendations above, there are a few more tips that will help prevent cracking .

1. Ventilation . Remember to ventilate the greenhouse to even out the temperature and give the plants fresh air.
2. Gradual watering . The best option would be not to immediately pour out the entire volume of water intended for it, but to divide the watering into two stages. Pour out half the volume, wait until the water is absorbed, and only then pour out the second half. Then moisture absorption will be more uniform.

If all conditions are met, it is possible, if not to avoid the appearance of cracks, to significantly reduce the likelihood of their occurrence.

Tomato varieties that are not prone to cracking

Tomato varieties that have dense and flexible skin will help avoid the problem of fruit cracking.

Tomato varieties resistant to cracking

Selecting a variety with elastic, strong skin significantly reduces the number of damaged tomatoes, even with minor violations of their cultivation technology. Most of them are late-ripening varieties or hybrids:

• Bohemia F1 is a hybrid with strong fruits that can withstand long-term transportation. Their weight is up to 140 g;
• Asteroid is a variety highly resistant to diseases, with large fruits covered with a dense peel;
• Grushovka is a very non-capricious variety. Tomatoes weighing up to 120 g, oblong in shape, with excellent keeping quality;
• Raspberry Viscount is a low-growing and unpretentious variety that is “forgiving” of errors in care. Doesn't need pinching. The fruits are stored well, reaching a weight of 130 g;
• Rio Grande - tolerates sultry heat well. The fruits look like large plums;
• Vladimir F1 is a hybrid with long-lasting fruits. Resistant to diseases and specifically to cracking. The fruits are dense, weighing up to 130 g;
• Khutorskoy salting is a late-ripening variety. Tomato fruits are not large, but can be stored for up to five months;
• Centaur is a high-yielding hybrid of medium-early ripening. The tomatoes are large, gaining up to 230 g of weight. Forms ovaries and fruits even in extreme weather conditions. Resistant to most diseases;
• Divo is a variety resistant to temperature changes and wet weather. Unpretentious, productive and disease resistant.