Why tomatoes in a greenhouse may crack when ripe

Many summer residents are interested in the question of why tomatoes burst. What influences it and how to avoid this trouble. Spoiled fruits do not have a marketable appearance and are unsuitable for long-term storage.

Why do tomatoes crack in a greenhouse when ripe?

Most often, tomatoes are grown for one's own pleasure. I want them to look beautiful. Annoyance is caused by fruits spoiled by cracks, green and ripe. Gardeners immediately begin to look for the reason for this.

Fruit cracking is not an infection. But it’s worth thinking about the fact that something is going wrong in development.

A sharp change in humidity percentage has a great impact on tomatoes.As a result, the delicate skin bursts, but subsequently it heals. The tomato is at great risk during the period of violation of the integrity of the fruit structure. At this time, the causative agent of an infectious disease can easily enter it. And thereby destroy not just one tomato, but possibly the entire plant. Greenhouse tomatoes are more susceptible to cracking than tomatoes grown outdoors.

How does this happen

Modern materials that serve as coverings for greenhouses heat up and dry out the soil during the day. At the same time, plant growth slows down, the tomato skin gradually becomes rougher.

In the evening, during abundant watering, all the liquid from the soil is directed into the fruits, organizing their growth. Those, in turn, unable to withstand the pressure, crack. Then, the plant quickly strives to heal the resulting crack. To prevent infection from getting inside. Green tomatoes suffer the most from this, but ripe fruits are also affected.

How to avoid it

Experienced gardeners recommend following these steps to prevent tomatoes from cracking:

1. Dose the amount of irrigation water. Divide the required volume 3-4 times. Thus, watering will not have a detrimental effect.
2. When the weather is sunny for a long time, water once every 3-4 days, on cloudy days once every 4-5 days.
3. On sunny days, ventilate the greenhouse more often. (If not grown in open ground)
4. Darken the greenhouse shelter using a special mesh or lime milk.
5. If the night temperature is less than 13 ⁰C, then you can water no earlier than 11:00 in the afternoon. During the summer heat, on the contrary, watering is carried out in the evening.
6. Mulch the roots.This will retain moisture longer and prevent possible cracks.
7. Organize drip irrigation; water will be supplied in doses, so problems such as cracks in the fruits will not arise.
8. Purchase varieties that are not prone to cracking.

Gardeners often wonder why tomatoes in greenhouses burst and how to prevent it. Most often, the main reasons are that young beginning summer residents make the following mistakes.

1. A plant with a large number of ripening fruits is watered more abundantly and more often. Do not forget that a developed root system takes water from a deeper layer of soil. Based on this, you need to water once a week, preferably right at the root.
2. Tomatoes are fed with more concentrated fertilizers. But it is best to take 20 grams. solution in a bucket of water.
3. Excess leaves and shoots are often removed. You can only harvest 3 leaves per week from one bush.
4. If the leaves turn yellow or curl, start watering more often. This should not be done, perhaps the reason is different.

These listed mistakes lead to excess moisture in the soil, causing tomatoes to begin to crack.

Lack of nutrition

Visible deformations of the plant are most often perceived as drying out, but you should pay attention to the features and the following signs.

• The plant stops growing, the old leaves become lighter. The fruits begin to ripen ahead of schedule and remain small. The tomato lacks nitrogen.
• The plant slows down, the leaves are small with curved edges of a purple hue. There is a lack of phosphorus.

• Old leaves look as if they have been burned. Soon they turn completely yellow and fall off. Gradually, younger leaves begin to turn yellow. Black stripes appear in the fruits.Lack of potassium.
• Yellowed leaves begin to deform, and dead tissue appears in places. Lack of calcium.
• The shoots are underdeveloped, the ovary crumbles, and the leaves on the plant turn white. The tomato lacks copper.
• The growth points die off, and the stepsons grow. The plant becomes more lush. He lacks boron.
• Old leaves become covered with yellow spots, later they will turn brown. And then they will completely fall off. Tomatoes lack magnesium.

After carefully studying the plant, it is better to apply fertilizer. How to unnecessarily supply plants with unnecessary moisture. Then cracks will not appear.

Tomato varieties that are not susceptible to cracking

Dosed watering and timely application of fertilizers can affect the cracking process of tomatoes. But there is another way to get rid of this problem, choose varieties that do not burst. Yellow tomatoes are most susceptible to cracking.

The most common tomatoes that do not crack:

• “Bohemia” f1, a large-fruited tomato, can withstand long transportation and is stored well.
• “Asteroid” is large-fruited and resistant to major diseases.
• “Lady fingers” are small tomatoes that marinate well as a whole.
• “Grushovka”, large-fruited, lasts a long time.
• "Pink honey", very large tomatoes.
• “Raspberry Viscount” are small in size and very unpretentious.
• "Rio Grande", medium-shaped fruits, are unpretentious and resistant to hot climates.
• "Vladimir" f1, large-fruited, unpretentious variety of tomatoes. The fruits are stored for a long time.
• “Khutorskoy pickling”, late, but the tomatoes last up to 5 months.

The listed varieties are not all currently available. Before purchasing a new variety, you should read the description on the packet of seeds or on the Internet.

Why tomatoes crack, the reason may not be clear. It is important to carefully monitor whether the plants are healthy and whether there are enough nutrients in the soil. And most importantly, during the period of active ripening, try not to flood the tomatoes with water.