Poor redneck
Well-Known Member
My Roma tomatoes are rotting on the bottoms before they rippen. Anyone with any idea's? Fire away.
Tomatoes rotting on vine?
- Thread starter Poor redneck
- Start date
bigtex
Well-Known Member
Blossom end rot. Usually means that your soil needs lime.
Blossom end rot. Has a lot to do with distribution of moisture.
I use a tbs of epsom salt on each plant every couple of weeks and it has always corrected it.
I use a tbs of epsom salt on each plant every couple of weeks and it has always corrected it.
catman529
Well-Known Member
BER is caused by a maldistribution of calcium in the fruit... not enough calcium gets to the end so it rots. It's often the result of uneven watering, but sometimes it is just unavoidable. Some say to supplement the plants with something containing calcium but if the calcium isn't getting to the end of the fruit it doesn't necessarily mean there's a deficiency. Watering evenly is a start...
Roma and other paste-type tomatoes are the most vulnerable, while cherries are probably the least. Make sure watering is even (don't let them wilt and then over-water for example) and usually they will just outgrow it. My Opalkas (the only paste type I grow) will get a few fruits with BER earlier in the producing season but then it fades off. I mulch my tomatoes and rarely if ever water. I have not watered at all this year, and even in this drought, my tomatoes are pumping out lush leaves and fruit. BER has never been too big a problem for me - stink bugs, hornworms, fruit worms, etc are worse.
Roma and other paste-type tomatoes are the most vulnerable, while cherries are probably the least. Make sure watering is even (don't let them wilt and then over-water for example) and usually they will just outgrow it. My Opalkas (the only paste type I grow) will get a few fruits with BER earlier in the producing season but then it fades off. I mulch my tomatoes and rarely if ever water. I have not watered at all this year, and even in this drought, my tomatoes are pumping out lush leaves and fruit. BER has never been too big a problem for me - stink bugs, hornworms, fruit worms, etc are worse.
bigtex
Well-Known Member
As I said, blossom end rot can be helped with lime. Lime and calcium go hand in hand.
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name of the natural mineral (native lime) of the CaO composition.
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name of the natural mineral (native lime) of the CaO composition.
BER can be helped with calcium and lime but not stoped. No mater what we do it will still pop up on just about any tomato plant.
The tomatoes you already have will not be helped once they start to show signs of BER but the ones coming from the new blooms will.
The very best thing a person can do is mix in the lime in his garden this FALL AND WINTER for the garden next spring. It takes anywhere from 4 to 6 months for the lime to break down. People that use the same patch of land for their gardens year after year think that adding the lime when they plant in the spring is helping their garden that same year when in truth it was last years lime that's doing the work. But the mistake here is the lime now has been in the ground for 12 full months and it's not at it's peak, let's call it half instead of full. If you plant in April then the best time to put the lime in is Nov the year before.
The tomatoes you already have will not be helped once they start to show signs of BER but the ones coming from the new blooms will.
The very best thing a person can do is mix in the lime in his garden this FALL AND WINTER for the garden next spring. It takes anywhere from 4 to 6 months for the lime to break down. People that use the same patch of land for their gardens year after year think that adding the lime when they plant in the spring is helping their garden that same year when in truth it was last years lime that's doing the work. But the mistake here is the lime now has been in the ground for 12 full months and it's not at it's peak, let's call it half instead of full. If you plant in April then the best time to put the lime in is Nov the year before.
JAD
Well-Known Member
I usually see it in the early part of the season, then it clears up later. I tried putting ground up egg shells in the planting holes this year, see if it helps.
Poor redneck
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys. I do put lime in the garden at the end of growing season and till it under. I also have been composting for years and spreading that out. This is the worst year I can ever remember in over twenty years of gardening. Uneven watering could be possible, this is the first year I have not mulched my garden in many and have noticed the need to water more, and have had some mild wilt to some of the plants before getting time to water. It is not happening to all of my plants but they are starting to come in real good to notice. Sounds like for now I will give a small dose of epsom to the bases. Course, could be the city water I been usin'. Will report back on the progress as I see it. Thanks again.
