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Garden Gate:  Tomato Trouble!  |
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mommatracy
True Blue Farmgirl
490 Posts
Tracy
My. Olive
NC
USA
490 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 1:16:13 PM
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All of my new tomatoes on the vine turn black on the bottom by the time they are plum size. What the heck is it. I have thrown away at least a dozen. Anybody had this happen and what can I do?
www.cottagebythebay.blogspot.com
~Trust in the Lord...but row away from the rocks~ |
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TJinMT
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
TJ
Billings
MT
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 1:56:03 PM
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Sounds like blossom end rot - it's a result of low levels of calcium in the fruit. It's physiological - related to the plant's ability to function properly in that environment - not pathological, so you don't have to worry about a disease that would pass from plant to plant. Could be caused by too much fluctuation in soil moisture (mulching helps stabilize this), being planted in cold soil (time will help as the soil warms), overwatering (or raining) etc. You could use a low-nitrogen, high superphosphate fertilizer like 4-12-4 or 5-20-5 to help stabilize the calcium, if you hadn't already composted or fertilized the soil?
Hope this helps!!
~TJ in zone 5
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -CS Lewis |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 2:41:46 PM
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That always happens to the first several ripe tomatoes then it goes away and they are fine after that. I just throw them away.
TJ, I need you at my place. You sound like a garden specialist. I took a landscaping course for a year at the local community college. I never did understand all that about nitrogen and ph. I don't know how I got through it but I did.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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TJinMT
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
TJ
Billings
MT
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 3:13:55 PM
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Kris - how nice are you!! I'm actually struggling desperately through Human Anatomy & Physiology right now trying to get certified eventually to do Medical Transcription (so I can stay home with my little ones) and have spent way too much time wishing I was studying for a Master Gardener certification instead. That sort of stuff seems to stick in my head alot better than human body stuff!!! Alas, there's not much call for a Gardener Transcriptionist... grin...
~TJ
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -CS Lewis |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1152 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1152 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2010 : 06:27:32 AM
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Mine do the same thing, Kristin. Not all of them. This year, I had more blossom end rot than last. Oh well, just chunked 'em and kept on going.
Here's a fact sheet:
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_BlossRt.htm
I was able to get my Master Gardener certificate...it was a lot of fun meeting other gardeners; the only bad part is that now I am soooo busy with the farm, I don't really have time to get my volunteer hours to keep my certification up. :0(
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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mommatracy
True Blue Farmgirl
490 Posts
Tracy
My. Olive
NC
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2010 : 12:20:21 PM
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Thanks for the info on blossom end rot. It's probably the soil as we cleared this lot last fall to build a house. It has been so dry I have been watering the plants myself. The land is very sandy and doesn't hold moisture very well. Next year I will have a load of compost tilled in for sure.
New Problem: This morning I saw slimy red bugs all over my potato vines! They are stripping the leaves off. Again- what the heck!
www.cottagebythebay.blogspot.com
~Trust in the Lord...but row away from the rocks~ |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2010 : 3:48:41 PM
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i just read that it does help to dry and grind in your blender eggs shells. you then bury a bit under the tomato plant. do not let the roots touch the powder. cover shell flour with dirt. set plant. so i will try this this year. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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Garden Gate: Tomato Trouble! |
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Tomato Trouble!
