Find out why your tomatoes are not turning red and how to fix it.
Getty Images
Are yourtomatovines covered in plump green fruits that refuse to turn red?
While tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, they can be finicky at times.
Credit:Getty Images
Several factors can slow or stop fruit from ripening, causing tomatoes to linger in the green stage.
Extreme temperatures are the most common culprit, but soil nutrition and plant care can also play a role.
If your tomatoes are not turning red, dont fret.
Factors Affecting Tomato Ripening
Growing tomatoes is a slow process.
The developing fruits require six to eight weeks to fully mature from the time of flower pollination.
Maturation time varies between tomato varieties, of course, but sometimes there is more at play.
Temperature
Temperature is among the most limiting factors when it comes to fruit set and ripening.
When temperatures stray from the ideal range, the ripening process slows down.
Such nurturing can be detrimental to fruit ripening.
Excessive watering can also slow fruit ripening by reducing air movement in the soil.
Avoid excessive pampering when fruits fail to ripen.
Maintain regular irrigation practices to provide consistent moisture and time fertilizer applications according to plant development.
Tomatoes benefit from a fertilizer low in nitrogen, high in phosphorus, and medium to high in potassium.
Whenever possible, base fertilizer applications on soil tests conducted in the spring or fall prior to planting.
This is particularly true when plants are trying to manage other stresses, such as high heat or drought.
The developing fruits compete with roots, flowers, and foliage for limited resources.
This will reduce the energy demand on the plant, allowing more resources to reach the remaining tomatoes.
Sunlight powers flower and fruit development through photosynthesis, which takes place in the leaves.
It is the foliage, not the fruits, that need direct sunlight.
As such, avoid pruning foliage in an effort to ripen fruits.
Keep leaves in place to produce energy and shade the developing fruits.
Tomato fruits require adequate sugars and hormones to ripen, which are not something gardeners provide them.
We can, however, hasten the process at times and adopt practices that direct energy toward developing fruits.
It also reduces the number of fruit-producing branches, which can prevent overloading plants with too much fruit.
Pruning also increases airflow through the plant foliage, which helps fight foliar diseases and keep plants healthier.
It is best to remove suckers when they are still small.
Check the main vine and secondary shoot regularly for new suckers and remove these.
This will shade fruits and protect them from sunscald.
Many gardeners do this in fall before a coming freeze.
It is important that tomatoes reach their mature size before harvesting, as immature green tomatoes will never ripen.
Look for the first hints of color change to indicate a tomato is ready to harvest.
Store harvested tomatoes indoors at room temperature.
Remember, the optimal temperature for ripening is between 68 and 77 F, this applies indoors, too.
Green tomatoes may take several days to fully ripen.
Tomato ripening is powered by ethylene, a hormone produced by plants.
Plants and fruits also produce ethylene naturally.
This creates a closed environment for the ethylene being released by the tomatoes to collect and power ripening.
Some fruits release a lot of ethylene as they ripen.
