3 Tomato Plant Problems
Most gardeners face some problems when growing tomatoes. They can be sensitive to water, sun, and soil, which means a healthy crop depends on the weather and other conditions beyond your control. However, when problems arise, knowing what you are dealing with will increase your success in growing tomatoes. We can prevent them before they start but do not despair, you can take action to fix these common tomato problems as the plants grow. The juicy, bitter, whole taste of the first ripe tomato is always worth a try.
Tomatoes turn soft and black (flower and final rot)
The flower eventually rot
Flower final rot is not a disease and is often the result of calcium deficiency caused by irregular irrigation and fluctuations in water levels. It may be tempting to try to fix this problem with supplements and fertilizers, but your first step is to fix the base moisture problem
Plants rely on water to carry nutrients such as calcium from the roots throughout the plant. When a tomato plant does not get enough water, the nutrients go to the leaves first and it may not go to the fruit. That’s why it’s important for your plants to get at least 1 inch of water each week. Finally, you can not compensate for the dry weeks by deep watering your plants. By then the damage was over.
Due to the habit of growing Roma-type tomatoes may be susceptible to partial flowering rot. These are oval-shaped tomatoes popular in Italian cuisine. A decisive variety, the vines grow fast and bear large clusters of fruit simultaneously within 2 to 3 weeks. Check when the flowering tips of these tomatoes are still small. If you find a black spot, remove the tomato and discard it. This puts a little stress on the plant, allowing healthy vines and fruits to regain energy. The good news is, if you follow good garden practices, your tomato plant will recover and begin to produce healthy fruit.
In addition to insufficient or irregular watering, a few problems can further aggravate the final rot of the flower:
Excess nitrogen fertilizer will grow a lot of leaves and divert nutrients from the fruit.
Excess salt in the soil will prevent water retention. Excess salt is often caused by the use of synthetic fertilizers.
Root damage also controls water retention. The roots can be damaged by animals or by cultivation.
The pH of the soil may be too high or too low for the tomato plants to access the nutrients in the soil. Tomatoes prefer soil pH 6.5.
Even if you can't save fruit that already has flower and hair rot, you can save the rest of the season by being vigilant about watering, mulching around the plants to fix moisture, and any other problems.
Ripening Tomatoes That Crack
Otherwise, healthy ripening tomatoes will split before fully ripening. What happened, how can it be prevented from happening, are they right to eat?
Tomatoes crack when the amount of water they receive changes. When tomatoes experience prolonged drought, we try to compensate for it by over-watering. This retains the pulp water inside the tomato and swells faster than stretching the outside of the tomato. When that happens, the outside of the tomato splits and cracks.
The good news is, tomatoes are good and totally edible. However, you should use them immediately because cracking mold will start to form
To prevent cracking, make sure your tomato plants have regular watering. It can be hard to do when it rains a lot, but you can temper things by watering weekly when the weather is dry. The 4-6 inch layer of mulch helps to keep the soil around the roots moist and further moderates the moisture of the plants.
If cracking is a big problem, look for the types labeled as crack resistance. Celebrities, Prudence Purple and Sun Gold are some of the best to try.
Fully ripe tomatoes (green shoulders)
You may have to wait a little longer, but some tomatoes will not always turn red. This is not one for the disgusting wait for green tomatoes to ripen at the end of the season. Tomato "green shoulders" is a condition in which most of the tomato ripens, but the area near the stem is stubbornly green and hard. There is a similar condition called “yellow shoulders,” which occurs when the production of the naturally occurring chemical lycopene decreases. Lycopene is a substance that gives a red color to fruits and vegetables.
These conditions are slightly more complicated than the two tomato problems discussed above. Sometimes the type of tomato you grow and sometimes the weather and sunlight will help.2 To prevent the problem make sure there is a little shade in your tomatoes and pick the tomatoes as soon as possible if you experience extreme heat.
Picking up a little early and setting the tomatoes in a sunny window will make them more uniformly ripe. While the green shoulders are disappointing, the portion of fully ripe tomatoes should still be tasty and fully edible. Cut the green part, no one will be smart.
Tomatoes may require extra care and attention in the garden. A good stacking system, soaking tubes, deep planting, and regular inspection of the crop are good garden practices for a good harvest. Tomatoes are probably the most versatile fruit from home garden to table. Once you have tasted it first, you will want to staple the tomatoes in your garden every year.
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