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vannie_gw

Sick tomatoes

vannie
16 years ago

My tomatoes are beautiful except for a black spot on the bottom of them. If you cut into the tomato the black spot goes about half way up the tomato. Anybody have a clue about this? I really enjoy my tomatoes!

Comment (1)

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago

    It is blossom end rot, often referred to as BER.

    With all the rain we have had in this region, it is not unusual to see some blossom end rot.

    It is believed to be caused by a calcium deficiency in the blossom end of the fruit. It it not necessarily that your soil is deficient in calcium, but rather that some sort of environmental conditions exist that are preventing your plants from taking up and using the calcium. Periods of heavy rain are often the culprit when you experience blossom end rot. This is especially true if you have heavy rain followed by dry periods followed again by heavy rain. The inconsistent soil moisture is part of the problem.

    If you can get the soil moisture to remain even, that will help. (I know that with the recent rains, this might sound impossible.) Once the heavy rains have stopped in your area (no rain here since last Saturday, yippee!), don't let the soils get really, really dry before you water. Just try to keep the soil evenly moist.

    BER is most common in periods of rapid growth. Also, be careful you are not feeding your plants too much nitrogen which can contribute to the problem.

    Usually BER will go away on its own unless you are having monsoon rains that just won't quit.

    BER is most common on paste tomatoes.

    Good luck.

    Dawn