tomatos

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

my tomatoes this summer got the bottom blossom rot.any ideas on how to prevent it this summer

 

[TX300mag]

1. Even moisture (watering)
2. Manage calcium deficiencies

There's a lot of debate about the benefits of epsom salt. My ground is succeptable to BER. I used epsom salt several times during the past season and don't think I had a single fruit with BER.

 

[LA man]

i had the same problem and epsom salt helped alot, we lost a few plants cause we waited to long before puttin the salt

 

[farmin68]

Lime it. Now is a good time. And the epsom salts do help.

If it hasn't been limed in a few years 80 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. is a good rule of thumb.

 

[catman529]

It's most often not a calcium deficiency, but the plant failing to evenly distribute calcium through the fruit and to the blossom end. With the deficiency in the blossom end, that is the side that rots and that's why it's called blossom end rot. They always say the best remedy is even watering. However you might want to have your soil tested just in case there is a deficiency, but it's not that likely. Also, some varieties are more prone to BER than others, especially romas. You will see a lot of BER on roma and other plum-type tomatoes, some on beefsteak and slicers, and next to none on cherry tomatoes.