Why are my tomatoes getting mushy on the bottom?

Joined
Apr 28, 2014
Messages
18
Reaction score
2
I haven't had any problems with my cherry and roma tomatoes but my big tomatoes (I think they are beefsteak) have dark spots on the bottom. I noticed it on several of them. They were just getting ripe and when I went to pick them I saw that they were mushy and dark on the bottom. Am I overwatering them?
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
I haven't had any problems with my cherry and roma tomatoes but my big tomatoes (I think they are beefsteak) have dark spots on the bottom. I noticed it on several of them. They were just getting ripe and when I went to pick them I saw that they were mushy and dark on the bottom. Am I overwatering them?
What you have is called blossom end rot. In Texas it is caused by the plant being unable to take up potasium, other places it may have a different cause but the cure is the same. Sprinkle about a cup of Epsom Salts around the base of the plant and water it in well. This will not help the fruit already affected but it will stop any more fruits of being affected, especially the younger ones. Overwatering will cause cracks and splits but not blossom end rot.
 
Joined
Apr 28, 2014
Messages
18
Reaction score
2
Thank you Chuck, I have never heard of blossom end rot. I did see a tomato hornworm a few weeks ago and didn't know if that was what caused the damage. I am putting Epsom salts on my list of things to pick up today!
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
Thank you Chuck, I have never heard of blossom end rot. I did see a tomato hornworm a few weeks ago and didn't know if that was what caused the damage. I am putting Epsom salts on my list of things to pick up today!
Next year when you plant your tomatos do it when you plant and again about 2/3 of the way through the season on your indeterminate plants. You probably won't have to do it twice on your determinates
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
3,476
Reaction score
1,530
Location
Port William
Showcase(s):
1
Country
United Kingdom
They need calcium too; overwatering prevents uptake of calcium.
Crumble up one calcium carbonate indigestion tablet per plant, and work it into the soil close to the roots.
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
I haven't had any problems with my cherry and roma tomatoes but my big tomatoes (I think they are beefsteak) have dark spots on the bottom. I noticed it on several of them. They were just getting ripe and when I went to pick them I saw that they were mushy and dark on the bottom. Am I overwatering them?
Where are you located?
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2014
Messages
137
Reaction score
12
At least you don't have infestation of Earwigs eating your Tomatoes, I just got done with that phone it was freaking gross. I agree with everyone else though, you need to get some calcium into that soil!
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
At least you don't have infestation of Earwigs eating your Tomatoes, I just got done with that phone it was freaking gross. I agree with everyone else though, you need to get some calcium into that soil!
Unless you can show me pics of earwigs actually on and eating a healthy tomato it I find that very hard to believe. Earwigs eat dead organic material and other insects. They are mostly carnivorous. If an earwig was eating on a tomato with blossom end rot it sure didn't cause the rot. Maybe it is a lack of calcium uptake or maybe it is a lack of potasium uptake, the results are the same. Epsom salts fixes the problem and so might calcium carbonate. I know Epsom salts works in alkaline soils. It is possible in acidic soils that calcium carbonate is the cure. But the problem sure as hell ain't earwigs. They might be a symptom but not the cause
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2013
Messages
193
Reaction score
31
Thanks for the tips. Several years ago when I first started gardening, I had a crop of tomatoes with the rot you mentioned. I just pulled them all out since it was just two plants. Now I know that if it ever happens again, I can sprinkle the Epsom Salt around the plants. I haven't had it happen since then though, but I spaced my plants out more and rotated the plantings.
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
3,476
Reaction score
1,530
Location
Port William
Showcase(s):
1
Country
United Kingdom
Epsom salts works better for tomatoes when they are in the ground, because it frees up the calcium naturally there.

In pots, where nutrients can be sluiced out by watering, it is possible that there is no calcium left in your growing medium. In THOSE circumstances, calcium has to be added, as Epsom salts cannot free up that which is not there.
 
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
I maybe wrong but I though I read somewhere that low night time temperatures while the plant is flowering can cause blossom end rot also. I have tomatoes on one of my plants with this also and I was contributing it to the night time temps we had about a month ago. Maybe I am way off with my diagnosing the problem.
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
I maybe wrong but I though I read somewhere that low night time temperatures while the plant is flowering can cause blossom end rot also. I have tomatoes on one of my plants with this also and I was contributing it to the night time temps we had about a month ago. Maybe I am way off with my diagnosing the problem.
In my experience low nighttime temps causes the blossoms to fall prematurely and also leads to leaf curl but that's all. Use the Epsom salts now. It will not help the fruit already affected but will stop any more from getting it.
 
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
I don't want to hijack Marie's thread. But I have a couple questions about adding the salt.
1) How would you add this to an earth box?
2) For an earth box would it be better to add hydrated calcium and the salt?
3) 1 cup of Epson salt around the base of the plant, does the amount change with size of the container?

Thanks
Nick
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
I don't want to hijack Marie's thread. But I have a couple questions about adding the salt.
1) How would you add this to an earth box?
2) For an earth box would it be better to add hydrated calcium and the salt?
3) 1 cup of Epson salt around the base of the plant, does the amount change with size of the container?

Thanks
Nick
You would add it at time of planting and to be sure you are safe use both ES and calcium as neither will be harmfull. The 1 cup of ES will end up around the root system anyway so the volume of soil is not a major factor as ES does not burn, but a tomato needs a big container like a 5 gallon bucket. Like Bees said, the soil in your container is a major concern. If it has no calcium it must be added and in containers it can be easily flushed away.
 
Last edited:

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,588
Messages
256,640
Members
13,261
Latest member
geeksleather

Latest Threads

Top