Tomato Blossom Rot Problem

Has anyone had any experience with blossom rot on their tomatoes? When the tomato looks healthy but the bottom turns black and mushy...the garden shop said it is a calcium deficiency that makes them more likely to contract the problem.

Otherwise, the plant looks awesome and continues to grow at an obscene rate.

I've bought a foliar spray made specifically to stop this problem...but it indicates that it will take three weeks on foliar applications to be effective.

Does anyone have any thoughts or additional solutions?

I've lost about 50% of my Italian plum tomatoes in the last ten days!

1. Lime tomato soils to pH 6.5 to 6.7 -- Home gardens not limed in the past 2 to 3 years will need 2 cups of lime for each plant. The lime should be worked into the soil 12 inches deep.
2. Fertilize properly -- Applying too much fertilizer at one time can result in blossom-end rot. For home gardens not soil tested, apply 5 pints of 8-8-8 per 100 ft of row and work it thoroughly into the top 8 inches of soil.
3. Mulch plants -- Use straw, pine straw, decomposed sawdust, ground decomposed corn cobs, plastic, or newspapers. Mulches conserve moisture and reduce blossom-end rot. In extreme drought, plastic may increase blossom-end rot if plants are not watered.
4. Irrigate when necessary -- Tomato plants require about 1.5 inches of water per week during fruiting. This amount of water should be supplied by rain or irrigation. Extreme fluctuations in soil moisture result in a greater incidence of blossom-end rot.
5. Spray calcium -- The plants may be sprayed with a calcium solution at the rate of 4 lb. of calcium nitrate or calcium chloride per 100 gal of water (or 4 level Tbs per gal of water). This spray should be applied 2 to 3 times a week, beginning at the time the second fruit clusters bloom. These materials can be mixed with the spray that is used for control of foliar diseases. Chelated calcium solutions also provide an excellent source of calcium. When using these chelates, follow label directions. Several foliar spray materials containing calcium are available and all work well for tomatoes.

There is a good article on Blossom end rot at the Home & Garden Information Center website. Home & Garden Information Center @ Clemson University Eggshells should help, but the important thing is to have water consistently available (not up and down, which causes the problems with the calcium deficiency).
I have experienced blossom end rot when I used too much nitrogen in the vegetative state. I just hate it!!

bump...bump...bump

GreenSurfer said:

Has anyone had any experience with blossom rot on their tomatoes? When the tomato looks healthy but the bottom turns black and mushy...the garden shop said it is a calcium deficiency that makes them more likely to contract the problem.

Otherwise, the plant looks awesome and continues to grow at an obscene rate.

I've bought a foliar spray made specifically to stop this problem...but it indicates that it will take three weeks on foliar applications to be effective.

Does anyone have any thoughts or additional solutions?

I've lost about 50% of my Italian plum tomatoes in the last ten days!

Click to expand...

Blossom end rot usually results from uneven watering. A plant deprived of moisture for a while them suddenly infused with water will be suseptible to blossom end rot.

Blossom-end rot. Caused by poor calcium uptake due to inconsistent moisture. Provide consistent moisture with a soaker hose, and keep a layer of mulch on the soil.

Click to expand...

The Perfect Tomato Plan

Thanks! They are in a tomato grow box with a 4-gallon reservoir...I'm perplexed!!

GreenSurfer said:

Thanks! They are in a tomato grow box with a 4-gallon reservoir...I'm perplexed!!

Click to expand...

In that case, I can't help you. I know absolutely nothing about hydro.

Good luck.

I bought the following:

The Garden Patch

...it is an old-school dirt wicking planter with a 4-gallon reservoir.

Things grow like wild fire in them...the only problem has been the blossom rot in the tomatoes. Kitchen herbs double in size weekly in full sunlight during the summer...just H2O and light mix of liquid Grow Power...

I'm baffled...maybe it is a strain problem? My folks had no problems with cherry tomatoes or some strains of beef stakes...that said two of their larger tomato varietals have had a similar blossom rot problem too.

blossom end rot is most definetely not caused by uneven watering. uneven watering causes cracking, splitting and 'hard shoulders'. calcium deficiency is the culprit. you need a complete fertilizer early on in flowering and in initial fruit developmet in order to prevent this. think of it as a nursing mother. she needs extra calcium as well as other nutrients because her baby is literally sucking them from her. trust me on this I grow over 1.5 million tomato plants a year.

Organic Gardening Magazine wrote Blossom End Rot is "caused by poor calcium uptake due to inconsistent moisture."

Well...we've regulated the waterings and now have added a calcium additive designed specifically to end blossom rot...I still have a few bad baby tomatoes, but the numbers have gone way down in week two.