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Blossom end rot on tomatoes

billyk098R4I3xs6Zbillyk098R4I3xs6Z Posts: 32
in Problem solving
I’d gone down to London and gave the plants a good water before I left, Manchester got up to 33C and even though the neighbours watered them I came back to find blossom end rot on about 3 tomatoes, however there are two other tomatoes with slightly soft bottoms, is there any way to stop it worsening and turning black or is their fate already sealed? I have watered using a 1:1 milk and water solution as well as ensuring I now maintain a regular watering pattern. 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    You probably won’t save those ones … although if they’re more or less ripe you can use the unaffected part of the fruit for cooking. But fingers crossed if the conditions are ok from here on the rest should be fine. 

    I always wait until the tomato plants just begin to flag before I water them, then I give them a good soaking. This was the advice given by @Italophile  who is a real tomato aficionado and who advised tomato growers regularly on here for several years. 
    It works for me … my toms rarely get BER … 🤞 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • billyk098R4I3xs6Zbillyk098R4I3xs6Z Posts: 32
    Dovefromabove said:
    You probably won’t save those ones … although if they’re more or less ripe you can use the unaffected part of the fruit for cooking. But fingers crossed if the conditions are ok from here on the rest should be fine. 

    I always wait until the tomato plants just begin to flag before I water them, then I give them a good soaking. This was the advice given by @Italophile  who is a real tomato aficionado and who advised tomato growers regularly on here for several years. 
    It works for me … my toms rarely get BER … 🤞 
    Yeah thanks, I was just away for a few days so couldn’t really oversee watering as such, however I’ve moved them into larger pots and once again established a regular watering pattern so hopefully things can improve. All other tomatoes are fine, it was just this one plant that was affected and only about two or three were fully black and another two have some very slightly soft bottoms. If I remove them would they continue to ripen indoors without the BER worsening? I think they are at around the breaker stage so I’m hopeful they might ripen.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I’ve never tried it … 🤔 why don’t you do the experiment for us and report back? 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731
    Good heavens, I haven't been here for a while. I received an email alert!

    BER was a mystery for a long time. It was thought to be the result of insufficient calcium in the soil so the advice was always to dig in a lot of calcium. Science then stepped in to suggest that BER was calcium-related but more to do with the plant's inability to distribute calcium via its internal mechanisms. In other words, it didn't matter how much calcium was available to the plant's roots, it struggled to use the stuff.

    Why? Science's best guess was plant stress. Under stress, the plant's internal mechanisms struggled. So the question is: what will stress a tomato plant?

    There are myriad possibilities. Irregular watering patterns can stress a plant. They like routine. Sudden weather extremes - temperature fluctuations, strong winds, etc - can do it. All you can do is control what you can control.

    Then there's the annoying fact that some varieties - mainly the plum shapes; Roma, etc - are more prone to BER. It's something genetic. That's why you can have different varieties growing side-by-side, in identical conditions, with identical care, and suffer BER on some plants but not others. It has happened to me. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Goodness me … how good to ‘see’ you @Italophile 😎 
    I hope you’re keeping ok. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731
    Yep. Okay. Under all the circumstances. 

    A baby Anna Russian:


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Lovely to see you @Italophile! I was wondering where you'd got to as well  :)
    Your advice has helped so many people, and I've personally learnt a lot from you.
    We've all been trying to 'carry the baton' - but no one on the forum  has the knowledge and experience you have.  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731
    Pffffffft. Thirty years growing the stupid things. Something had to rub off.  :'(
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Italophile said:
    Pffffffft. Thirty years growing the stupid things. Something had to rub off.  :'(
     :D 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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