Tomatoe rot?

[vette-kid]

Found this little guy with the bottom half all brown and mushy. Any idea what's going on? The rest of the Tomatoes and the plant look healthy. We have had a lot of rain over the past week, is it a case of over watering?

 

[Beth_B]

I believe that is blossom end rot.

 

[Plantdoctor]

As Beth says.

A symptom of irregular watering,not much you can do if they grow outside.

Only affects some fruit, so the rest may be fine.

 

[Chuck]

Found this little guy with the bottom half all brown and mushy. Any idea what's going on? The rest of the Tomatoes and the plant look healthy. We have had a lot of rain over the past week, is it a case of over watering?
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In Texas where we have alkaline soils spreading a cup of Epsom Salts around the base of tomato plants is just about mandatory to prevent Blossom End Rot. BER here is rampant and has nothing to do with watering. It is caused by the plants inability to uptake the calcium which is over abundant in our soils. Somehow ES fixes this problem. You might try it. It wont hurt anything

 

[Plantdoctor]

So, l always like to check my facts and this says all to do with watering and little to do with uptake of calcium .

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-blossom-rot.htm


Then on the other hand,this says a bit of both,

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=395

So the cause does not not seem cut and dried.

I was always led to believe, irregular watering.

 

[Chuck]

So, l always like to check my facts and this says all to do with watering and little to do with uptake of calcium .

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-blossom-rot.htm


Then on the other hand,this says a bit of both,

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=395

So the cause does not not seem cut and dried.

I was always led to believe, irregular watering.

That may well be the case in other areas but not in South Central Texas. Irregular watering here causes erratic growth, overwatering causes splitting and cracking. If I do not use ES I will not get a decent crop. Some varieties of tomatoes are more prone than others such as Roma and San Marzano to BER. I have had this discussion on this forum many times and I have tried to find a scientific reason for the results of using ES and BER to no avail. All I know is that it works here every time it is tried. I have 92 tomato plants in the ground now and they are all producing great without a sign of BER. I always use ES twice. Once at planting and again when the plant starts to set fruit. A few years ago I did a side by side experiment. On every tomato plant that didn't get ES all of them had BER to some extent, most had about 75% of the tomatoes affected. Other varieties about 30% but all had BER. On the plants that got the ES, none were affected except two plants that contracted BER at the very end of the growing season. I suspect that if I were to have given them another dose of ES midway in the season even that small amount of damage could have been avoided. I don't know if ES will work on BER anywhere else but ES is used just about anywhere for many things so it will not hurt anything.

 

[vette-kid]

Interesting, I will try it. Our storms here can cause significant rain at times and there isn't much I can do about it. They are on the deck, stop maybe moving them up by the house will help.

 

[Tech]

I always contribute BER to the plants inability to uptake certain nutrients. Usually caused by water logging, and leading to an unhealthy environment for the root system which causes root systems to die back, I find BER is more notorious in containers for the exact same reasons.

In the case with chuck, Epson salts add Magnesium sulfate, which has been shown to aid in the uptake of other nutrients. The magnesium might be low or be getting locked out for other reasons and applying a dosage of it could potentially make the magnesium, and other nutrients more readily available.

 

[roadrunner]

We have been in a mini-drought and I haven't been watering my tomatoes too much, depending mostly on the moist, loamy soil; however, in the last three days we've had tons of rain, especially yesterday. I'm hoping I don't start seeing BER.

 

[vette-kid]

We have been in a mini-drought and I haven't been watering my tomatoes too much, depending mostly on the moist, loamy soil; however, in the last three days we've had tons of rain, especially yesterday. I'm hoping I don't start seeing BER.

Good luck,I found a few more today. Of the dozen or so tomatoes I had it looks like only 3 or 4 might make it.

 

[Nrcheek]

Have you found anything to help? I'm finding it as well in my gsrden. Epsom salt is worth a try for me

 

[vette-kid]

Have you found anything to help? I'm finding it as well in my gsrden. Epsom salt is worth a try for me

Not yet, I keep forgetting to look for Epsom salts. Not even sure where you would find it?

I've got several on the vine right now that look OK, so hopefully they make it.

 

[Nrcheek]

I've seen it in the pharmacy section with bath salts ..etc..

 

[Beth_B]

Not yet, I keep forgetting to look for Epsom salts. Not even sure where you would find it?

I've got several on the vine right now that look OK, so hopefully they make it.

Look in the pharmaceutical or cosmetics section of your grocery or drug store. It's usually sold as a bath water addition to help with muscle aches and such.

 

[headfullofbees]

I buy it online.