"Ben" wrote in message news:bYyJc.33734$od7.11803@pd7tw3no...
| My healthy tomato plants (determinate Roma and indeterminate cherry) have
| set lots of fruit, and some of it looks just about ready to ripen. I've
fed
| a couple of times with balanced fertilizer (most recently three weeks
ago),
| and the soil is good and composty. Is there anything special to do at this
| point with pruning, with the soil, with watering...? Should I add calcium
to
| pre-empt blossom end rot? Any suggestions! I'm in Victoria, BC.
|
| Thanks.
|

Tomatoes don/t need a lot of fertilizer, especially if you/re growing in
rich soil. I side dress my plants about a week after setting the plants and
that/s it for the season. Nor do they need to be pruned, unless you want to
root a few suckers to get some more plants. As for Ca for BER, it won/t do
any good. BER is largely a self-correcting condition that results from
uneven moisture. Water deeply once a week (an inch or two) and mulch to
conserve moisture. If you see black spots on the lower leaves, you may need
to spray with a fungicide every 7-10 days.