tomato ber and bottom splitting....

[rhm3769]

Fast lunch break, ill get pics up in a few hours.... found a tomato this morning with what I'm assuming is ber.... and ive found sone randomly the last week or so with splits on the bottom.... not ripening yet, the oldest tomato is maybe 3 weeks old, have a few getting glossy, darker green towards the vine end and light green on the bottom....

What would cause both of these? Ive read ber is calcium related and splitting is watering related, but is there anything common between the two?

I went from watering about every other day and a 3 week fert cycle(fish emulsion, seaweed extract and epsom salt) to maybe watering every 5 days and no feedings in the last 10 days or so.... the tomatoes are sharing beds with peppers and watering was cut back because the peppers weren't liking it, I guess the tomatoes arent liking the new watering schedule? Is there a happy medium, 3 days maybe?

 

[theghostpepperstore]

There is definitely a correlation. BER is a calcium issue, but it isn't always brought on by a lack of calcium. Overwatering, underwatering, and inconsistent watering can all cause BER. It all has to do with the way the plant uptakes and transports calcium.
 
It would make sense, if you are getting splitting you are probably overwatering the tomatoes, which can also cause BER.

Here's a short and very informative article on BER written by Dr. Carolyn Male:
http://www.vintageveggies.com/information/carolyn_ber.html

This article does a really good job of explaining it.

 

[rhm3769]

Its been almost a week since I watered everything.... and its only rained once or twice just enough to look outside and tell it rained....

 

[Scarecrw]

Very good article. I am growing dr. Carolyn toms this year.

 

[rhm3769]

Waiting in the upload.... it looks more like they're not growing right instead of actual splits and cracks, almost like they are determined at pollination whether they will split or not....

 

[Jetchuka]

Ghostpepperstore is spot on.
 
This round of maters has BER and cracks, but as long as the watering remains consistent, then your next batch of tomatoes will be fine.

 

[rhm3769]

Considering those where 2nd and third sets of flowers, are the first sets gonna be ok? Honestly, ive been losing more to pests and bruises that look kike holes from pests than the cracking and the one to ber....

 

[catherinew]

Your tomatoes that look like cracking are what's called catfacing.  Different varieties are more prone to it, but this article explains the catfacing.
 
Splits occur more regularly on the top of the tomato when there's more water than normal.
 
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/catfacing-causes

 

[rhm3769]

Awesome, thanks. Not cold related.... coupled with the two or three ber tomatoes, I'm voting inconsistent watering considering I recently changed my routine. ... so I can leave future catfaced tomatoes on....