GreenlyFruit cracking: how to recognise and treat it
Growing conditions
Symptoms
- Cracks in ripening fruit, either radiating out from the stalk or in rings around the shoulders of the fruit.
- Sudden splitting when heavy rain or a big watering follows a dry spell; ripe melons and cherries can burst open.
- Fruit exposed to strong sun may also crack.
- Grey mould and other rots can enter through the cracks.
Organic treatment
- Water to keep the soil evenly moist, especially in grow bags and pots, and mulch to slow drying.
- Pick ripe and nearly ripe fruit promptly, and before heavy rain where possible.
- As melons approach maturity, reduce watering; do not leave ripe melons on the plant.
Chemical treatment
Reference information, not a guarantee. Read and follow the label of any product: dose, safety and the days to wait before harvest.
Prevention
- Keep soil moisture as constant as possible all season; border-grown plants with bigger roots cope better than plants in pots.
- Keep a full leaf canopy to shade the fruit.
- In a greenhouse avoid temperature extremes with ventilation, shading and a max-min thermometer.
- Grow varieties less prone to cracking, and feed tomatoes regularly with a high-potassium tomato feed.
Plants it affects
Sources
Figures checked against these sources.
- ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/fruit-cracks-on-tomatoes/
- rhs.org.uk/problems/tomatoes-fruit-splitting-and-cracking
- aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/watermelon/fruit-diseases/splitting/
- ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/cultural-tips-for-growing-cantaloupe/
- rhs.org.uk/fruit/cherries/grow-your-own
- extension.psu.edu/cantaloupe-in-the-garden-and-the-kitchen