When my tomatoes are ripening they look fine on the top but underneath they have a black bottom. I thought this was through the water catching them but it's happening to ones where I never get to with the watering spout. When they are green there is no sign, only when they turn red. What's going wrong with them?

Sutton wrote:

When my tomatoes are ripening they look fine on the top but underneath
they have a black bottom. I thought this was through the water
catching them but it's happening to ones where I never get to with the
watering spout. When they are green there is no sign, only when they
turn red. What's going wrong with them?
--
Sutton
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posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

Search Google for "blossom end rot".

Bill

They have blossom end rot caused by a calcium deficiency with inconsistent watering. You can still eat the ones with black ends. Just cut it off and eat the rest of the tomato. What you're experiencing is very common. Ifyou start watering the same amount on a consistent schedule, you should see the problem go away.

Try adding some calcium to the soil with lime or crushed egg shells mixed with water. The lime may take awhile to act.
There are also calcium products that you can buy in Home Depot or a good garden center that may act faster. I always give my plants a boost with fish emulsion when they are suffering. It always seems to perk them up.

Even the best gardeners get blossom end rot when conditions are just right.

It's nice that the problem is an easy one to solve and not something that is incurable.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina

"Penny Morgan" wrote in message .com...
They have blossom end rot caused by a calcium deficiency with inconsistent
watering. You can still eat the ones with black ends. Just cut it off and
eat the rest of the tomato. What you're experiencing is very common. If
you start watering the same amount on a consistent schedule, you should see
the problem go away. Try adding some calcium to the soil with lime or
crushed egg shells mixed with water. The lime may take awhile to act.
There are also calcium products that you can buy in Home Depot or a good
garden center that may act faster. I always give my plants a boost with
fish emulsion when they are suffering. It always seems to perk them up.

Even the best gardeners get blossom end rot when conditions are just right.
It's nice that the problem is an easy one to solve and not something that is
incurable.

Also, certain types of tomatoes are more susceptible than others -
that's one of the reasons I don't bother growing Roma's any more.

Happy gardening.

Mike