Blossom End Rot

I am noticing blossom end rot on my tomatoes. What should I do? Is it still possible to get good fruit from these plants or should I just pull them now?

Oh, it might be helpful to know the are heirloom varieties and we planted then waaayyy too close together. We're new at this gardening thing!

BER is a problem I had at the beginning of last year. It only effected the first fruit of the season because I corrected the garden soil less mix. It is usually a nutrition deficiency and involves water, there are corrections you can make and have better fruit come from the same plant. I suggest you go to the search feature and look for the many previous threads about this subject. If you still have questions we will be more than happy to answer them!

to the SFG Forum. Have you had a chance to read the All New Square Foot Gardening book yet?

vcrouch wrote:I am noticing blossom end rot on my tomatoes. What should I do? Is it still possible to get good fruit from these plants or should I just pull them now?

Oh, it might be helpful to know the are heirloom varieties and we planted then waaayyy too close together. We're new at this gardening thing!

Did you plant in MM?

How Close together is way too close?

Some people argue over the claim of Calcium deficiency being the major cause of BER. Others claim it's a watering inconsistency. I fought BER in tomatoes planted in 3 out of 5 Earthboxes using potting mix, dolomite, and 7-7-7 fertilizer. Two plants were planted in each box. In one of the three boxes with BER, only one of the two plants had BER. Obviously, one factor has to be the variety and the individual plant itself as having a propensity toward BER.

In planning on switching to MM in a SQFT raised bed garden, I have inquired as to the need for mixing lime into the MM. In the latest book, Mel states that he has not added any chemicals to the soil in over 9 years. Other gardeners following his model have said they do not add calcium to their tomato squares and have not had a single incident of BER. So I have to believe the compost supplies adequate nutrients to the plant to prevent BER.

FYI: A local gardener recommended I dissolve 1 TBL of fast acting lime in a quart of water and use this to water the plants for a few days to see what happens. I never did this experiment.

Vcrouch. Hope you found a lot of good information when reading ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING. If you have not read it yet, do yourself a big favor and locate a copy right away. You may be able to find a copy at your local library.

Here is one of many informative threads on BLOSSOM END ROT

As camprn suggested, there are many threads on this issue.

Most agree that the first tier of tomatoes are more succeptible (sp?) and future tiers after treatment, will probably be healthy.

As far as planting too close, it is probably much too late to transplant them farther apart as you already have fruit and the transplant shock would considerably delay your plants.

Again, Welcome.