The tomato plants are lush and full with many green tomatoes all over them. Have picked 3-4 and they are as good as expected. Thunderstorms are predicted today with more rain throughout the week. Since there were about a half dozen tomatoes on the verge of becoming ripe I decided to pick them early to avoid the too much water issue and them splitting with all the rain coming. What a disaster. Every one of them were rotten on the bottom while looking fantastic on the top. The accursed Tomato Blossom Rot. I have had this issue in the past and thought I had it defeated. Epsom Salts. I put about a 1/4 cup on the base of each plant and water it in. That works like a charm to prevent that from happening. Yes, I did it this year, just like years past. The only thing I think may have happened is it was too early. Maybe it needs to be closer in timing to when the tomatoes start to form. I don't know for sure, but it has happened only once before with me putting epsom salts down and it happening at some point. Placing more seemed to solve it. I have put more out in the hopes of saving the many tomatoes that have already set. Yes, I am frustrated I didn't follow up with more salts a few weeks ago. I wish I had taken pictures so you could see what I am talking about but I chucked them over the fence in frustration as soon as I saw them. I need to do some research to find out more about this, see if there is something else that can be done to prevent this or how it actually comes about. It's not the soil I haul in. I have had this happen a lot previously in the soil I already have. It's what caused me to give up growing them in the first place.
Remember the Fallen
4 comments:
Sorry to hear that, hope you salvage the remainder!
CC down at Padre Island said you folks were getting a lot of rain in Texas. Same thing here, it's 98% humidity outside right now, but no rain for the moment.
I was told that blossom rot is due to lack of calcium. Our soil is horrid. Fought it myself for a couple years. Then I watered with powdered milk and "planted" a Tums or Rolaids (with the added calcium) at the base of each plant. Have not had a problem since. The majority tomatoes that were on the did not rot.
Old NFO-thanks, I think they will be ok, have just lost about a dozen so far.
Harry-Not much rain here until Tuesday and we got almost an inch. And yes, it is the humid time of year, almost hard to breathe.
Imamontanalady-Yes, lack of calcium appears to be the culprit. I use epsom salts and it works pretty well and dissolves quickly. Hoping it will be absorbed to save a lot of the current batch. They say bone meal placed in the soil and mixed in well well prior to planting works. But that sounds like a lot of work. Epsom salts is really cheap too.
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