Some varieties don't naturally turn red on top, but keep "green shoulders" even when ripe. Blossom end rot is the only item on this list that you can't completely ignore, although it too may stop appearing on its own when plants are no longer under drought stress.
#ROOT PRIMORDIA TOMATO PLANT SKIN#
Tomato skin can split when the plant takes up water faster than the fruit can expand. Isn't it interesting that leaves, like our winter skin, may react to that first sudden burst of sun? The bizarre shape of tomatoes like this may be brought on by cooler-than- normal weather. When suddenly set out in full blazing sun, the leaves can burn. The plants may have been in the dark on our truck and then in the shade at the store for a few days. If your brand-new tomato plants suddenly develop gray-white blotches on the leaves in hot and sunny weather shortly after planting, it could be a simple case of sunburn. Left on the plant, cracks often rot, or are soon discovered by little beetles. Be sure to harvest and eat fruit with cracks right away. Some varieties are "crack resistant," which means they don't split easily, but none are crack proof. When a tomato fills up with water too fast, usually after a dry spell, the skin can split. Tomatoes have enough foliage cover to keep this problem from happening on most of the fruit. This is not a reason to avoid full sun unless you live in a desert climate, where a little afternoon shade is okay.
#ROOT PRIMORDIA TOMATO PLANT PATCH#
At first a yellow patch appears on the part of the tomato that is in hot, direct sunlight when the fruit ripens, it forms a gray spot with a papery surface. In bright, hot weather, fruit exposed to the sun may develop a scalded, or sunburned, spot. Tomato plants protect their fruit with an umbrella of leaves. It is most common on large-fruited types. Meanwhile, another part does develop, so you end up with weird-looking and scarred fruit. The cool weather interferes with pollination and can cause the blossom to stick to the developing fruit, which keeps part of the fruit from developing. It can happen to strawberries and tomatoes exposed to temperatures below 50 degrees when in bloom or setting fruit. Bizarrely shaped fruitĪlso called catfacing, this has nothing do with cats the word describes puckering or misshapen fruit. Here are some common tomato quirks you might see that are caused by neither insects nor diseases - and what (if anything) to do about them. Sometimes a tomato doesn't turn out looking like you'd expect.