All My Ripe Cherries Are Splitting Open, Help!

[Decado]

I don't know why either, I've been regularly watering every 2-3 days for 1-2 hours so I haven't let it dry out. The past 3 days or so we've gotten 2 inches of rain, can simple over-watering cause catfacing? FYI, my cherry tomatoes are the only tomatoes this is happening to.

[SP8]

Sounds like you're loving your tomatoes to death as over-watering can definitely cause your tomatoes to split.

[Decado]

Actually I didn't do the overwatering, nature took care of that with 2 inches of rain in 3 days. But why would just the cherries do this?

[SP8]

hmmm maybe the drainage in that particular area for whatever reason just isn't as good?

I vaguely remember reading something about mineral deficiency can cause this also.... Anyone?

[Decado]

We were under flash flood warnings yesterday, even in areas of good drainage I'd imagine the drainage would be bad in those conditions. I'm sure it was the rain that did it, I just thought you had to let your tomatoes dry out before overwatering for catfacing to happen.

[SP8]

Irregular watering can cause it also but you've been watering regularly so…..

[applestar]

I think some varieties are simply susceptible to cracking.

Out of all the different toms I have, there's just one -- a volunteer with 1.5" fruits -- that splits and cracks at any excuse. Nobody else in the same bed is doing it. After a heavy rain, it's a total loss for near-ripe fruits with severe cracks and gel/seeds spilling out (I make a point of inspecting after each rain to harvest for immediate cooking before the bugs get in. These are good in omelets and sauce.), but with nothing to point a reason to, they make slow splits that end up in a scar. Only ones that I've harvested whole are ones that were picked early in the pink stage before any sign of damage has occurred.

It has thick/hard skin, that may be part of the problem -- not flexible enough to expand. If it didn't have a decent flavor skinned and made into fresh pasta sauce, I would've chopped it down long ago. I'm *not* intentionally saving seeds from this one though.

[Decado]

So I just found out that a friend of mine who lives a mile away noticed that all her ripe cherry tomatoes (just the cherries like me) split open as well. So it was definitely this heavy rain that did it, we probably have the same or similar types as well, I'm using Supersweet 100's.

[fishernut]

I can relate to the rain issue, we have had over 4" since this last Wednesday. Prior to that, we've quite a few heavy rains with cooler than normal temps between rains. My toms are and have been splitting since they started to turn orange/red. THey are a thick skinned variety and I feel they are sucking up water and cannot stretch to accommodate.
I have been picking them and dropping them on the ground.
I'd like to know if I can still use them once cracked. I make tomato jam with the cherry toms (sweet 100's) and just run them through a strainer. THey don't look too appetizing but hate to waste them.

[TZ -OH6]

Catfacing occurs when fruits are very small and is due to cold weather affecting pollination and early development. The damage (splitting into the locules) then scars leaving ugly full sized fruit. It mainly happens to oblate beefsteak types because of their flower strudcture. I have never heard of it happening to a cherry tomato.


Splitting becuse of water swelling is common with ripe cherries. Keep them as dry as possible when the bulk of the fruit is nearing full size green and beyond to prevent splitting and enhance flavor. If you have wet weather coming pick all fruit with a blush of color and let it ripen off of the vine and you will avoid split fruit.