Hi, I'm new to gardening and am finding a problem with our tomatoes.The fruit is quite large now,but two or three are getting a black patch on the bottom.What is happening please?
Sounds as though you're describing the symptoms of Blossom-End Rot. This occurs because of too little calcium in the soil, too much fertilizer, very wet or very dry soils, or inconsistent watering which interferes with calcium uptake, high temperatures, or a combination of these factors.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profiles0701/blossom_end_rot.asp
14. Q. What causes the black spots on the bottom of my tomatoes?
A. Blossom end rot, caused by improper (fluctuating from too dry to too moist) moisture. Maintain uniform soil moisture as the fruit nears maturity. Remove affected fruit.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/vegetables/tomato.html
Hi, taffy, welcome to the site, wow, your tomatoes are a lot further on than ours, ours aren't big enough to get blossom end rot ;D
Quote from: manicscousers on June 22, 2008, 09:25:56
Hi, taffy, welcome to the site, wow, your tomatoes are a lot further on than ours, ours aren't big enough to get blossom end rot ;D
So now we measure success by how early in the season we get diseases? 8)
Welcome to the site Taffy. BER is a disorder not a disease surely? :-X
Pedant! :P
::)
Next time try chucking some crushed egg shells in the potting hole, helped my toms.........
Water & foliar feed with Calcium.
Just a point.. blossom end rot usually only affects the first tomatoes on the plant, the later ones on the same plant will probably be just fine. XX Jeannine
Quote from: djbrenton on June 22, 2008, 10:00:18
Pedant! :P
(Unsurprisingly) I agree with Jeannine. I've always found BER is a signal that I need to improve my watering regime and then the rest of the fruit turn out OK.
PS
Just thinking- perhaps we should have a pedant's corner like Private Eye where people could write - 'did you see this or that thread: surely they meant plague not pestilence' or 'oh no not another one using effect when they mean affect'? You could even have a long argument about the placement of the apostrophe in pedant's corner..... :)
I think you'll find it's pedants' corner...
I go by the grower's practice.
Quote from: OllieC on June 25, 2008, 17:51:14
I think you'll find it's pedants' corner...
What if there's only one and it means the (singular) pedant's corner?
;D
Then surely it would be pedant's' corner...
or "Pedants" corner?
sigh............................ ::) ::)
I'll get me coat.....
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Can you get mine for me too please?
Ideally, there would be a comma after 'too' and before 'please.