What causes hollow tomatoes? How to prevent and treat it
Tomatoes are a water-rich vegetable with a sweet and sour taste. They are very useful, as they can replenish the body's water and strengthen resistance. They are also highly valuable, being edible and usable as feed, etc. Many farmers often find hollow tomatoes during the growing process. So what exactly causes hollow tomatoes? And how should hollow tomatoes be dealt with? Let's take a look together below.
1. Sudden temperature drop
Although tomatoes are a vegetable that does not like high temperatures, if the temperature is too low, it can also cause hollow tomatoes. For example, when watering, the water used for tomatoes is generally cold water. If the cold water temperature is too low, it causes the roots to expand and contract with heat and cold, and the vitality of the fibrous roots declines. If this happens right during the stage when the tomatoes are ripening and expanding, a lack of water can lead to hollow tomatoes. At this time, we should increase the water temperature when watering. It is best if the water temperature is above 12°C. You can also store the water in the shed and let it rise to room temperature.
2. Too many fruits left on the plant
Too many fruits can also affect the development of tomatoes. The fruits on each plant will compete with each other for nutrients. Because nutrients are transported by the roots from the bottom upward, the lower fruits will begin to expand and ripen early. However, the nutrients are basically all absorbed by the lower fruits, causing the upper fruits to suffer from malnutrition and become hollow. The solution is not to leave too many fruits on one plant. According to the principle of keeping the large ones and removing the lower ones, and keeping the lower ones and removing the upper ones, control the number of fruits on each plant to 3-5.
3. Planting too densely
Many farmer friends, in order to save money or increase yield, will plant far more tomatoes in one mu of land than the land can bear. Planting too densely will cause the tomato leaves to cover each other after they grow, the lower fruits will be unable to receive light, and the ventilation in the garden will become poor, causing uneven fruit growth and poor development. This results in hollow tomatoes. Control the planting density to a spacing of 20*20cm per plant, mainly depending on the variety and area. Increase the light time for tomatoes and the ventilation in the garden, so that each tomato plant can carry out good respiration and photosynthesis.
4. Insufficient water and fertilizer
From sowing to maturity, tomatoes need large amounts of fertilizer and water throughout every period, and the nutrients contained in the soil are also an important factor for good tomato development. If the water and fertilizer needed for tomato growth are not sufficient, it will cause poor development of tomatoes, insufficient nutrient supply, and internal imbalance. The fruits will be unable to expand normally, resulting in hollow tomatoes. Be sure to supplement tomatoes with large amounts of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and other fertilizers to ensure the nutritional needs of tomatoes. Also keep the soil in the garden fully moist, and finally water according to factors such as weather conditions and the growth of the tomatoes.
Hollow tomatoes are very damaging to farmers' own interests, because hollow tomatoes seriously affect the quality and yield of tomatoes, cause them to lose their competitive advantage, and prevent them from entering the market. Therefore, I have compiled the above four causes of hollow tomatoes and the prevention and treatment methods for everyone, hoping to be helpful to everyone.