Why do tomatoes fatten

When growing tomatoes, you can encounter a number of problems. One of them is fatliquoring. When tomatoes fatten, the plant grows, and the fruits still cannot reach normal sizes.

The reasons for the fatliquoring of tomatoes

External manifestations of fatliquoring

Fatliquoring of tomatoes can occur both in the greenhouse and in the open ground.

Tatyana Orlova (candidate of agricultural sciences):

This phenomenon should be feared only by gardeners in the more northern regions of the country, where there is a short growing season. In the southern regions, farmers specifically “accelerate” the growth of tomatoes at the initial stage, because in the future all this vegetative mass of plants will work for the crop.

Zhirovanie means that the tomato is saturated with micro and macro elements, which ensure the growth of the plant itself. Such a bush immediately attracts attention with a developed and succulent stem, large brightly colored leaves. But the lack of substances responsible for fruiting does not allow large fruits to grow and ripen.

1. Tall indeterminate varieties are most susceptible to fatliquoring. Tomato brushes are tied along the entire length of the high stem. Medium and undersized varieties almost never suffer from this problem.
2. In the open ground during the flowering of a tomato, another shoot begins to grow from the very top. The plant is confused with its neighbors, forming a kind of tangle.
3. In greenhouses and greenhouses, fatliquoring looks something like this: the upper leaves are curled, but the plant remains strong. There are many leaves on it, new shoots are tied, especially at the top of the bush. There are many fruits, but they are all small and do not blush.

The reasons for fat loss

Improper care of tomatoes and their seedlings can cause fat loss.

The main mistakes:

1. Excessive feeding. Do not get too carried away with the introduction of fertilizers, especially nitrogen. It is also important to monitor the amount of chicken droppings in the ground. Both fertilizers stimulate an increase in the above-ground mass, but this gives a negative effect, due to which the tomato is significantly weakened. As a result, it cannot produce a good crop and is prone to disease. He spends the energy necessary for the growth of fruits on unnecessary new shoots.
2. Tomatoes are fattening due to excessively moist soil. Watering too often, especially in the first months after planting, prevents the fruit from developing. This reduces the resistance to diseases and parasites, and can also lead to rotting of the fruit, the appearance of slugs.
3. Lack of light. In greenhouse conditions it is difficult to regulate the illumination, but you need to worry about this before planting tomatoes. On the open ground, it is harmful to plant several bushes nearby. The optimal distance is 30 cm between the bushes, otherwise, growing, the roots are intertwined in a continuous lump. Sunlight does not reach there, and excess moisture is retained in the soil. This complicates the process of harvesting and caring for the beds.

Tatyana Orlova (candidate of agricultural sciences):

The introduction of a large number of nitrogen fertilizers is fraught not only with the fact that the plants form a large above-ground mass and fruiting is delayed, but also with the fact that nitrogen in the soil solution displaces calcium, which becomes inaccessible to tomato plants. As a result, the fruits of such plants are affected by apical rot, and the plants themselves are poorly resistant to fungal and bacterial infections.

Troubleshooting Methods

If the tomatoes are already overweight, you should immediately act, otherwise the crop may not ripen, and in the best case it will be possible to get tomatoes the size of peas.

Temperature

Adjust humidity and temperature. It is better not to water the plant for 7-10 days after the problem has been noticed. In the future, it is worth dosing water and controlling soil moisture.

It is difficult to regulate the temperature in open ground. If it is above 25 ° C, it is worth tying every bush and not letting them intertwine. If the weather is cool, it’s best not to.

It is worth maintaining the optimum temperature in the greenhouse

To reduce the temperature in the greenhouse, all windows and doors are opened. You can even remove some frames or part of the film. If the temperature is below 24 ° C, everyone closes, trying to maintain the remaining heat.

Top dressing

The second step in the fight against fatliquoring is proper nutrition and fertilizer. Phosphoric fertilizers help to normalize the soil where tomatoes grow that live. To balance the soil ph, perform root dressing with a solution of magnesium sulfate.

Radical top dressing with a solution of extracts from superphosphate perfectly copes with the problem. In a bucket of warm water add 3 tbsp. l superphosphate. The mixture is poured directly under the root of the affected tomato bushes.

Topping

In the fight against the problem, the shoots growing after a flower or fruit are nipped off. This is how the tomato stops growing physically. This makes the plant stronger and capable of high-quality fruiting.

Prevention

Prevention of fatliquoring is carried out even before planting seeds.

Procedures to prevent fat loss

1. Grade selection. De Barao, King of large, Galina F1 more often fatten, and in case of disease give very small fruits (weighing up to 20-30 g). It is better to choose medium-sized or undersized varieties.
2. Landing place. It should not be a lowland or a place where water gathers. It is also worth paying attention to the movement of air at the landing site (are there any buildings nearby that impede the free circulation of air masses).
3. Land preparation. It is necessary to prepare soil in the fall. It is dug, disinfected and fertilized, balancing the useful elements.
4. Planting seedlings in the ground. Tomatoes are planted at a distance of 30-40 cm, between the beds - 70-80 cm. This prevents plants from quickly intertwining, simplifies maintenance and harvesting.
5. Fertilizer and top dressing. When growing seedlings, you do not need to get too carried away with growth stimulants and nitrogen fertilizers.

Tatyana Orlova (candidate of agricultural sciences):

In indeterminate varieties, one of the important methods preventing plant growth is its correct formation - the timely removal of unnecessary stepsons. And in varieties of carpal tomatoes, which can lay up to 8-10 fruits in the brush, rationing the ovary is pinching the end of the brush so that the remaining fruits can ripen in time.

Routine inspection is very important. You should often inspect the area where the tomatoes are planted: this can prevent not only fat loss, but also other tomato diseases. This can be done when harvesting, but not more than once every 3 days.

Conclusion

Fatliquoring of tomatoes can not be noticed immediately: outwardly the bushes are healthy, the leaves and stems are developed. It is important to conduct a thorough preventive examination to determine as soon as possible that the tomatoes are getting fat. The main consequence of this process is a low-quality crop.