Cracking Baby tomatoes/help!

Oddsbodskin · Tue May 03, 2011 9:53 am

Hi all!
This is my fourth year growing tomatoes, from seed, each year with varying degrees of success. But this year, almost all of my little tomatoes are cracked or split the very moment they bud out from the flowers. I've had more mature tomatoes crack from water variances before, but I've never seen it happen to such small, brand new fruits. At this point I'm scared I'll have no crop left at all! Any ideas on what's wrong?

TZ -OH6 · Tue May 03, 2011 3:05 pm

What you are seeing is the start of catfacing (splitting of the developing seed cavities). The cause is not well understood, but it is thought that cool temperatures have something to do with it.

Oddsbodskin · Tue May 03, 2011 3:28 pm

Catfacing, huh? I've heard of it but never seen this problem. temperatures here in georgia are running (I think) just about perfectly for seeing fruit right now, but I did put out my seedlings a little earlier than usual this year. Is this a problem that will self correct, or are all three of my plants a loss? I've lost all but three tomatoes so far to this problem, though of course it's early in the season yet. If I need to scrap these guysI'll do it, though reluctantly. They are my babies, after all.

TZ -OH6 · Tue May 03, 2011 7:50 pm

Whatever the cause was (for todays cracked fruits) shouldn't affect later flowers/fruits, although I have had individual plants that screwed up all season, while the same variety a few feet away was normal.

rainbowgardener · Tue May 03, 2011 9:22 pm

Are you in one of the places (like where I am) where you have had tons of rain? I'm glad my tomatoes don't have fruit on them yet or they would all be splitting. If it's been drier and then you get a whole bunch of rain, the tomatoes swell up faster than the skins can stretch.