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11-08-2003, 06:08 AM

(Frankhartx) wrote in message ...
From: (Sly boots 9)

my crop of tomatoes is not so great. Some of the fruit has black, flat
bottoms.
What is this, what causes this and can I prevent it. Any help, thanks

Blossom end rot is a common problem. Uneven watering and other environmental
conditions prevelent in the early part of the season cause a lack of calcium
metabolism even though that element may be present in sufficient quantities in
the soil. The good news is that it usually clears up by itself as the season
progresses, There are a number of home remedies which serve best to make one
fell like one is doing something instead of just waiting for the problem to go
away

While this may be true where you live, here in Tennessee it is not the
case. BER is mainly a late season problem here. I don't normally see
it until early to mid September. I usually harvest my first ripe
tomato around the first week of June. Our summers are normally very
hot and humid to start with followed by very hot and dry. I do concur
that uneven watering is usually the culprit. This summer has been the
exception, however, with relatively cool, wet days being the norm.
BER occurs when calcium metabolism in the plant is upset. This can be
caused by too much water, too little water or calcium poor soil.
Calcium poor soil is not the reason here but could be in some areas. I
recommend powdered gypsum to improve calcium poor soils as it will not
change the pH.

Lee Hall
Zone 6B -Tennessee but having a Washington summer