Tomatoes busting?

[DJ Bisson Jr]

I have a problem with my tomatoes busting before they turn ripe.  They are in the ground, and both plants its the same thing. Any ideas as to what the problem could be?

[David Owens]

You could be over watering or overfeeding your tomatoes. If they are bursting on a vertical seem it is usually over watering. I have found that when they are cracking along a horizontal line they are usually being overfed nutrients. Generally when I plant tomatoes in the ground, I stop feeding them nutrients as soon as fruit sets. So far this year, my Aquaponic tomatoes have had zero problems and have been producing nicely even though they are watered every hour with the waste water from my FT.

[David Waite]

When farming tomatoes in ground if you go from extreme dry to to wet you will get cracking as the tomato wants to store water. Try and water more evenly.

[Terri Mikkola]

David I think you provided the answer to why my tomatoes have been cracking. I have 3 plants in a container with a direct southern exposure in semi-arid Colorado without an automatic watering system. My watering schedule during the hottest days has been regulated by seeing droopy leaves, followed by a drowning of water, and a few choice words.

[David Waite]

Terri Have personal experience with that here in Nv. Started watering every day and it got alot better. I also added epsom salts to help with the magnesium in the soil which seemed to perk them up as well. Three tblsp to 1 gal water around each tomato. Take care...............D

Terri Mikkola said:

David I think you provided the answer to why my tomatoes have been cracking. I have 3 plants in a container with a direct southern exposure in semi-arid Colorado without an automatic watering system. My watering schedule during the hottest days has been regulated by seeing droopy leaves, followed by a drowning of water, and a few choice words.

[DJ Bisson Jr]

Thanks David, sounds like a reasonable explanation. I have been letting nature water them and it has been pretty dry  this summer, except for a few thunder storms, which they dump about an inch of rain in about 15 minutes. They are also few and far between.

David Waite said:

Terri Have personal experience with that here in Nv. Started watering every day and it got alot better. I also added epsom salts to help with the magnesium in the soil which seemed to perk them up as well. Three tblsp to 1 gal water around each tomato. Take care...............D

Terri Mikkola said:

David I think you provided the answer to why my tomatoes have been cracking. I have 3 plants in a container with a direct southern exposure in semi-arid Colorado without an automatic watering system. My watering schedule during the hottest days has been regulated by seeing droopy leaves, followed by a drowning of water, and a few choice words.