Cold weather (below 50°F) and hot weather (above 85°F) can both cause catfacing. Dramatic fluctuations in soil moisture can also cause tomatoes to develop cracks in the stem end of the fruit. These cracks may be radial or concentric; rot may set in at the cracks, or the cracks may heal over with corky, brown tissue.
How do you treat catfacing in tomatoes? It's not possible to treat catfaced tomatoes. However, you should remove affected fruit from your plants because they won't ripen evenly and will take energy away from other healthy developing fruits.
As to how to treat catface deformities, little can be done to control the abnormality. Proper growing practices revolving around monitoring temperature, overt pruning, and nitrogen levels in soils should be accomplished. Also, avoid the use of hormonal herbicides and the potential drift that may accompany their use.
While catfacing affects the appearance of the tomato, it does not usually affect the taste. The tomato is still perfectly edible, though it may be more difficult to prepare due to its irregular shape.
Catfacing is caused by a drop in temperature when the tomato plant blooms, or begins to set fruit. It can be very difficult to control tomato catfacing since it is dealing with temperature. Brandywine tomatoes are one of the most difficult tomato varieties to grow, and catfacing is one of the most common problems.
Cat-facing injury is caused by puncture feeding in flower buds and fruit. The result is unsightly dimpling, deformity, and scarring of fruit. The name “cat facing” comes from the distorted fruit shape that resembles the puckered cheeks of a cat (Figs.
Catfacing is a deformity that occurs during the formation of the flower and is on the blossom-end of the tomato. It can be caused by cold temperatures during flowering, high nitrogen fertilization, or improper pruning. Large-fruited varieties of tomato (e.g., 'Brandywine') are more prone to catfacing than others.
Bacterial Wilt (Pseudomonas solanacearum): This is one of the most serious diseases of tomato crop. Relatively high soil moisture and soil temperature favour disease development. Characteristic symptoms of bacterial wilt are the rapid and complete wilting of normal grown up plants.
Blossom-end rot of tomato is a physiological disease that is characterized by a large, brown to black, dry, leathery area at the blossom end of the tomato fruit. This disease is associated with a localized deficiency of calcium at a critical stage in the development of the fruit.
Avoid buying tomatoes that are mushy, bruised or have broken skin.
To create a solution that prevents and treats disease, add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a small amount of mild soap to a gallon of water and spray the tomato plants with this solution. This needs to be reapplied regularly to maintain its efficiency.
Symptoms: In concentric cracking, the fruit develop circular, concentric cracks around the stem end of the fruit. In radial cracking, the fruit cracks radiate form the stem end. Catface is expressed as malformation and cracking of fruit at the blossom end, often exposing the locules.
Crop Nutrition and Tomato Cracking
Potassium and calcium deficiencies also increase the risk of cracking in tomatoes.
A tomato is considered “catfaced” if the blossom scar is enlarged or perforated. Often times, the fruit becomes extremely misshapen, but fruit distortion is not necessary to classify it as catfaced.
Spray disinfectants that contain approximately 70% alcohol can also be used for this purpose. If you have a problem with bacterial speck, remove contaminated tomato debris from your garden at the end of the growing season. This material can be deep buried, burned (where allowed by local ordinance) or hot composted.
Ammoniacal nitrogen may increase blossom-end rot as excess ammonium ions reduce calcium uptake. Avoid over-fertilization as side dressings during early fruiting, especially with ammoniacal forms of nitrogen (Miracle-Gro, Miracle-Gro Potting Soils, Osmocote, etc., read the ingredients on the package).
Use fertilizers low in nitrogen, but high in superphosphate, with numbers similar to 4-12-4 or 5-20-5; this will reduce the chances of blossom-end rot. Avoid deep cultivation around the plants as much as possible after fruit set, especially in dry weather.
Resistant varieties for garden tomatoes: Sun Start, Sunny, Daybreak, Mt. Spring, Mt. Fresh, Celebrity, Floralina, Jet Star, Merced, Sunmaster, Sun Leaper, Carolina Gold.
Symptoms on leaves - curling & distortion
Symptoms: upward rolling of the leaves. This is a common occurrence in mid-summer and is associated with high temperatures and moisture stress. Some tomato varieties, including heavily pruned determinate-type varieties, are more prone to leaf roll.
Cold weather (below 50°F) and hot weather (above 85°F) can both cause catfacing. Dramatic fluctuations in soil moisture can also cause tomatoes to develop cracks in the stem end of the fruit. These cracks may be radial or concentric; rot may set in at the cracks, or the cracks may heal over with corky, brown tissue.
N (nitrogen) deficiency of tomato crop is typically characterizes by older leaves that gradually change from green to yellowish or paler green. These leaves will later become yellow, and under extreme nitrogen deficiency they are likely to become bright white-yellow.
What Should I Do with Catfaced Tomatoes? Ideally, remove catfaced fruit because it won't ripen evenly and will divert energy from other developing fruits. However, if a few of these tomatoes elude your notice and start to ripen, they're fine to eat.