Main tracks
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Give a shadow on Peak Sun.
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Don’t be too much; Let the leaves provide coverage.
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Plant tomatoes early enough to mature before extreme summer heat.
Tomatoes love and need a lot of sunlight and heat. However, too much good thing can cause the plant “sunscald” – the equivalent of sunburn plants. “The Sunscald tomatoes can take place in all parts of the country, but it is more noticeable in the south, where the days are longer and the air is hotter,” says Greg Key, a gardener and Hoss Tools president in Georgia.
What is Sunscald?
Tomatoes need a lot of sunlight to get the fruit to the fruit, usually about six to eight hours a day. Too much sun and heat tomatoes can get Sunscald. “Sunscald happens when tomatoes strike direct sun waves without any protection, much like Musies burning,” says Key. According to Jennifer McDonald, the founder of a certified organic garden specialist and Garden Girls, a garden design company based in Houston, Texas, she says the Sunscald comes with “extreme heat along with direct sunlight.”
If you are experiencing a heat wave or increased temperature, you usually do not need to worry. “A few days higher than normal temperatures usually do not cause Sunscald,” says McDonald.
What does Sunscald look like
Sunscald can affect leaves and fruits. “Leaves with white or brown spots, and tomatoes with cracks or stains in white, yellow or gray spots are signs of Sunscald,” says McDonald. Fruits that are excessive due to too large can be prone to Sunscald. “For example, if you spent the day pruning tomato plants and removing sick greens, you will often see tomatoes in bunches of direct sunlight,” says McDonald. “When the leaves are gone, there is also an umbrella effect.” So, before going overboard with pruning tomato stems and leaves, think about how the greens give a natural shade.
Why is it important to plant tomatoes from the south
When planting tomatoes, make sure they grow properly and reach all stages of growth. You want to plant as a guide after the last freezing of the spring. “In the south, we plant our tomatoes just after Valentine’s Day to make enough time to pollinate, carry fruits and mature until the extreme heat is taken over at the end of June,” says McDonald. “When we are overwhelmed with extreme heat, tomato growth, but stops completely.” She says it’s time to remove or remove plants.
Choose tomatoes that thrive your climate
Important species of the tomato plants you grow to reduce the likelihood of Sunscald. “In the south, where Sunscald is a serious problem, planting the right type and variety can help this problem,” says Key. He recommends two tomato plants: “Red snape and salaries – there are two varieties that flourish and have minimal sunlight.” He explains that both are determined tomatoes containing little pruning, dense greens, exceptional fruit size and a lot of yield production.
Often, larger -sized tomatoes are more prone to Sunscald. “Larger beef panel tomatoes take longer and have more surface area, which means more likely to direct sunlight and at greater risk of Sunscald,” says McDonald. results and less sun, ”says McDonald.
How to avoid Sunscald
Sunscald can be prevented. “Sunscald is a physiological condition, unlike fungal tomato diseases that are harder to prevent and treat,” says McDonald. There are two ways to reduce Sunscald options.
Use shadow fabric
While tomatoes love the sun, the hottest parts of the day can help them significantly. “This is a simple but effective way to ensure that fruit plants get enough sunlight, but are protected from direct radiation intensity,” says McDonald. “When choosing a shade fabric, there are many options with percentages ranging from 30 to 75% of the shade. When a pinch, an umbrella can give shade to growing plants.”
Don’t be too much
Pruning helps to promote fruit growth. However, too much that it can damage tomato plants. “Over the years, increasing practice has a significant pruning of tomatoes to maximize the size of the fruit and get more fruit in one plant,” says Key. “This strategy undoubtedly works, but the negative thing of the pruning method is that you leave the fruit exposed to the sun, and this is when the damage is caused.”
According to McDonald, “pruning of tomato plants can become quite dependent, but it is useful to avoid too much too much during the summer peak.” She says that even sun -burned leaves can protect delicate fruits. Even crunchy leaves are great to leave the tomato plant if there are no fungal diseases, she adds.
Can you eat them?
You can usually eat sunlight tomato if there is no mold. According to McDonald, “Although they may look a little funky, they are still eaten, assuming that white patches have not become black, which may mean mold.”
Sometimes the tomato just has a yellow or white spot. “If Sunscald is just a stain patch on a tomato that does not touch the bladder, all is well,” she says. “Slot it and enjoy the rest of that juicy tomato!”
However, there are some signs when you should not eat Sunscald tomato. “If your tomato looks drowning, puffed or has deep cracks that have revealed the body, it is better to throw it,” she says.
Read the original article on Southern Living