Blossom end rot?

[The Mama Chicken]

So, my Roma tomatoes all have blossom end rot. None of the other varieties have it, even though they are just a couple of feet away. I folliar fed with compost tea and gave them a side dressing of rabbit poo, is there anything else I should do to get rid of it?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I often have trouble with Blossom End Rot (BER) with my paste tomatoes, even when the others are not affected. I don't know what it is about the paste ones that causes that.

BER is caused by a lack of calcium getting to the tomatoes. You can try sidedressing with something that has calcium, maybe crushed oyster shells or powdered milk, though that is really best to do before it shows up. That compost tea should have had calcium it. It can also be caused by either too much or too little water. Mulching them and keeping an even moisture is probably the best to do at this time.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Thanks RR. I have some goats milk in the freezer, could I thaw it out and put that around the base of the plants (it was a little old and goaty tasting, but I can't imagine the plants would mind)?

 

[897tgigvib]

Here's what Calcium does:

NPK are the big 3 nutrients.

For Tomatoes, Ca, Calcium is next most important.

Mama Chicken, I'm pretty sure you have good access to eggs. Collect as many eggshells as it takes to crush up and fill a frying pan half full.

An old frying pan. Preferably cast iron.

If you have an outdoor firepit, or real strong fans near your kitchen stove, cook the eggshells to crispy, almost ash.

At any rate, however you do it, ash a bunch of eggshells. IT SMELLS BAD!

After they cool off, mix them in the soil around your affected Tomato plants. Bring it right down to the roots.

Pick all your affected tomato fruits, and trim the stem ends back a couple inches. Basically, you are starting your plants over.

Blossom end Rot happens not just due to Calcium deficiency, but because of an imbalance of...

Calcium
Nitrogen
Water

It happens with some varieties more than other varieties.

The Calcium lines the plant's nutrient tubes in the stems, all the way to the end of the fruit. The cells that make those tubes are high in calcium, and that gives the nutrient tubes their strength.

Too much Nitrogen makes those cells grow fast with not enough calcium in them for strength. Also, if there is a calcium deficiency that happens. If there is a little of both going on, too much water at one stage makes the stem stretch its growth weakly, and the same thing happens.

Enough nutrients reach most of the plant, but the end of the fruit does not.

Bone Meal has some Calcium in it, and that is why it is a favorite of Tomato and Cantaloupe growers.

For next year, I'd suggest a different variety of Roma Tomato.
Use bone meal liberally.
Careful with any extra Nitrogen.
Don't allow a day or 2 of no water, don't let them wilt.

Chances are a variety that does not get blossom end rot easily alone will solve things. The other remedies will sure help too though.

I remember growing a great variety called Cosmonaut Volkov from Russia, but a lot of the plants got blossom end rot on some of the tomatoes.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

smyth nailed it perfectly. It's a good idea to start collecting egg shells sometime after January and save as many as space will allow. I always rinse my egg shells before storage because the odor can ruin your day. I have some wonderful food-grade white 2 gallon plastic pails (about 100 of them) from a bakery with tight fitting lids that I store my shells in. I use those pails for many things around the farm here. I also have a home-brew grinder-upper made from an old weed whacker that I use in a small steel drum just like a stick blender. I pulverize the shells into a coarse sand consistency. I use an old (very old) turkey cooker to "ash" the shells and I always do it out doors 'cause it really stinks. Then when I'm starting my seeds indoors I put about 1/2 teaspoon of the ash in the pot with the seed. When I transplant to the garden I put about two heaping tablespoons full in each hole, blend well, and bury my tomato plant 2/3. With the ash you can also side dress your plants during the season if necessary - the calcium will seep into the soil very well. But, similar to lime, it's best to apply either before planting or at planting time. I have reduced BER about 99.9% with this routine. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it's not really. I do this same thing with my cantaloupe. Good luck.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Marshall's way should help but the calcium really needs to be there when they are transplanted for any method. Prevention is easier than the cure. The goat's milk should work too but I have not tried that specifically. It will likely set up a pretty good smell in the garden as it sours so be ready for that. I compost my egg shells so my compost has extra calcium in it to start with.

Anything to get extra calcium in there should help, but don't forget to keep the water steady too. Too much water or too little water can both interfere with the calciun getting where it should, even if you have calcium in the soil. I really like mulch for moisture control.

I mix about a tablespoon of Epsom Salts in the hole when I transplant them too. The Magnesium in Epson Salts is supposed to help get the calcium where it needs to be.

My BER really dropped when I started doing all this, but I still occasionally have problems with some of the paste tomatoes and BER. But it is not nearly as bad as it used to be even with them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll mention too that Blossom End Rot can affect peppers and eggplants as well as tomatoes. It's a good idea to take preventative measures with all of these.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

The peppers are fine and the eggplant have bigger problems than BER (darn flea beetles!!) but I found out that it affects squash too, which explains why my winter squash keep dropping fruit as soon as it starts to form. I'll do what I can this year and make sure I add calcium before I plant next year.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For flea beetles on the eggplant I just go for the Sevin. I tried other things but just decided if I want eggplant I have to just do it. It's one of the very few times I resort to any pesticide.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

I don't like eggplant, I grew them for my hubby. If they die I won't care one little bit. I'd rather deal with losing the 6 eggplants than put poison in my garden.