desertgirl
Garden Ornament
Despite my attempts at prevention, I've noticed one of my tomato plants is brown/black and boggy on the bottom (bottom end rot?). What can I do for them? I think I've heard that a weak solution of powdered milk would work?
Bottom rot
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hoodat
Garden Addicted
If the rot is in the main stem I don't think there is much you can do for them. It's a bacterial disese. Take it out, roots and all, so it doesn't spread.
beavis
Deeply Rooted
I think it is lacking Potassium.
Sometimes my very first tomatoes of the year have blossom end rot and then they seem to get better as the season progresses.
Sometimes my very first tomatoes of the year have blossom end rot and then they seem to get better as the season progresses.
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desertgirl
Garden Ornament
I had heard it was a calcium deficiency.
digitS'
Garden Master
There you are!
Hoodat is talking about the stem. Beavis is talking about the fruit. You need to explain what you are talking about.
If it is blossom end rot on the fruit, I suspect that it may just be a matter of maintaining adequate soil moisture. As Beavis points out, it is more of a problem with the first tomatoes (or peppers, eggplant, zucchini, etc.).
BER has to do with a quickly developing tomato while the plant cannot keep up with maintain adequate water for the fruit. The tissue becomes dehydrated to the point of damage and begins to die.
Steve
Or, blossom end rot, DG??desertgirl said:
Hoodat is talking about the stem. Beavis is talking about the fruit. You need to explain what you are talking about.
If it is blossom end rot on the fruit, I suspect that it may just be a matter of maintaining adequate soil moisture. As Beavis points out, it is more of a problem with the first tomatoes (or peppers, eggplant, zucchini, etc.).
BER has to do with a quickly developing tomato while the plant cannot keep up with maintain adequate water for the fruit. The tissue becomes dehydrated to the point of damage and begins to die.
Steve
hoodat
Garden Addicted
Yes I was talking about stem rot. Blossom end rot is caused by uneven watering, calcium deficiency or a combination of the two. Some recommend a calcium spray to the leaves but that never did any good for me. You have to plan ahead so the calcium is there and available before the plants go in. Calcium applied to the ground takes a long time to be available.
journey11
Garden Master
I've had blossom end rot happen before on a particularly heavy rainy season, which can leach calcium out of the soil. What I did was pull back the mulch and sprinkle around the dripline about 1/4 c. powdered milk and 1/4 c. ag. lime and gently scratch it in, then put back the mulch. This worked quickly for me. All the following tomatoes that set were fine. I've heard others say they watered the foliage/ground with the powdered milk. I've never tried that, but it seems like it would work too.
Good luck! :happy_flower
Good luck! :happy_flower
hoodat
Garden Addicted
That's a fascinating idea. The calcium would be combined in an organic rather than mineral form in the milk. It's certainly worth a try.
digitS'
Garden Master
Sprayed on, it might work for fungal diseases, too.
I'm going to try that with my peas today. Unfortunately, there's already some mildew and the things have just barely started to flower.
I gotta look up the spray dilution, water:milk.
Steve
I'm going to try that with my peas today. Unfortunately, there's already some mildew and the things have just barely started to flower.
I gotta look up the spray dilution, water:milk.
Steve
