I'm growing some Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes. They are just starting to
ripen, and most are still green. I'd say they are about
10-15 days late in ripening. However, some, that are still green, are
starting to split. It's not a complete split, but a ridge around one side.
Does anyone have any suggestions about curing this problem. It's getting
very hot here, but we had a big rain yesterday, and I water them
about every 4-5 days.

I wouldn't say for sure, but it sounds like they are getting too much
water. I've hade this problem before (actually right now) and water was
the problem. They are still edible after they split, just pick them
early and let them ripen on the porch rail. Select those that are still
good and dispose of the remaining.

On Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:39:54 -0500, "brsher"
wrote:

I'm growing some Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes. They are just starting to
ripen, and most are still green. I'd say they are about
10-15 days late in ripening. However, some, that are still green, are
starting to split. It's not a complete split, but a ridge around one side.
Does anyone have any suggestions about curing this problem. It's getting
very hot here, but we had a big rain yesterday, and I water them
about every 4-5 days.

In my experience, splitting is due to overwatering. You don't say
where you are, but it sounds like the big rain + watering might have
done it.

I was taught that after tomatoes flower, you cut back on water, so
"strength" goes into fruit, not leaf/stem growth.

Opinions?

Persephone

Persephone wrote in :

On Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:39:54 -0500, "brsher"
wrote:

I'm growing some Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes. They are just
starting to ripen, and most are still green. I'd say they are about
10-15 days late in ripening. However, some, that are still green, are
starting to split. It's not a complete split, but a ridge around one
side. Does anyone have any suggestions about curing this problem.
It's getting very hot here, but we had a big rain yesterday, and I
water them about every 4-5 days.

In my experience, splitting is due to overwatering. You don't say
where you are, but it sounds like the big rain + watering might have
done it.

I was taught that after tomatoes flower, you cut back on water, so
"strength" goes into fruit, not leaf/stem growth.

Opinions?

Persephone

I dunno. I have just small, generic tomatoes and we're not having a lot
of rain AT ALL and mine are splitting, too. I don't water my plants (no
outside water source) so they aren't getting anything other than natural
rainfall and the ground is hard and dry right now. We get a sphitz every
now and then but it doesn't even moisten the ground. Last fairly nice
rainfall was two weeks ago when my tomatoes were just hardly there.

(I'm in west central Indiana.)

Persephone wrote in message
...
On Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:39:54 -0500, "brsher"
wrote:

I'm growing some Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes. They are just starting
to
ripen, and most are still green. I'd say they are about
10-15 days late in ripening. However, some, that are still green, are
starting to split. It's not a complete split, but a ridge around one
side.
Does anyone have any suggestions about curing this problem. It's getting
very hot here, but we had a big rain yesterday, and I water them
about every 4-5 days.

In my experience, splitting is due to overwatering. You don't say
where you are, but it sounds like the big rain + watering might have
done it.

I was taught that after tomatoes flower, you cut back on water, so
"strength" goes into fruit, not leaf/stem growth.

Opinions?


Not so much 'over watering' but too much water applied too quickly, as in
'big rains after dry spell.'

The fruit takes up water faster than the skin can expand, resulting in
splits. Maintaining an even moisture supply can reduce the damage, but some
varieties are simply more prone to splitting than others. Split tomats are
harder to market, but for the home gardener, it don/t make no never mind.

Agressive suckering / pruning can also lead to spliting, b/c the root system
is larger than the foliage it supports.

Over the past month, I've pruned most of the suckers. I did water yesterday
morning, then we had a huge rain the late afternoon.
Another thing I've noticed is the lack of new blossoms. The temp here in
St. Louis the next few days will be about 100 degrees.
I'll hold off watering until the end of the week.


"TQ" ToweringQs AT adelphia.net wrote in message
...

Persephone wrote in message
...
On Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:39:54 -0500, "brsher"
wrote:

I'm growing some Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes. They are just
starting
to
ripen, and most are still green. I'd say they are about
10-15 days late in ripening. However, some, that are still green, are
starting to split. It's not a complete split, but a ridge around one
side.
Does anyone have any suggestions about curing this problem. It's
getting
very hot here, but we had a big rain yesterday, and I water them
about every 4-5 days.

In my experience, splitting is due to overwatering. You don't say
where you are, but it sounds like the big rain + watering might have
done it.

I was taught that after tomatoes flower, you cut back on water, so
"strength" goes into fruit, not leaf/stem growth.

Opinions?


Not so much 'over watering' but too much water applied too quickly, as in
'big rains after dry spell.'

The fruit takes up water faster than the skin can expand, resulting in
splits. Maintaining an even moisture supply can reduce the damage, but
some
varieties are simply more prone to splitting than others. Split tomats
are
harder to market, but for the home gardener, it don/t make no never mind.

Agressive suckering / pruning can also lead to spliting, b/c the root
system
is larger than the foliage it supports.