Cracking tomatoes: what is the reason and how to eliminate

Cracks on tomatoes not only spoil the presentation, but also ruin part of the crop, since the damaged areas have to be cut off. And also fruits with this defect are not suitable for conservation. What is the cause of cracking tomatoes and how to fix the problem - read on.

Tomatoes begin to crack during ripening. This is due to two main reasons: improper watering and unbalanced feeding during the fruiting period.

Improper watering

Ripening tomatoes actively absorb water. If tomato bushes are watered abundantly, then the fruits begin to quickly become saturated with moisture and increase in size. The shell does not have time to adapt to such a growth rate and to stretch, and as a result it cracks.

Here the fault is not only abundant watering, but also its unevenness. If watering is carried out less often than the norm, then the earth dries up, and the bush begins to suffer from thirst. Then, when the plant receives water in large quantities, it "gets drunk" at an accelerated rate, which leads to the appearance of cracks in the fruit.

The problem of cracking tomatoes haunts those who do not have the opportunity to water the garden regularly. For example, summer residents who visit their site only on weekends and try to give the plants a weekly water supply in one day suffer from this.

To get rid of the problem, it is necessary to systematize watering, namely:

• water in hot weather once every three days;
• in cloudy weather, water once a week.

The best option would be drip irrigation, which evenly supplies moisture to the plant.

But watering alone will not fix the situation - it is necessary to protect the soil as much as possible from rapid evaporation of moisture. Mulching is suitable for this. Cover the beds with cut grass, straw, or other suitable materials.

Unbalanced fertilization of the plant with fertilizers

It is necessary to feed the tomatoes correctly - if during the fruiting period the plant receives a large rate of fertilizers saturated with microelements, then the fruits will surely crack. During the ripening of fruits, you need to "feed" the tomatoes with potassium; as well as phosphorus, but its dosage should be halved. Nitrogen should be eliminated from the plant's diet completely.

Potassium improves nitrogen metabolism, increases plant resistance to diseases, drought and temperature extremes. Phosphorus contributes to an increase in yield and sugar content, an increase in the size of tomatoes - so during fruiting, its dosage must be halved. Nitrogen is responsible for the metabolism and during the fruiting period, the plant does not need it at all - its presence in top dressing will lead to accelerated growth of fruits, which will provoke cracks.

How do you fight tomato cracking? Write your methods in the comments.

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