Sunscald questions - Page 2

b54red · July 3, 2012

I lost a lot of leaves to Gray Mold, spider mites and fusarium and so have a lot of fruit with absolutely no cover. Some of the varieties have had no sunscald while some others have. Surprisingly I have had less sunscald this year than usual and have no idea why with the intense heat and light foliage.

Big Beef has not had any sunscald so far and they have almost no cover because of leaf loss from spider mites. My Bella Rosa had no sunscald either. I have had some scald on a few of the heirlooms but not that bad; but I have had a fair amount of sunscald on my peppers.

tjg911 · July 3, 2012

i don't think i ever saw sun scald until last year or the year before, i forget which. one plant had a few tomatoes out in full sun, no shade on those fruits and we had very hot days, high temperatures probably upper 90's possibly 100+. those few fruits just dried up on one side, they were being baked, it was apparent what was happening and why. i never prune any foliage as i believe that more leaves means more shade and more photosynthesis. i grow in crw cages.

tom

July 3, 2012

Tomatoes get sun burn (scald) in the same manner we get it. It damages our skin and it damages the tomato in the same way. If the tomato is ripe and harvested quickly and consumed quickly, they are probably okay to eat and the taste isn't harmed in most cases. If not consumed quickly, the scalded area becomes very soft and rots quickly.

Ted

janezee · July 3, 2012

So, Ted, it sounds like they'd be alright to cook, but not for fresh eating. I guess it's another thing I have to be thankful for, with all our cloud cover, and shallow angle of the sun.

Thanks for the explanation.

j

Lcottomsvcs · July 3, 2012

I am having lots of sun scald on my Cherokee Purples. My favorite tomatoes, so disappointing. It happened after an animal knocked the cage sideways and exposed the fruits on the bottom.

riceke · July 5, 2012

janezee...I don't have a [picture of one that has sunscald but if you see it you wouldn't think of eating it. Sort of like a 2rd degree burn on a human.

Cole_Robbie · July 5, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lcottomsvcs

I am having lots of sun scald on my Cherokee Purples. My favorite tomatoes, so disappointing. It happened after an animal knocked the cage sideways and exposed the fruits on the bottom.

Me too. Do you think purple/black tomatoes scald more easily, because their dark colors absorb more heat from the sun?

janezee · July 5, 2012

Thanks, riceke. I guess I've never seen it. Apparently not a peril at the 48th parallel!

j

July 5, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Me too. Do you think purple/black tomatoes scald more easily, because their dark colors absorb more heat from the sun?

Don't know if this question has been researched, but the conclusion seems reasonable. All dark colors absorb more heat in the presence of sunlight than less dark colors. That should apply to tomatoes as well.

It would also seem reasonable that susceptibility to sun scald may be variety specific with some varieties more susceptible than others. Most dermis layers have different colors than the flesh below. Some may also have the ability to filter certain wave lengths of the light spectrum preventing or reducing damage to the flesh below. I can almost imagine some varieties wearing polarized sunglasses due to skin thickness and skin color. I don't know if anyone has researched which varieties are more or less susceptible or if my thoughts are reasonable.

Ted

zipcode · July 6, 2012

Although I don't have much experience with sunscald, since it's rarely that hot here, when it happened was almost always enhanced in plants wilting from lack of sufficient water. To keep the growing tip alive, the plants literally sucked some water from the tomatoes, leaving them much more susceptible to parts of them getting dried/cooked.
So my conclusion is that having a well watered garden should help the problem to some extent.

July 3, 2012	#17
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	i don't think i ever saw sun scald until last year or the year before, i forget which. one plant had a few tomatoes out in full sun, no shade on those fruits and we had very hot days, high temperatures probably upper 90's possibly 100+. those few fruits just dried up on one side, they were being baked, it was apparent what was happening and why. i never prune any foliage as i believe that more leaves means more shade and more photosynthesis. i grow in crw cages. tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

July 3, 2012	#18
tedln Guest Posts: n/a	Tomatoes get sun burn (scald) in the same manner we get it. It damages our skin and it damages the tomato in the same way. If the tomato is ripe and harvested quickly and consumed quickly, they are probably okay to eat and the taste isn't harmed in most cases. If not consumed quickly, the scalded area becomes very soft and rots quickly. Ted Last edited by tedln; July 3, 2012 at 08:42 PM.

July 3, 2012	#20
Lcottomsvcs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 123	I am having lots of sun scald on my Cherokee Purples. My favorite tomatoes, so disappointing. It happened after an animal knocked the cage sideways and exposed the fruits on the bottom. __________________ Gardening is not a rational act. Margaret Atwood

July 5, 2012	#21
riceke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Snellville, GA Posts: 346	janezee...I don't have a [picture of one that has sunscald but if you see it you wouldn't think of eating it. Sort of like a 2rd degree burn on a human. __________________ *Ken*

July 3, 2012	#16
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I lost a lot of leaves to Gray Mold, spider mites and fusarium and so have a lot of fruit with absolutely no cover. Some of the varieties have had no sunscald while some others have. Surprisingly I have had less sunscald this year than usual and have no idea why with the intense heat and light foliage. Big Beef has not had any sunscald so far and they have almost no cover because of leaf loss from spider mites. My Bella Rosa had no sunscald either. I have had some scald on a few of the heirlooms but not that bad; but I have had a fair amount of sunscald on my peppers.

July 3, 2012	#19
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	So, Ted, it sounds like they'd be alright to cook, but not for fresh eating. I guess it's another thing I have to be thankful for, with all our cloud cover, and shallow angle of the sun. Thanks for the explanation. j

July 6, 2012	#25
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	Although I don't have much experience with sunscald, since it's rarely that hot here, when it happened was almost always enhanced in plants wilting from lack of sufficient water. To keep the growing tip alive, the plants literally sucked some water from the tomatoes, leaving them much more susceptible to parts of them getting dried/cooked. So my conclusion is that having a well watered garden should help the problem to some extent.