This common tomato disease is easy to avoid once you understand what causes it.
When growing your own tomatoes, one of the mostcommon problems you may encounter is blossom end rot.
All seems well while you’re watching those tiny fruits grow larger by the day and slowly ripen.
Credit: Cameron Sadeghpour
But then you notice a soft spot on the bottom side of atomatothat turns black.
Blossom end rot has struck.
Tomato lovers take heart, this isn’t the end of the story.
Sure, you may have to toss already affected fruit into your compost pile.
But stilldeveloping tomatoes on healthy plantscan become perfect slicers for your next BLT with these four tips.
What causes blossom end rot?
The culprit of blossom end rot in tomatoes is not a bug or a disease.
Tomato plants need calcium in all actively growing parts, from the roots to the fruits.
Calcium is transported from place to place by water.
The bigger issue is not enough water to move the calcium to the fruit.
However, asoil test will reveal if calcium or other essential plant nutrientsare lacking.
It’s not contagious; a symptomatic tomato will not “share” the problem with a neighbor.
No chemical control, such as fungicide, is effective.
Use these 4 tips to help prevent blossom end rot.
Keep tomato plants well watered.
Tomatoes grow best with about an inch of water a week from rainfall or irrigation.
Supplement rainfall when needed bywatering with a soaker hoseor awatering can.
This is especially important when growing tomatoes in containers, where they tend to dry out faster.
Test Garden Tip:To discourage leaf diseases, avoid getting foliage wet as you water.
Yes, rain will obviously get your plants wet, which does help diseases spread.
The more you could keep leaves dry, the better.
Add mulch around tomato plants.
Spread a 2-inch-thicklayer of organic mulcharound the base of your plants.
Materials such as straw, grass clippings, chopped leaves, or shredded bark all work well.
Plus, it helps smother weeds.
Don’t over fertilize.
Fast growth can lead to blossom end rot.
The compost will slowly release nutrients and improve the soil structure at the same time.
Onlyapply fertilizer if recommendedby a soil test, and see to it to follow label directions exactly.
Care for the roots.
Roots are essential for absorbing the calcium that prevents blossom end rot.
Avoid disturbing a tomato plant’s root zone so it can absorb maximum calcium.
