Asked on Sep 19, 2013
Lines on Tomatoes
by
Patty A
+26
what are these lines that encircle the top of some of my tomatoes? They are still delicious, but I am wondering what causes them.
Wondering what causes these 'lines'?
16 answers
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By the way, that's my 19 yr old's crib bars supporting my potted tomatoes!
Patty A
on Sep 19, 2013
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Maybe too much water. That what I 've always been told.
Sue
on Sep 19, 2013
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They are known as physiological cracks, and are caused by the skin on the tomato hardening when the soil is dry and then being unable to expand when the soil is wet. So the cause is not too much water, but uneven water. They should not affect the edibility of your tomatoes.
Douglas Hunt
on Sep 19, 2013
- See 1 previous
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thank you, Douglas, I'm sure that's the problem. During hot days, the pots dry out thoroughly even though I'm watering several times a day!
Patty A
on Sep 19, 2013
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i have seen it never knew why tk
H.C. Lawn
on Sep 21, 2013
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early blight is sometimes called target spot. Apart from the typical target spotting on the leaves and petioles, the fungus attacks the fruits, causing concentric rings around the calyx scar and black depressing, which often slipt open.the disease attacks young seedlings, which develope 'black leg' causing the stems to become brittle and the plants to fall over. to control this disease spray with Bravo, Blitox or Dithane, starting when the first two of three true leaves appear and repeating every 7 - 10 days. hope this helps you
Dolores
on Sep 21, 2013
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I have to agree with Douglas on this one...
Phillip Williams
on Sep 21, 2013
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Next summer try a good layer of mulch on top of the soil. It may help keep some of the moisture in until you can water again. I also grow my tomatoes in pots and you have to do a few things differently than if they were out in the garden!
Gretchen
on Sep 21, 2013
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Oh thank you for your post I have had the same problem. I will try mulch next year.
Heidi Colton
on Sep 21, 2013
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It's when you get too much at once that it happens. We keep out garden watered regularly and it never gets too dry. If we have watered and then it rains a bunch in the night, they will split. It's when they get too much water and then they grow too fast and split. just my opinion and experience,
Babby Blair
on Sep 21, 2013
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My granny always told me they were stretch marks from growing too fast, like a woman having a baby, or anyone putting on weight too fast.
Sal kemple
on Sep 21, 2013
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Inconsistent watering...periods of dry followed by periods of wet.
P
on Sep 21, 2013
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for all that have said that it is too much water...Douglas is right....the only tomatoes that split like this is in one particular pot I have that either drains too quickly or just dries out much faster than the others, thus creating the condition of extremes when I water thoroughly and it constantly goes from very wet to very dry.
Patty A
on Sep 21, 2013
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I also had this problem with my tomatoes this year and Douglas makes sense, we got so much rain this year that my squash just rotted in the ground. Glad I found this site, I was throwing them away because I thought bugs had gotten to them:) Thanks All!
Kathy Cropper-Powe
on Sep 21, 2013
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I was told by an old farmer that you must pick tomatoes BEFORE they turn red, they should be green to orange when picked and wrapped in newspaper to ripen fully. The water does not matter to my tomatoes, it's being left on the vine too long that causes the splits.
Cheryl Knapp
on Oct 08, 2013
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thanks, Cheryl, but as you can see from the picture , I don't think they were left on the vine too long. They just get sweeter...luckily it doesn't affect taste. So you were told to pick them all greenish orange and let ripen in newspaper? Interesting. Well, I'll have to try it since I've got tons of green tomatoes and frost is very close...
Patty A
on Oct 08, 2013
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