Every summer , I ’m bound to find a wonky tomato or two on my plants — and I do n’t think I ’m alone in this . seldom do we get a bumper crop of unfermented , juicy yield without a single mar in good deal , correct ?
But sometimes I ’ll come across a tomato that ’s so unearthly and freakish looking , I set out to wonder if I should eveneatthat thing .
What I ’ve got here is a catfaced tomato .
This tomato looks “normal” until you turn it over and see the catface scarring on the blossom end
Why it ’s name that , I ’m not really sure . I do n’t quite see the resemblance , but if you ’ve been wondering why your tomatoes look all deformed with cracks and scars , I ’ve got answer .
First, what is catfacing?
Catfacing is a physiological disorder that get a tomato plant to produce severe physical freakishness on the peak remnant of the yield ( opposite the prow ) . Oftentimes the abnormalities appear as irregular lobes , crevices , or indentations in the fruit , with crack and cork - like brown cicatrix that calculate like rings or slide fastener . ( Do n’t confound catfacing with naturally ribbed tomatoes , by the fashion . )
The equipment casualty may extend deep into the flesh , causing a misshapen tomato , or it may form near the open , with the only sign of catfacing being a scar on the bottom of the yield .
If you see crack in the hide , it is n’t always catfacing , by the way . Cracks and splits in tomatoescan also result from cloggy rainwater or excessive watering .
Common causes (and what you can do)
Catfacing is really a pretty plebeian problem , but so far it has n’t been full empathize . However , it ’s common enough that scientist have develop a few theories as to what causes it .
Is there anything you may do about it ? Yes … and no .
Heirloom varieties and large fruits
Malformations are most prevalent inheirloom tomatoesand large - fruit change , so the first ( and also the easiest and least expensive ) agency to prevent catfacing is to grow tomato plant that are less susceptible to it .
The with child and rounder the yield , the greater the prospect of catface . So , avoid those big beefsteak heirloom , and wedge with small-scale tomato ( such as cherry , grape , plum , or icicle case ) or intercrossed variety that typically are n’t affected .
Cool nighttime temperatures
It ’s mostly conceive that catfacing go on when there ’s damage to a developing tomato peak . This find if there ’s a cosmic string of nerveless nighttime temperatures ( below 55 ° atomic number 9 ) , which result in improper or uncompleted pollination of the blossom . When the flower is emphasise right after it ’s pollinated , the Lycopersicon esculentum ends up puckering and bulge as it tries to uprise around the damaged flower .
You see this more often in other summer ( or in declination ) when temperatures tend to leave out off in the even . Luckily , it go away as the weather warms up , so you ’ll only get catfaced tomatoes with the first flush of fruit .
Using tomato teepees or “ walls atomic number 8 ’ water ” ( which you may see in action in my post aboutgrowing tomatoes in pots ) can serve with those cooler even early in the season , but only put to work with younger ( smaller ) plants .
In my garden , I keep an heart on weather all time of year and am prepared to wrap up my industrial plant with frost cloth if it looks like nighttime temps will plunge dangerously low .
I ’ve also find from experience that growingtomato assortment that are resistant of coldhelps cancel pollenation problems that might occur . These miscellanea admit Oregon Spring , San Francisco Fog , Siberia , Glacier , Northern Lights , and other similarly - named Lycopersicon esculentum that were multiply for cooler climates .
As for those parky autumn nights , you may test an early - maturing tomato variety that will ripen before thing start to cool off late in the season . ( face for tomato plant that suppurate in 80 sidereal day or less , not those that take 100 day . )
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Where to buy
Season extenders for tomatoes
Big swings in temperature
Catfacing also seems to fall out if there ’s an extreme variation in temperature between daylight and dark . I see this in my Central Oregon garden , where I grow liberal heirloom tomatoes in weather that can go from 85 ° F in the middle of the day to 50 ° F at nighttime ( even in summertime ) . Yikes , that ’s two strikes against me .
One room to season the effects of weather is to grow a short - time of year tomato motley that will flower and yield before the hottest days of summer arrive . you’re able to also give ear a shade cloth over your plant to offer some midday relief ( which may also help with bloom drop — see my passport in the box above ) . Other than that , there ’s not much you could do about those hot daytime .
Heavy pruning
Heavy pruning of undetermined tomatoes may also have catfacing , as it reduces the amount of auxins in the plant ( auxins are natural internal secretion that regulate growing ) . This is n’t authoritative — just a theory .
If you regularly prune your tomato plant back to just the main stem turn and note a portion of catfaced tomatoes , it may be worth letting a few plants produce freely to see if that solves your job . I like using aFlorida weave trellisto help rein in in all the vines .
Thrip damage
It ’s sometimes thought that a thrips plague may cause catfacing , as these pests damage the pistils of tomato flower .
If you see thripid ( or any pests ) on your tomato flora , be sure to handle it right away so the gadfly do n’t spread to other plants . absent the damaged foliage and tear apart it .
biologic controls are my favorite way to get rid of thrip and similar plant - feeding pests , so I aim to uprise a mixed bag of bloom yearbook and perennials that draw their natural predators ( which includegreen lacewings , minute sea robber bugs , andparasitioid wasps ) . While you wait for those plant to turn in , you canattract the practiced bugs with this homemade bug Zhou .
A luck of these flowers are also a favorite of other good insects , like our beloved bees and butterflies , so put them all around your garden : daisies , cosmos , marigold , helianthus , sweet alyssum , Achillea millefolium , dill , Petroselinum crispum , mint , and many more .
Read more : Thebest bee - well-disposed bloom to growin your garden
To eat or not to eat
In ecumenical , a catfaced tomato — while continuous tense or downright ugly — is still edible .
Sometimes the prominence and congregation may cause the skin to stretch out too much and simply break open , leaving an subject injury on the yield . The wounding may “ crust ” over , leave a brown daub or an arena of very thin pelt . Any case of wound on a plant can ask in bacteria , so in these case , use your practiced judgment as to whether the tomato can be wipe out .
If it bet like it ’s get down to rot , you’re able to often just cut out the sonant spot and save the rest of the Lycopersicon esculentum . If it ’s already moldy , compost the whole thing . If it ’s crack , marred , and weird - look but otherwise entire and feels solid ? Feel free to wipe out it !
Whenever I get a severely catfaced tomato , I check that to eat that one first . That way , I can cut it heart-to-heart and ascertain a hidden voiced spot before it turns the yield into a squishy , rotting mess .
