Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes

There is a spray most nurserys carry that stops it. you just spray it on the Tomato.

 

Bought my spray at wallyworld, it does wonders.

When did you put out your lime? I think that I need to put it out in Jan or Feb for planting here, I never remember to put it out at the right time. I just add with the regular fertilizer then spray if needed.

 

I've also heard that irregular water supply will cause it and now that I heavily mulch my tomatoes, I don't seem to have it.

 

When it comes to tomatoes and blossom end rot, is there any resistance bred into hybrids that heirloom varieties don't have? I don't know and am asking.

 

Keeping the supply of moisture to the plant roots steady and consistent is very important to avoiding blossom end rot.

Is your garden soil soggy? Really dry? Swinging from one to the other?

I've found a good mulch usually eliminates the problem for me.

.....Alan.

 

What's the name of the wallyworld stuff?

 

As others have said, lack of calcium and irregular watering is what causes it. You've covered the calcium thing with the lime, but somewhere, sometime back, I collected a little nugget of information about plants requiring magnesium to be able to take up calcium. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, so watering the 'maters with a solution made with Epsom salts can help provide that element. Worked for me, anyway. (I used crushed eggshells for the calcium, and mulched them heavily to help regulate soil moisture.)

Hope this helps,
Diana

 

I'll try to remember to look tomorrow, it is in the shed outside and the mosquitos would eat me up if I went out there tonight.

I apologize for not checking back sooner.

 

It is called "Yield Booster" by ferti-lome. " 2 Tablespoons makes 1 gallon of spray --- Stops and Prevents blossom end rot caused by calcium deficiency" It is in a brown bottle with 16 ounces. Guaranteed Analysis: Calcium as CA..10%, Chlorine, not more than.....22% Derived from Calcium Chloride 370-0910
At half strength, during bloom it is used as foliar spray to help set fruitand increase yields
Bought it several years ago at $3.99.

Hope this helps and again I apologize for not checking back sooner.

 

Thanks

 

Phantomfyre you are so right, I work for the County Extention Office here in Oregon. Just to add few things. Calcium and magnesiun can leach out of the soil during heavy rains. These should be put back into the soil pretty much every year. Using eggs shells or oyster shell is a long term fix for calcium, as they take a long time to break down, but are also the best since it takes longer to leach out. We at the office always tell people when planting tomatoes add 1 tablespoon of epson salt in the botton of the planting hole. Also remember to water regular.

 

I once cut a blossom-end rot problem short by pouring some extra milk on the tomatoes. I have goats, so had plenty of milk and some had gone bad. The tomatoes loved it, though!

 

Forgive my ignorance but how much milk? How often?

 

Something I've done for years with tomatoes and haven't had a problem with blossom end rot since I started doing it is to add 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salts into the planting hole when planting the plants. Mix it in with the dirt at the bottom of the hole and then plant the tomato. Can also use half that amount (1 tablespoon) for eggplants and pepper plants. The magnesium in the Epsom Salts helps the plant be able to use the calcium.

When the plants start blooming I add 1 quart of milk per plant. It just gives them extra calcium when they need it most. I usually just use the powdered milk mixed with water.

We'll be planting about 300 tomato plants this year so I probably won't do this with all of them, but the ones I've done it with have a much better harvest and great tasting tomatoes.

Diane