Small tomatoes rotting on the vine

[Southern Gardener]

The tomatoes are not ripe - very small and green - they are all turning black on the bottom. Why would they do that? They are not being over watered and some plants have small yellow spots on the bottom leaves. I found BER (blossom end rot) on the net, but I don't think this is the problem - they are not overwatered.

 

[bid]

I would still suspect blossom end rot. It can be caused by lack of calcium, too much nitrogen or water fluctuations...and a few other climatic conditions and combinations of all these conditions. If this is the first fruit set I would pull the affected tomatos off the vine and subsequent fruits may develop normally as the plant develops a larger root system.

 

[digitS']

I sometimes have problems with BER not from overwatering but from underwatering.

I haven't looked at the problem lately because it is so commonly my failure, for whatever reason, to keep this darn porous soil moist enuf during the critical fruit development stage. Other plants can suffer from BER, including zucchini and eggplant. With them, it isn't as likely as with tomatoes, I suppose.

Calcium is generally thought to be in good supply in the soil hereabouts. That isn't true in other locations. Calcium helps the fruit hold moisture. Cornell also says that excess salts can cause a problem for the absorption of calcium by the plant.

I know that some gardeners have so much trouble with BER that they only grow cherry tomatoes. They have less of a problem than those varieties with larger fruit.

Steve

 

[chills]

i had blossom end rot when i tried to grow larger tomatoes in pots one year .. this year im trying only smaller tomatoes in the pots .. i figured it was a water issue then ..
are the tomatoes touching the ground?
since i didnt add any epsom salt before i planted, i gave my tomatoes a drink of 1 tablespoon epsom salt to 1 gallon water ..
calcium can help too, i put egg shells crumbled up around the bases ..
are you rotating where you plant the tomatoes?
well maybe like bid said, the next set of fruits will be just fine ..
good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, my guess is blossom end rot. You *can* get it in small green tomatoes, especially in very cool weather (tho that may not apply to you). My experience is with it mostly being caused by alternating dry and wet conditions.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Southern Gardener]

Thanks for the replies. These are not my tomatoes - I'm visiting my sister in San Marcos, Texas. VERY dry and arid country - hardly any rainfall at all. She has raised beds - her plants look very good too bad the tomatoes rot. I'll pass along the info to her. I don't know how they grow ANYTHING here! It cost a fortune for any landscaping because the ground is all rock. She gave up a long time ago trying to grow anything. If the lack of rain doesn't kill what she plants the deer eat it.