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Blossom-end blues
paull2
Posts: 93
in Fruit & veg
Forgive me if this has been raised recently but my growing toms are suffering badly from blossom end rot, despite my best watering endeavours. Particularly affected are my San Marzano Italian plum variety but some Black Russian are suffering too. I am aware that 'erratic watering regime' is usually cited but I have kept up a regular, moderate routine, trying not the let anything dry out. Is it perhaps something to do with the humid weather conditions recently? Insufficient air circulation? My GH is quite well ventilated but the plants are growing close together, so close humid conditions could be the cause. Is anyone else suffering particularly from BER this year?
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paull, plum varieties (lincluding San Marzano) are simply more prone to BER than other varieties. No one knows why. Must be something in their genes.
Erratic watering isn't the only cause of BER. BER occurs as a result of plant stress that creates problems with the plant's internal systems. Anything that stresses a plant can feasibly cause BER. It could be excessive humidity. It's really a matter of process of elimination. Trouble is, you don't get instant answers. And sometimes there's no obvious answer.
BER is one of the curses of tom growing.
Many thanks Italophile. Stress eh? Maybe talking to them quietly may help after all!
One thing I do now is remove the flowers as soon as a baby tomato is forming - sometimes the dead flower hangs on to a small stalk (the stigma from the flower I presume) and I noticed that the fallen ones often quickly rot. I somehow doubt this is the cause, but it takes just seconds and I don't seem to get BER much these days..