Jump to content
GoDuBois.com

Bottom Rot already on tomatoes


Recommended Posts

Blossom end rot. I think that this year it is just lack of water. It is a deficiency of calcium in the plant but rather than being caused by lack of the mineral in the soil I think it is just not getting into the plant because of the dry soil. Make sense?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use the milk jug treatment to water your plants in this kind of weather.  Set one beside each plant as closely as you can.  Poke a small hole, about the size of a pencil lead or smaller in the bottom corner closest to the plant.  Filll the jug once a day and you should immediately see a difference.

 

We saved our cherry tree across from Shankel's Pharmacy that way but we used four gallon jugs for about a week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had that last year and called Penn State they said that it may have been caused from the mushroom soil we used on the garden. So far this year we seem to be ok. I like the milk jug idea thanks for that idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had that last year and called Penn State they said that it may have been caused from the mushroom soil we used on the garden. So far this year we seem to be ok. I like the milk jug idea thanks for that idea.

Did they give you a reason why mushroom soil would cause blossom end rot? I can see where it might cause a bacterial or fungal disease but not something that is due to lack of calcium in the soil or a problem with water.

Wondering how you got that information? Do you know who you talked too? I'm really curious as it is something I've never heard before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mom in Washington County is having trouble with that too. My tomatoes look great but it's rained here practically all summer, I think I've had to water the garden three times. My problem is that we planted gourds for fun and I think I'm going to have about 50 gourds, I have no idea what to do with them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mom in Washington County is having trouble with that too. My tomatoes look great but it's rained here practically all summer, I think I've had to water the garden three times. My problem is that we planted gourds for fun and I think I'm going to have about 50 gourds, I have no idea what to do with them!

dry them and sell them. people like that kind of stuff around the holidays. Also some people make bird houses out of gourds. Do some research on them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use the milk jug treatment to water your plants in this kind of weather.  Set one beside each plant as closely as you can.  Poke a small hole, about the size of a pencil lead or smaller in the bottom corner closest to the plant.  Filll the jug once a day and you should immediately see a difference.

 

We saved our cherry tree across from Shankel's Pharmacy that way but we used four gallon jugs for about a week.

Can you explain this Milk Jug treatment to me.  My tomatoes are rotten on the bottom.  What all goes in the jug?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alll she is saying is to fill a milk jug with watrer and poke a small hole in the bottom side of it for the water to gradually drain to water the plants.     Others are saying to use powdered milk in the water to get more calcium to them.   mIne seem to have cleared up ( or at least no more)  since we have gotten some rain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alll she is saying is to fill a milk jug with watrer and poke a small hole in the bottom side of it for the water to gradually drain to water the plants.     Others are saying to use powdered milk in the water to get more calcium to them.   mIne seem to have cleared up ( or at least no more)  since we have gotten some rain.

I think that the rain is going to take care of the blossom end rot. You are the second person that has told me that it stopped when we got some rain.

High humidity is a problem too, as the water travels up through the stem by a process that is initiated by the evaporation of water from the leaves. If the humidity gets too high there isn't enough evaporation and the calcium doesn't get to the tomatoes where it is needed in the cell walls so they don't collapse. Sometimes getting them planted too close together is a problem as they don't get proper air flow between the plants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have had blight the last 2 years so this year we put them on the deck in flower pots with NEW miracle grow soil and they have been water well, yeppers sure enough the blight has gotten this way too I give up

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have had blight the last 2 years so this year we put them on the deck in flower pots with NEW miracle grow soil and they have been water well, yeppers sure enough the blight has gotten this way too I give up

awwwww.....sorry to hear that........hubby sprayed something on our garden that a friend told him about and so far it seems to have helped.......can even spray it on now that it has tomatoes......

we also had blight for 2 yrs.......hubby also has watered them real good and put the lawn clippings on it to hold the water in.........

we also have some in pots just in case.........but they are only the cherry tomatoes and some squash....

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alll she is saying is to fill a milk jug with watrer and poke a small hole in the bottom side of it for the water to gradually drain to water the plants.     Others are saying to use powdered milk in the water to get more calcium to them.   mIne seem to have cleared up ( or at least no more)  since we have gotten some rain.

thank you.   :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Did they give you a reason why mushroom soil would cause blossom end rot? I can see where it might cause a bacterial or fungal disease but not something that is due to lack of calcium in the soil or a problem with water.

Wondering how you got that information? Do you know who you talked too? I'm really curious as it is something I've never heard before.

I can't remember the persons name it was the Cooperative Extension but when we told them what was happening they said it wasn't blight that there is too much nitrogen in that soil and we had been putting it on every year (as per dad) this year we went to Waylands and got one of those bags to send in a sample and got back just what we should put on. Worth the 9 we paid and so far so good everything is coming along fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I can't remember the persons name it was the Cooperative Extension but when we told them what was happening they said it wasn't blight that there is too much nitrogen in that soil and we had been putting it on every year (as per dad) this year we went to Waylands and got one of those bags to send in a sample and got back just what we should put on. Worth the 9 we paid and so far so good everything is coming along fine.

Yeah, too much nitrogen will burn the heck out of plants. The only year I had that happen was when fertilized in dry weather. I also had help and I suspect that the little hands were putting on big handfuls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you get a dry spell it's really hard for the plants to metabolize minerals in the soil so they develop problems.  One way to keep the soil watered more evenly is to add water VERY SLOWLY so it all stays around the roots of the plant rather than following soil cracks and running down past the plant to level where there are no roots.  

 

The gallon jugs stops the problem by only allowing enough water to swell the immediate root system.  That holds it well enough for it not to trickle to lower levels.  You see this all the time in pots of plants that have developed a dried out soil ball.  You can correct that but submerging the entire pot beneath the level of the water in a deep bucket and waiting till all of the bubbles have come up.  That means there are no dry air spaces in the soil ball and the plant not has water to ALL of it's roots instead of just a few.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peppers and squash will both get blossom end rot. I've had it on both but it usually is a fruit here and and there. I know people who have pulled up tomatoes already this year which, I think, is a mistake. There is still a good chance that they will come right especially with the change in the weather.

The peppers in my garden are the only thing that are doing well. Broccoli and cauliflower are small. I'm taking a wait and see attitude.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...