Why does tomatoes split

But first, find out why tomatoes split, how to prevent it, and whether you can eat split tomatoes after all. Tomatoes split when they receive an inconsistent amount of water. Though cracking is more common in ripe tomatoes, it can affect green tomatoes as well. Heavy rain tends to be the culprit when it comes to cracking, especially for tomatoes that grow in dry conditions.

On the other hand, tomatoes can survive downpours only to split after a sudden shift to dry weather. Forgetting to water tomatoes and suddenly drenching them causes cracks, too. This happens because excess water causes the inside of the fruit to grow much faster than the skin on the outside.

The skin bursts, resulting in vertical or horizontal cracks. Tomatoes like a steady supply of water and need about an inch of water per week during the summer. Rain will contribute to this amount, so you can water your tomatoes less when the forecast brings summer showers.

During dry weather, water the plant every two to three days. A drip hose or soaker hose will bring tomatoes with a slow, steady supply of water.

Both drip irrigation and soaker hoses deliver water to the plant's roots, where it most benefits the plant. This is difficult to prevent, as it is caused by fluctuating temperatures and water supply - which are often out of the control of the gardener.

Inappropriate levels of water, light, temperature and nutrients can all cause a variety of physiological disorders in tomatoes. The fruits are especially vulnerable as they are at the growing tips and have to compete with the new shoots for water and nutrients.

As fruit splitting and cracking is a physiological rather than a pest or disease problem, there is no point in using pesticides to treat the problem. There are no chemical controls. Available in high resolution at www. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy.

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Plant health. Take part in our research. Meet the team. Shop plants rhsplants. Shopping with the RHS. Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Sudden changes in soil moisture can cause concentric cracks to form around the top of tomato fruits.

Growing tomatoes in the coastal South is always a gamble. Throughout the summer you play the odds against insects, diseases, heat, or drought ruining your crop. Until a few weeks ago, growing conditions this season had been nearly ideal, resulting in some of the healthiest tomato plants I have seen in years.

Recent heavy rains are likely to change this trend, raising the stakes against a bumper crop this season. Side splitting and cracking up are terms you want to hear in reference to a joke you just made, not about your tomatoes. Heavy rain, especially when preceded by dry weather, is the leading cause of fruit cracking and splitting in tomatoes.

This type of damage is most likely to occur as tomatoes begin to ripen and you are anxiously anticipating harvest, though green fruit can be effected as well. Cracking and splitting occur when rapid changes in soil moisture levels cause fruits to expand quicker than the tomato skin can grow. There are two different patterns this damage may take. Vertical splits along the sides of fruits are known as radial cracking and are the most serious. This pattern of splitting commonly occurs during hot, humid weather.

Cracking that occurs in a circular pattern at the top of tomato fruits, ringing the stem end, is known as concentric cracking.