HELP!!!Tomato's developing deep cracks, before they ripen

[al6517]

My tomato's this year have been developing these deep, wide, unsightly cracks on the top of the fruit branching out from the center like an asteric. this has never happened before and my other varieties don't seem to have a problem. the soil is in great condition and I have been blessed with no pest or bugs this yr ( go figure ).

My thought on this is that this year I bought Bonnie brand 4" potted beefsteak tomato's, I have never used this brand before, but it was all I could get this year.

Has anybody else had this problem ? or is it something else, watering is not the problem as these cracks are not the water stress cracks you get with infrequent watering. NEED SOME HELP!!!!!.

AL

 

[silkiechicken]

Interesting. All I could think of was the water issue. Probably the variety then.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

The reason infrequent or inconsistent watering causing cracking on the fruits is due to the fact that the inside of the fruit grows much faster than the outside can and therefore causing the cracks. That being said, there are some other causes of fruit cracking

Too much nitrogen fertilizer can cause rapid growth in many cases, I understand the the other tomatoes are in the same growing conditions but this could be the issue. If the plant has dropped a lot of leaves or is a particularly sunny location this can also cause fruit crack due to the increase in sunlight hitting the fruits.

The variety could be the issue as silkiechicken suggested, many varieties are more or less prone to cracking.

Tomatoes that do crack can still be used but have a shorter shelf life.

Good luck!

 

[al6517]

If this is a case of a problem variety, then what are the more suseptable varieties that it occurs on???.

AL

If I remember correctly these are Beefsteak & Beefmaster types that I have planted.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

If this is a case of a problem variety, then what are the more suseptable varieties that it occurs on???.

AL

If I remember correctly these are Beefsteak & Beefmaster types that I have planted.

There are many more that are not crack resistant than are, so to list would take too much time. However, there are a few beefsteaks that are more prone to cracking.

Marglobe is a great beefsteak that's resistant to cracking and most wilts. It's also an early variety that does well in cooler climates. Rutgers is also a good variety.

Not sure what your climate is like but that also can determine what other varieties will do best for you.