Knowledge from Olle Garden Bed: Why Is Your Tomato Cat Noodle and How to Solve It

Whether you are carefully cultivating tomatoes or purchasing seedlings, you may want to grow healthy and sweet tomato plants and produce rich fruits. However, it is easy to make mistakes when planting tomatoes, as these mistakes may damage your harvest and lead to problems with the surface of the tomatoes. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.

Tomato cat noodle is a physiological problem that occurs in tomato fruits. This is something that every gardener should try to avoid as much as possible, as it can damage your fruit and reduce your yield during harvest, while making plants more susceptible to the influence of fungi. Learn in detail what tomato cat noodle looks like, what causes it, and how to solve the problem.

Why do tomatoes go through cat noodles

In order to maintain the health of tomato plants, it is important to understand what cat noodles look like and the main reasons for this physiological problem. In this way, you can do your best to avoid this inconvenience.

What causes tomato cat noodles

You can discover the tomato cat face through the deep scars formed on the flowering side of the tomato. These scars make the fruit look strange, with several large holes resembling perforations on it. If you transplant tomatoes outdoors when it's too cold, or when the spring temperature is still below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it may cause it.

There are still some reasons for cat noodles that are still being studied. For example, the significant changes in temperature between day and night may be another reason. In addition, high nitrogen levels may also be the culprit for surface treatment. Researchers are continuing to further evaluate these potential causes, so as gardeners, it is best to follow prevention tips to help avoid these factors, just in case.

Cat noodles can cause black mold to rot

It is important to note that deformed fruits are not the only problem that cat noodles may cause. It also makes your plants more susceptible to black mold or alternaria. This fungus causes black rot in fruits, leaving a fuzzy or velvety layer of fungal spores on the surface.

To deal with this type of decay, immediately remove the cat face fruit to help prevent fungal formation and spread to healthy fruits. You can also avoid black mold decay by watering the soil instead of irrigating your head; This can avoid wetting the leaves. Please remember to follow the watering guidelines for tomato varieties. Then, you should immediately harvest mature fruits, as fungi are usually spread on mature agricultural products.

How to repair tomato cat noodles

Now that you know what tomato cat noodle looks like and the potential hazards it can cause, it's time to figure out how to avoid and manage it to solve the problem.

Transplant at the right time

One of the best ways to prevent tomato cat noodles is to be patient when transplanting tomatoes. Even if you are excited about starting the garden, wait for one to two weeks after the last spring frost before transplanting the tomato buds outdoors. The soil temperature should be at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but it is best to wait for 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher before transplanting. This will help reduce the risk of cat face caused by temperature fluctuations during the day and night.

You can also help plants adapt to the environment by hardening the seedlings before placing them underground. Hardening is the process of slowly introducing seedlings into unpredictable outdoor environments. But once the temperature exceeds 50 degrees Fahrenheit, take the bean sprouts outside for a few hours until they gradually stay outside for a whole day.

Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers

Research is still ongoing to determine whether high nitrogen fertilizers can cause cat noodles, so it is best to avoid using them during this period. Avoiding the use of high nitrogen fertilizers on tomato plants is also beneficial, as they promote rich leaf growth at the expense of fruit flesh.

Although sweet leaves may look good, you hope fertilizer can increase fruit yield. For best results, use tomato specific fertilizer in a ratio of 4-7-10 or 3-4 6, and mix 2 to 3 tablespoons into the soil near the plant drip line.

Cultivate resistant varieties

You can also avoid cat noodles by planting varieties that are more resistant to them. Look for breeds like 'Homestead24', 'Floradade', and 'Duke' that are less likely to have cat face scars.

Please remember to follow the seed pack transplant guidelines even when planting these varieties to help further reduce risks.

Manage cat noodles after their occurrenceUnfortunately, when cat noodles occur, the best choice is to discard the affected fruits. If you don't remove the deformed fruit, the tomato plant will continue to deliver energy to it. By removing fruits, your plant can refocus its resources on producing new healthy fruits. In addition, discarding unhealthy tomatoes can also help prevent black mold infection from growing in wounds and spreading to other tomatoes.

Avoid tomato cats affecting healthy plants

Cat noodle is a destructive physiological problem that usually occurs when transplanting tomatoes before the outdoor temperature is warm enough. It can cause deep scars, meaning you need to discard the affected tomatoes. Therefore, your harvest will decrease. Not to mention that you may also expose nearby fruits to black mold caused by lesions.

Your best practice is to avoid this issue. Wait until the temperature remains above 50 or even 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers and plant resistant varieties