I am feeling a little saddened, as the tomatoes I have been waiting to ripen are showing signs of blossom end rot. It is my first time growing tomatoes, and after doing some research on the problem, am still unsure if I should just pluck the unlucky tomatoes off right away or wait and see if the problem will stay superficial. If I wait and see, will this bad tomato end up using the plant's energy to no good purpose, when instead it could use that energy towards producing new healthier (hopefully) fruits?
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Blossom End Rot
Fri, June 13, 2008 - 11:55 AMMy first year with a garden I had bad blossom end rot because I was not keeping the moisture consistent on my plants. Since then I started using weeper hose in the garden and making sure that the soil keeps some moisture. Still, my first few tomatoes of the year often have a touch of blossom end rot. Usually I can cut the lower half of the fruit off and eat the rest. -
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Re: Blossom End Rot
Fri, June 13, 2008 - 9:37 PMI heard the same thing, the water needs to be nice and deep so the roots will reach down further to prevent blossom end rot. I also learned that a calcium deficiency could be the culprit. It might be to late in your case, but next time add some calcium to the soil. Wood ash is a good organic alternative. Last year I had a plant with the rot and I just cut off the bad part and ate the rest.
Good luck! -
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Re: Blossom End Rot
Sat, June 14, 2008 - 1:32 AMGood advice here so far. Try a foliar spray with some powdered milk, epsom salts and a drop of soap. I don't have a recipe. I'd use a tbs of epson salt, a couple of tbs of milk powder ( you could just use skim milk) and a couple of drops of dr bronner's soap, but i dont think the amounts are critical, or the type of soap. The soap is just for a surfactant, to make the spray stick to the leaves. The epson salt is for magnesium, which helps in the absorption of the calcium. Some folks dissolve tums in the spray for calcium instead of or in addition to the milk Spray in the evening, and make sure to cover the undersides of the leaves.
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Re: Blossom End Rot
Fri, July 4, 2008 - 2:52 PMI agree with the other folks. Eat what you can from the infected fruits. Sometimes this can look like Buckeye rot as well. Buckeye Rot is a fungal disease spread by dirt getting splashed onto the plant when watering. When I had this problem, I mulched heavily around the base and the problem disappeared. Here is a link to photos of various mineral deficiencies in tomatos and other plants.
www.hbci.com/~wenonah/mi...tomatoes.htm
Good Luck
