What is happening with these tomatoes? Please help.

a2jill · August 2, 2016

Photos attached. Started noticing about a month ago on a few tomatoes on one plant. Now it is happening on the tomato plant next to it. What should I do? Thanks so much for your thoughts. I cut one open, and it looks as if there is a small bit of brown near the holes but otherwise the tomato is still green and intact.

Worth1 · August 2, 2016

It is called cat facing.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...28617741,d.amc

ginger2778 · August 2, 2016

Agreed catfacing, also the last photo might be Blossom End Rot starting. You dont really need to do much about either one.

ContainerTed · August 2, 2016

Worth and Marsha have it nailed. Catfacing is an inconvenience to most growers as it appears that the tomato is somehow deformed and less than perfect. But the flavor is still there. We have all been spoiled by what we see in the grocery stores. The producers throw away 3 or 4 out of every ten they grow simply because they have physical/visual defects.

And, I agree with Marsha on the BER call. BER is most often caused by stress to the plant. And most of the time, it involves the supply of water to the plant. The BER pictured is not severe and you can simply use a knife to remove the undesirable parts. It should not adversely affect the flavor of the meat of that particular fruit.

Ricky Shaw · August 2, 2016

In my mind, not too bad a case of cat-facing really. Foliage looks strong, good color and a healthy matte look to the leaves. Lots of positives. Now you want cat-facing, you plant some Brandy Boy.

Cole_Robbie · August 2, 2016

There is certainly a genetic component to it. Weather plays a role as well. I get a lot of cat-facing in cold weather.

a2jill · August 2, 2016

There are also holes in the tomatoes. (Best seen in first photo). Is that also a result of catfacing?
Thanks!

ContainerTed · August 2, 2016

Indeed, the presence of what appears as "holes" is normal and almost always present in some form with the catfacing. For the most part, these "holes" have a bottom and are not rotting. They just seem to be a deformity in the overall shape of the blossom end of the fruit.

a2jill · August 2, 2016

Can't thank you all enough. The plant with the cat facing is a Cherokee Purple. The other one is a hybrid, but I can't recall which one. I also brought samples to the county extension office today, but I do believe that they will diagnose them just as you all did.
Whew! I thought I had some pest burrowing into the tomatoes, and was considering spraying with something that I'd prefer not to use. Now I can continue to give them TLC and watch carefully.

JerryHaskins · August 2, 2016

This may not be the answer favored here, but every time I have had blossom end rot, I have bought a little bottle of liquid blossom end rot preventer at the local garden center, mixed it with water and sprayed the plants every week or two with it and the problem has gone away.

The liquid is nothing but calcium in solution. And it is cheap. Bonide and other companies sell it.

It won't fix tomatoes that already are showing signs of end rot, but it will prevent it in new tomatoes.

Worth1 · August 2, 2016

Or did they just grow out of it?

Worth

ginger2778 · August 2, 2016

BER in ground usually is an over or under watering issue, seldom a low calcium itself issue. It happens most in immature fruit, and as the plants get older and larger the calcium redistributes better and BER usually just goes away as the plant outgrows it. (thanks Worth) so you can add calcium, and the new fruits grow BER free, but in reality, they already would have.

Growing in a container, very different story. The non soil mixes need added dolomite, and even a calcium nitrate side dressing every couple of weeks will help stave off some BER, but not all.
Containers are famous for tomato BER, especially the first year of fresh mix/dolomite use, when the dolomite hasn't had a chance to dissolve into the mix yet.

a2jill · August 2, 2016

FYI- I made a soil mix recommended by Earth-Tainer directions.

gorbelly · August 4, 2016

By the time people can see BER symptoms, the calcium transport problem during the key stage of development of the fruit when it's susceptible happened well in the past--weeks in the past, sometimes. So a lot of people use the latest magical remedy and think that fixed their problem when the plant probably grew out of it on its own long before the remedy was used or the conditions (drought, heat, cold, etc.) which may have triggered the BER passed already or the plant has adapted to the stress. A lot of BER remedies depend on this to get sold.

Shapshftr · August 6, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

There is certainly a genetic component to it. Weather plays a role as well. I get a lot of cat-facing in cold weather.

Yes, bad weather makes for ugly fruits. I have a couple like that from many cloudy stormy days a month ago. I always pull the stuck on blossoms off the tiny fruits because I thought they might cause a fungal growth or something because they provide a small area where moisture can stay trapped. Maybe that's why I only have a few like that, because I'm sure I missed some blossoms.

"Fruits are malformed with ugly scarring. Catfacing is caused by cool and cloudy weather at the time of blossoming. Weather causes blossoms to stick to small fruits and create distortions. Pull blossoms off of fruit when the fruit is still small. Plant varieties that resist catfacing, Big Set and Burpee’s VF."

We all need a little help now and then

August 2, 2016	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Worth and Marsha have it nailed. Catfacing is an inconvenience to most growers as it appears that the tomato is somehow deformed and less than perfect. But the flavor is still there. We have all been spoiled by what we see in the grocery stores. The producers throw away 3 or 4 out of every ten they grow simply because they have physical/visual defects. And, I agree with Marsha on the BER call. BER is most often caused by stress to the plant. And most of the time, it involves the supply of water to the plant. The BER pictured is not severe and you can simply use a knife to remove the undesirable parts. It should not adversely affect the flavor of the meat of that particular fruit. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

August 2, 2016	#8
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Indeed, the presence of what appears as "holes" is normal and almost always present in some form with the catfacing. For the most part, these "holes" have a bottom and are not rotting. They just seem to be a deformity in the overall shape of the blossom end of the fruit. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

August 2, 2016	#9
a2jill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Southeast Michigan, Zone 6a Except for Feb of 2015, when it would have been zone 4a!) Posts: 8	Thanks so much! Can't thank you all enough. The plant with the cat facing is a Cherokee Purple. The other one is a hybrid, but I can't recall which one. I also brought samples to the county extension office today, but I do believe that they will diagnose them just as you all did. Whew! I thought I had some pest burrowing into the tomatoes, and was considering spraying with something that I'd prefer not to use. Now I can continue to give them TLC and watch carefully.

August 2, 2016	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	It is called cat facing. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...28617741,d.amc

August 2, 2016	#3
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Agreed catfacing, also the last photo might be Blossom End Rot starting. You dont really need to do much about either one.

August 2, 2016	#5
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	In my mind, not too bad a case of cat-facing really. Foliage looks strong, good color and a healthy matte look to the leaves. Lots of positives. Now you want cat-facing, you plant some Brandy Boy.

August 2, 2016	#6
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	There is certainly a genetic component to it. Weather plays a role as well. I get a lot of cat-facing in cold weather.

August 2, 2016	#10
JerryHaskins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mississippi Posts: 166	This may not be the answer favored here, but every time I have had blossom end rot, I have bought a little bottle of liquid blossom end rot preventer at the local garden center, mixed it with water and sprayed the plants every week or two with it and the problem has gone away. The liquid is nothing but calcium in solution. And it is cheap. Bonide and other companies sell it. It won't fix tomatoes that already are showing signs of end rot, but it will prevent it in new tomatoes.

August 2, 2016	#11
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Or did they just grow out of it? Worth

August 4, 2016	#14
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	By the time people can see BER symptoms, the calcium transport problem during the key stage of development of the fruit when it's susceptible happened well in the past--weeks in the past, sometimes. So a lot of people use the latest magical remedy and think that fixed their problem when the plant probably grew out of it on its own long before the remedy was used or the conditions (drought, heat, cold, etc.) which may have triggered the BER passed already or the plant has adapted to the stress. A lot of BER remedies depend on this to get sold.