What causes Cherry tomatoes to split?

[Rolling Rock]

Plants appear to be healthy, lots of healthy leaves and fruits, no insect activity noted. However, as the tomatoes ripen they split straight down the side from top to bottom like the skin had a "blow-out.
Since there is a good balance of leaves and fruits, I am assuming there is a good balance of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil.
Thanks for any help.
RR

[Grey]

I've had this happen before too. It has to do with water - either watering too much or watering too little, or if the water schedule has been uneven. Least, that's what I know.

[lillgardnr]

how often do you water, and what time of day do you water?

[Zap]

It's caused by the inner pulp of the fruit growing more rapidly than the more slower growing outside skin can handle, hence the split. Uneven watering can cause it, but if it's hot & wet, those bad boys is just gonna grow like weeds & it happens. If you get to them before bugs get in they're alright to eat.

[ahuong]

I have a dozen Sweet 100 plants and all of mine eventually have split tomatoes once I leave them on the plant too long. Usually, I have to pick all of them while they are at the light orange color stage (not quite at the deep red color level yet) in order to keep them from splitting if they get more ripe.

It's really kind of sad because I would have really liked for them to get to solid red color before picking, but every single one of them pops open before they get to that stage.

As to your question as to what causes it, I believe that it's too much water being absorbed by the plant and the skin can't stretch/grow fast enough to handle the expanding size.

[Rolling Rock]

I thank you all for your replies! They all seem to applysomewhat. We have had some very hot dry weather here in the Laurel Highlands of PA, which was followed by a number of days that were either gulley washers or good steady all day drizzles. My home water supply is a spring flowing into a cistern, with the long period of dry hot weather I could not do much watering for fear of depleting the supply to the house. So, the watering was not regular, there was not enough, then too much. Hard to pick a single cause! I tend to feel they just out grew the slower growing skins.
Nonetheless, split or not, the tomatoes were quite tasty.
Thank you all again,
RR