what to do for blossem end rot??

[momofdrew]

What is the cause and treatment... I only found one tomato with the problem...

 

[hoodat]

It's caused by a lack of calcium but don't run out and add calcium and think you've solved the problem. Often there is plenty of calcium in the soil but the plant is not taking it up. Uneven watering seems to be the main cause of it. Your tomatos should never get so dry they wilt nor so wet they rot. The best way to water tomatos is to let your hose barely trickle and put it near the base of the plant for long enough to get that water down deep. Often we think the ground has plenty of moisture when actually it's all in the top one foot or so and the ground down deep is dry. Tomato roots can go three feet or more into the ground.

 

[digitS']

Pam, don't think that you will have lots with BER unless that's how things are turning out. I often have just a couple fruits with this problem thru the season.

There are varieties that are more vulnerable and, as Hoodat suggests, uneven soil moisture can be allowed to be a chronic problem. Also, there must be soils that are truly deficient in calcium.

If you only have a couple each year, just try to get the watering down right and don't worry about it.

Steve

 

[wsmoak]

I lost the first Roma tomatoes to blossom end rot, but once it *finally* started raining occasionally, it cleared up and the later ones have been fine. (It hit 100 degrees on June 1 here, and didn't rain for weeks. Coupled with being busy with work, my poor garden really suffered.

There are some nutrient imbalances that cause it, but IME it has just been lack of rain and inconsistent watering for mine.

I wouldn't worry *too* much (particularly because there's not much you can do at this point if it _is_ a nutrient problem) just pick them off and keep an eye on it.

You might also find that certain varieties are more prone to it in your climate. I know I'm going to switch Roma varieties next year, as _none_ of the others I bought from Park Seed had this problem.

-Wendy

 

[Smiles Jr.]

I think this year may go down in my personal history book as the worst ever for tomatoes. The season started out OK with the seedlings doing fine under the lights. Then I scorched them in the sunlight. Then it rained for 6 weeks straight. Then it stopped raining and has not rained here for about 6 weeks. With the 100 degree temps this past week and a half my poor 'maters are struggling. My gardens are out in the "south forty" and if I want to water I have to haul water back there.

This past week out of about 40 plants remaining I have had only 5 tomatoes ripen and every one had to be tossed out due to BER. Exasperating!

 

[chris09]

Also Blossom End Rot will show its ugly face if you have used manure that has not been well rotted.
I had this problem about 2 yeas ago when I add manure to the garden in the fall thinking that it would rot through the winter and early spring. (Need I say I will not do that gain)
Here is information that might help.

Blossom-end rot is a serious disorder of tomato, pepper, and eggplant. Growers often are distressed to notice that a dry sunken decay has developed on the blossom end (opposite the stem) of many fruit, especially the first fruit of the season. This nonparasitic disorder can be very damaging, with losses of 50% or more in some years.

Cause --
Blossom-end rot is not caused by a parasitic organism but is a physiologic disorder associated with a low concentration of calcium in the fruit. Calcium is required in relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of necessary calcium, the tissues break down, leaving the characteristic dry, sunken lesion at the blossom end. Blossom-end rot is induced when demand for calcium exceeds supply. This may result from low calcium levels or high amounts of competitive cations in the soil, drought stress, or excessive soil moisture fluctuations which reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant, or rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization.

Management --
1. Maintain the soil pH around 6.5. Liming will supply calcium and will increase the ratio of calcium ions to other competitive ions in the soil.
2. Use nitrate nitrogen as the fertilizer nitrogen source. Ammoniacal nitrogen may increase blossom-end rot as excess ammonium ions reduce calcium uptake. Avoid over-fertilization as side dressings during early fruiting, especially with ammoniacal forms of nitrogen.
3. Avoid drought stress and wide fluctuations in soil moisture by using mulches and/or irrigation. Plants generally need about one inch of moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and development.
4. Foliar applications of calcium, which are often advocated, are of little value because of poor absorption and movement to fruit where it is needed.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/pdf/3117.pdf

Ammoniacal nitrogen --
Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), is a measure for the amount of ammonia, a toxic pollutant often found in landfill leachate and in waste products, such as sewage, liquid manure and other liquid organic waste products.

Chris

 

[hoodat]

Just a note. Adding calcium once the fruit is forming doesn't seem to do much good. It is important that the calcium be present before the first tomato plant goes into the ground. Adding egg shells to your compost seems to help provide it when the compost is dug in. In my case I seldom see BER and I think I know why. There are large clam beds in San Diego bay and I love steamed clams so my compost is always full of clam shells. By the time they get done composting they are turning chalky and the calcium is leaching out freely.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Just a note. Adding calcium once the fruit is forming doesn't seem to do much good. It is important that the calcium be present before the first tomato plant goes into the ground. Adding egg shells to your compost seems to help provide it when the compost is dug in. In my case I seldom see BER and I think I know why. There are large clam beds in San Diego bay and I love steamed clams so my compost is always full of clam shells. By the time they get done composting they are turning chalky and the calcium is leaching out freely.

Hmmmm. I wonder if we could go into the city and get oyster and clam shells from a restaurant. We should be heading that way next month so maybe I could call a few restaurants ahead of time. Maybe I could grind some up for the chickens, too.

 

[chris09]

Just a note. Adding calcium once the fruit is forming doesn't seem to do much good. It is important that the calcium be present before the first tomato plant goes into the ground. Adding egg shells to your compost seems to help provide it when the compost is dug in. In my case I seldom see BER and I think I know why. There are large clam beds in San Diego bay and I love steamed clams so my compost is always full of clam shells. By the time they get done composting they are turning chalky and the calcium is leaching out freely.

Hmmmm. I wonder if we could go into the city and get oyster and clam shells from a restaurant. We should be heading that way next month so maybe I could call a few restaurants ahead of time. Maybe I could grind some up for the chickens, too.

If it was me I would use a mixture of Agricultural Lime and Hydrated Lime.
Hydrated Lime --
Is more effective (at raising pH) and quicker to react than ground limestone.
Agricultural Lime --
Is Slower to break down but will last longer in the soil.

Oyster and Clam Shells I would think would take some time to break down and be useful to the plants.

Chris