Tomato blossom end rot is not a disease but a physiological condition that can severely affect the growth and health of your tomato plants. You see it as the discolored, sunken spots that appear at the blossom end of the fruit.
Preventing and Combating Tomato Blossom End Rot: Complete DIY Guide
Discover the reasons behind tomato blossom end rot, how its effects on your crop yield, and easy ways to combat and manage it! Find out how to safeguard your garden this season.
Understanding Tomato Blossom End Rot
Ever looked at your tomato plant, excited to see a growing fruit, only to spot a nasty, sunken, black spot on the underside?
That’s a tomato blossom end rot in action, and it’s as bad as it looks. It starts as an innocent, small, water-soaked spot that morphs into a leathery, sunken blotch, covering almost half of your tomato in no time.
You’re not alone in this struggle. Tomato blossom end rot has been a common agricultural issue since 120 years ago as first described by the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station around 1896. The good news is, it’s not a death sentence for your garden.
With careful attention and prompt action, you can save your tomatoes in time for the harvest season!
Causes of Tomato Blossom End Rot (BER)
Prevention and treatment start with awareness. Here are the causes behind tomato blossom end rot:
- Calcium Deficiency: This is the primary cause of BER. Calcium is necessary for growing plant tissue, and an insufficient amount of this nutrient results in the appearance of dark, sunken spots on your tomatoes. Keep in mind that this isn’t always because your soil lacks calcium – it could be that the plant can’t adequately absorb it.
- Irregular Watering: Tomato plants like consistency, especially in terms of watering. If you swing between flooding and drought, it prevents the plant from absorbing the calcium it needs, leading to BER.
- Root Damage: Injured roots struggle to absorb nutrients, including calcium. Root harm can result from rapid growth, over-cultivation, or pests in the soil.
Now let’s look at some environmental factors that contribute to BER:
- High Temperatures: Intense heat can increase transpiration (the release of water from plants) and reduce the amount of water and nutrients that reach the fruit, triggering BER.
- Rapid Plant Growth: If your tomato plants are growing like they’re in a race, they might not distribute calcium evenly.
- Salty Soils: Excessive salt in the soil can interfere with nutrient uptake, leading to disease conditions, including BER.
Impact of Tomato Blossom End Rot
BER can be a nightmare to any gardener, impacting the plant’s growth and overall quality.
When a tomato contracts BER, you won’t just have cosmetic issues. You’ll also have to deal with the fruit’s declining health.
The affected fruit becomes less vibrant and prone to secondary infections. If not addressed immediately, tomatoes will drop before they mature, leading to a reduced crop yield.
Allowing BER to prosper can increase the chance of suffering the same issue for the next seasons, continually reducing your garden’s productivity.
The earlier you nip tomato blossom end rot in the bud, the safer your other yields will be.
Preventing Tomato Blossom End Rot
We’ve spent enough time talking about the problem; now let’s get into the solution. Here are some steps you can take to avoid this problem:
Step 1: Consistent Watering
Keep the soil consistently moist, not waterlogged or dry. This helps the plant absorb calcium effectively.
Step 2: Proper Fertilization
Using excessive nitrogen-rich fertilizers can lead to fast, leafy growth at the expense of the fruit, increasing the risk of BER. Choose a balanced fertilizer by considering the following:
- N-P-K Ratio: On every fertilizer package, you’ll see three numbers, which represent Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). A balanced fertilizer would have these three nutrients in equal proportions for tomatoes, like a 14-14-14 or 10-10-10 ratio.
- Calcium Content: Since calcium deficiency can cause blossom end rot, it’s a good idea to look for fertilizers that include calcium. Some specialized tomato fertilizers include this nutrient in their mix.
- Secondary Nutrients and Trace Elements: A good tomato fertilizer will also include secondary nutrients like Magnesium and Sulfur, as well as trace elements like Iron, Manganese, and Zinc.
- Organic vs. Synthetic: Many gardeners prefer organic fertilizers, which release nutrients slowly and improve the soil’s structure and moisture retention. In contrast, synthetic fertilizers offer immediate nutrient availability but can cause nutrient imbalances if overused.
- Reviews and Recommendations: Look at what other gardeners are saying. Reviews and recommendations can be a great source of practical advice from people who’ve already tested the product on their tomatoes.
Step 3: Mulching
This is a gardening practice where a material layer is spread over the soil surface around plants.
One of mulching’s best benefits is helping to retain soil moisture, preventing the fluctuations that can lead to BER. It also keeps the roots cool during hot weather.
Your mulch material can be organic, such as straw, wood chips, leaves, or grass clippings, or inorganic, like stones, plastic films, or landscape fabric.
Step 4: Healthy Transplanting
Avoid damaging the roots when transplanting. The healthier the roots, the better they can absorb nutrients.
Importance of Soil Testing
Checking your soil’s nutrient levels gives you an overview of what components it lacks that are required for plant growth.
If it’s deficient in calcium, you can amend it accordingly through methods like composting or adding gypsum to it.
Detecting PH imbalance is another thing soil testing can do to alert you of its potential impact on plant growth.
Treating Tomato Blossom End Rot
What if prevention is too late, and BER has started infecting your tomatoes? Don’t fret!
Here are some popular DIY treatment options you can do from home to help your fruit bounce back:
Calcium Sprays
These can be purchased from your local garden store and sprayed directly onto the plant. They provide a quick dose of calcium to help rectify any deficiencies.
Advantages of using this method include:
- Quick Fix: Calcium sprays are fast-acting. They provide a direct source of calcium spray to your plants, allowing them to address deficiencies immediately.
- Avoid Soil Complications: Calcium in the soil can sometimes be hard for plants to absorb, especially if the soil pH is not ideal or there’s inconsistent watering. Calcium sprays sidestep this issue by delivering calcium directly to the plant.
- Prevention: Regular use of calcium sprays during the growing season can help prevent BER from recurring. It’s ideal, especially if your garden already has a history of experiencing the issue.
- Ease of Use: Calcium sprays are easy to apply and can be used on the foliage and the soil, aiding absorption through roots and leaves.
Removing Affected Fruit
This may seem harsh, but removing the fruit that is already showing signs of BER can help the plant direct its energy and nutrients to develop healthy fruit.
While BER isn’t contagious, the rotting tomatoes left on the plant can attract various pests or become hosts for different diseases.
These could spread to the rest of your garden, causing more harm. By removing an affected fruit, you are allowing your soil’s nutrients to be used by healthier fruits on your crop.
Eggshell Solution
This method provides an extra calcium boost right at the plant’s roots. If you raise chickens , then this will work great for you. But, if you do not have chickens, then try this pre-ground eggshell mix.
Here’s a detailed rundown on how to make your own eggshell soil amendment.
Step 1: Save Your Eggshells
Start by setting aside the shells from any eggs you eat. This is a great way to repurpose kitchen waste. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly to remove any egg residue.
Step 2: Dry the Eggshells
Allow the shells to dry completely. You can let them air dry, or if you want to speed up the process, you can bake them in the oven at a low temperature (around 200 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Crush the Eggshells
Once the eggshells are completely dry, they become much easier to crush. You can do this by hand, but you should use a blender or a coffee grinder for best results.
The goal is to get them as fine as possible, ideally into a powder. This increases the surface area and allows them to break down faster in the soil, making the calcium available to your plants more quickly.
Step 4: Add Eggshell Powder to the Soil
When you’re ready to plant your tomatoes, add a spoonful or two of the crushed eggshells to the hole you’re growing in, then place your tomato plant on top.
As you water your plants, the eggshell powder will start to decompose, releasing calcium into the soil that the tomato plants can absorb.
The Following may Not be Reliable Methods for BER
The methods listed below are floating around on the internet. Make sure to do your research before your try any of these as they may be “wives tales” and not actually work!
Tums Solution
In theory some say that the same Tums you take for heartburn can help your plants. It’s a quick and easy way to add calcium directly to the soil.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
You’ll need a few Tums tablets (unscented, regular strength is best), a bucket or watering can, and water.
Step 2: Dissolve the Tums
Take about 5-6 Tums tablets and crush them into fine powder. Once crushed, add the powder to a gallon of water in your bucket or watering can and mix well until the Tums are fully dissolved.
Step 3: Apply to Your Tomato Plants
Water your tomato plants with the Tums solution. Aim to get the solution at the base of the plant, where it can soak into the soil and make the calcium available to the plant’s roots.
Apply this solution once every two weeks during the growing season to provide an extra calcium boost.
Make sure to read the rebuttal on why Tums are not a cure for Blossom End Rot!
Milk Solution
Mix milk with water in a 1:1 ratio to water your plants. Here’s a detailed guide on how to do this:
Step 1: Prepare the Solution
Mix equal parts of skim milk and water in a container. It’s that simple! Just make sure it’s not flavored or sweetened.
Step 2: Apply the Solution
Like regular watering, aim to pour the milk solution around the base of your tomato plants. Avoid splashing it onto the leaves, which can lead to mold growth.
Step 3: Repeat Application
Water your plants with the milk solution once a week. This will provide a steady supply of additional calcium throughout the growing season.
While the milk solution can supply additional calcium, it does not replace balanced soil or proper watering.
We always recommend that you perform a soil test to ensure your garden has all the nutrients for healthy plant growth.
Also, while this method can help prevent BER, it may not be sufficient to cure a plant that’s already heavily affected. In such cases, additional treatment options may be necessary.
Again, make sure to do your research as most studies indicate that it is not a lack of available calcium but a lack of moisture necessary to transport the calcium to the plants.
More Tips for Healthy Tomato Plants
Keeping your tomato plants healthy involves preventing and treating tomato blossom end rot. A thriving garden requires ongoing care and attention.
Let’s look at additional tips for overall tomato plant health and other common pests and diseases to watch out for.
General Tomato Plant Care:
- Feeding: Besides ensuring the soil is rich in calcium, tomatoes also require a balanced feed of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
- Staking or Caging: Supporting your tomatoes helps them grow upright, keeps the fruit off the ground, and can improve air circulation, reducing the risk of diseases.
- Regular Pruning: This helps to increase air circulation and sunlight exposure, reducing the risk of fungal diseases.
Common Pests and Diseases to Watch Out For:
- Tomato Hornworms: These green caterpillars can devour tomato leaves quickly. They can be picked off by hand or controlled with a natural product like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
- Aphids: These tiny pests can cause leaf curling and yellowing. Control them with strong sprays of water or insecticidal soap.
- Early Blight: This fungal disease causes spots on leaves and fruit. Prevent it by rotating crops and keeping the garden free of plant debris.
- Late Blight: Late blight causes large, dark spots on leaves and fruit. It can be controlled with fungicides and by removing and destroying infected plants.
In Conclusion
Prevention and treatment for tomato blossom end rot don’t have to be complicated! Understand its causes and apply our shared strategies to protect your tomatoes and keep a healthy garden.
Happy gardening, and here’s to a bountiful harvest!
