"GarlandGrower" wrote:
We are having a lot of trouble with Blossom End Rot on our Peppers this
year, probably all 10-12 plants have it. No good peppers yet and they were
planted in the bring albeit we got a late start.
Tomatoes not having it this year. I only saw one tomato from the last
harvest that had it on there.
? That seems strange. I used the same fertilizers on both, I even put some
Jobes Tomato Spikes in both the Tomatos and Peppers.
Rain has been nonexistent until the last few weeks and now we are getting
some pretty good rains. 2 1/2 in. this week near Gilmer. Blossom end rot
is suppose to show up after a lot of rain, but it seems like the Peppers
have been like this all along. I wonder if this is something that happens
pretty quick, say within one day of the rain? Anyway...
If you are going to crunch up eggshells and throw them down at the base of
the plant, is there any harm in NOT rinsing them first? My Dad leaves some
of the goop in them when he saves them for me. He maintains the garden for
us since he is retired. What about Tums? My Dad had the idea to throw them
down near the base of each plant last year and we did not seem to have as
much trouble. Can Tomatos and Peppers absorb the Calcium in Tums?
We have 1500+ sq. ft garden in E.Texas
Zone 7a or 8b
Thanks,
Rita
Most BER is supposedly water related, not actual calcium deficiency,
but without good soil testing it is hard to know for sure. The fact
that the peppers are suffering but tomatoes aren't is probably a key
symptom--something is affecting one and not the other. Any differences
in position of the peppers, near a rock/house wall (greater heat),
overhang of house, trees shading tomatoes more? Was the tomato soil
given any more preparation or used in previous years? Three of my
peppers, all in one bed are doing really badly, still only 6-7 inches
tall. The others out back also seem to have another problem-looks like
black spot that I see on roses. Nearby tomatoes are doing great. It
is just a bad, bad year for peppers for me.
No harm leaving the egg goop, except perhaps smell. I collect the
eggshells, especially during winter. I microwave them dry, toss in a
metal can and shake to break em up. I toss them in the holes I dig for
tomatoes and peppers. I should proably do it for eggplants too... same
family, although I've never heard of BER mentioned with eggplants.
I don't know how quickly the shells will break down-they may not
affect this season. My thought is I'm at least replenishing what they
are taking out. Also commercial eggs probably have less calcium than
small farm/organic. My friend in Jersey has chickens and I noticed her
eggs have much thicker shells(and BRIGHT orange yokes) than commercial
ones. You can buy a BER foliar spray, so the nutrients get quickly
absorbed by the leafs.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
3rd year gardener
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/royalf...=/2055&.src=ph