# Tomato question



## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

Folks, I have a question on my tomatos, they are ripening now but as I pick them I have to throw about five away to everyone I keep they look good on the top but when I pick it it's rotten on the bottem, gotem in raised beds staked up so they're not laying on the ground any ideas as to cause? Thanks
Mike


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## Fridge (Apr 28, 2012)

You probably have too much water. This leeches out calcium. If the soil is already too wet you can't get any new calcium in to the soil. Try to keep any more water from especially the leaves but also the ground. Fertilize with bone meal next year.


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## Fridge (Apr 28, 2012)

talob said:


> Folks, I have a question on my tomatos, they are ripening now but as I pick them I have to throw about five away to everyone I keep they look good on the top but when I pick it it's rotten on the bottem, gotem in raised beds staked up so they're not laying on the ground any ideas as to cause? Thanks
> Mike


Blossom End Rot of Tomato

Blossom end rot is a troublesome disease, familiar to most gardeners who have grown tomatoes. The disease is often prevalent in commercial as well as home garden tomatoes, and severe losses may occur if preventive control measures are not undertaken.

Symptoms may occur at any stage in the development of the fruit, but, most commonly, are first seen when the fruit is one-third to one-half full size. As the name of the disease implies, symptoms appear only at the blossom end of the fruit. Initially a small, water-soaked spot appears, which enlarges and darkens rapidly as the fruits develop. The spot may enlarge until it covers as much as onethird to one-half of the entire fruit surface, or the spot may remain small and superficial. Large lesions soon dry out and become flattened, black, and leathery in appearance and texture.

This disease does not spread from plant to plant in the field, nor from fruit to fruit in transit. Since it is of a physiological nature, fungicides and insecticides are useless as control measures. The occurrence of the disease is dependent upon a number of environmental conditions, especially those that affect the supply of water and calcium in the developing fruits. Factors that influence the uptake of water and calcium by the plant have an effect on the incidence and severity of blossom end rot. The disease is especially prevalent when rapidly growing, succulent plants are exposed suddenly to a period of drought. When the roots fail to obtain sufficient water and calcium to be transported up to the rapidly developing fruits, the latter become rotted on their basal ends. Another common predisposing factor is cultivation too close to the plant; this practice destroys valuable roots, which take up water and minerals. Tomatoes planted in cold, heavy soils often have poorly developed root systems. Since they are unable to supply adequate amounts of water and nutrients to plants during times of stress, blossom end rot may result. Soils that contain excessive amounts of soluble salts may predispose tomatoes to the disease, for the availability of calcium to the plants decreases rapidly as total salts in the soil increase.

Control

Control of blossom end rot is dependent upon maintaining adequate supplies of moisture and calcium to the developing fruits. Tomatoes should not be excessively hardened nor too succulent when set in the field. They should be planted in welldrained, adequately aerated soils. Tomatoes planted early in cold soil are likely to develop blossom end rot on the first fruits, with the severity of the disease often subsiding on fruits set later. Thus, planting tomatoes in warmer soils helps to alleviate the problem. Irrigation must be sufficient to maintain a steady even growth rate of the plants. Mulching of the soil is often helpful in maintaining adequate supplies of soil water in times of moisture stress. When cultivation is necessary, it should not be too near the plants nor too deep, so that valuable feeder roots remain uninjured and viable. In home gardens, shading the plants is often helpful when hot, dry winds are blowing, and soil moisture is low. Use of fertilizer low in nitrogen, but high in superphosphate, such as 4-12-4 or 5-20-5, will do much to alleviate the problem of blossom end rot. In emergency situations, foliage can be sprayed with calcium chloride solutions. However, extreme caution must be exercised since calcium chloride can be phytotoxic if applied too frequently or in excessive amounts. Foliar treatment is not a substitute for proper treatment of the soil to maintain adequate supplies of water and calcium.

Although differences exist among varieties with respect to susceptibility to blossom end rot, no varieties as yet have commercially useful resistance.


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

I concur with Fridge with a example. I typically have BE rot most every spring. This year for a couple reasons I was about a month late in planting them. Needless to say the ground was much warmer. Even though we have had a pretty long dry spell, I have watered pretty well once or twice a week and so far have yet to see any BE Rot. 

This has been entered into my garden journal for future reference. 

Fridge, thanks for the write up. Lots of good info in there along with some cures.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

hmmm - you learn something new every day. I've heard of the watering and calcium, but I have never heard of planting too early and the earth being cold. We did that this year, and had BER. Thanks for the info. Now, I hope I remember and will practice patience next year.


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

Thanks for the replys, of all the reasons above it would have to be lack of water, I got them planted late enough, we have been in near drought conditions here for the last month, though I have waterd it's not the same as a good rain, a wealth of knoledge on this site! Thanks
Mike


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## Cahri (Feb 18, 2011)

talob said:


> Folks, I have a question on my tomatos, they are ripening now but as I pick them I have to throw about five away to everyone I keep they look good on the top but when I pick it it's rotten on the bottem, gotem in raised beds staked up so they're not laying on the ground any ideas as to cause? Thanks
> Mike


This is blossom end rot, caused by lack of calcium like one user already told you. Add some oyster shells and/or egg shells. Good luck


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

cahri, I'm gonna start giveing oyster shells to the chickens when they start laying so next year when I work up the raised beds just throw a handfull of oyster shells in when I work up the soil? Thanks
Mike


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Fridge said:


> shading the plants is often helpful when hot, dry winds are blowing, and soil moisture is low.


A simple shade made from "Weed Barrier", some string and a few weights can be draped over the plants to provide shade when the UV index is high and a bucket with holes drilled into the bottom works well to provide steady and consistent watering.

Care must be taken when mulching or hose watering tomatoes, too much water or inadequate air flow around the plants could promote "Early and Late Blight". Early Blight is a fungus that attacks plants and usually kills the oldest growth and progresses upward until the entire plant dies. "Late Blight" is the same fungus that caused the "Irish Potato Famine" and generally kills the entire plant out right.

The blights are usually caused by too much water, not enough sun and inadequate air flow during hot/dry weather so while treating BER take care to guard against the blights.


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

DAvarm, I mentiond to the wife the other day about maybe some kind of shade for the tomatos the other day aside frome the blossom end rot I see some of them are turning white on top and spoiling befor they even start to ripen I thought maybe they were sunburning? Might try some shade if it gets this hot and dry next year, (if there is a garden next year who knows if the turd in the white house gets reelected). Thanks
MIke


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

talob said:


> DAvarm, I mentiond to the wife the other day about maybe some kind of shade for the tomatos the other day aside frome the blossom end rot I see some of them are turning white on top and spoiling befor they even start to ripen I thought maybe they were sunburning? Might try some shade if it gets this hot and dry next year, (if there is a garden next year who knows if the turd in the white house gets reelected). Thanks
> MIke


Generally when you see the white areas on the green tomatoes, it is from sunburn. If you want to shade them but don want to spend any money, you can place some grass clippings over the green fruit. Not an ideal fix but its cheap and effective. The only drawbacks are that you have to keep replacing it if its windy and it is possible to spread blight fungus through the clippings.

The "Weed Block" that I used was about $18.00 for a 25 x 3 foot roll(Ace Hardware) and would make enough shades for 20 to 30 plants. We have quite a lot of wind here at times and the shades that I made surprised me by staying on through it.


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## Cahri (Feb 18, 2011)

talob said:


> cahri, I'm gonna start giveing oyster shells to the chickens when they start laying so next year when I work up the raised beds just throw a handfull of oyster shells in when I work up the soil? Thanks
> Mike


Yup, crushed oyster shells is slow release calcium, good for chickens and good for gardens


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