This summer is a great year for tomatoes, despite the lack of rain, the tomatoes are loving the heat and thriving, most of us should be looking at a bumper crop of warm loving veggies! J Only down side to the heat and warm weather, is the lack of rain and what this means for our vegetable crops. Blossom end rot on our tomatoes can be a big problem.
Blossom end rot is a deficiency in the soil or a lack or regular watering. The plants need calcium to bind the cells together while growing and if they do not receive enough of it, the end where the blossom has fallen off will start to brown and will eventually rot the tomato. Unless the tomato splits and gets a fungus it is still edible, but you will need to cut off the affected area. Treating your plant with some calcium will help set them right again.
Rot Stop or any other blossom end rot spray containing calcium will help get the process under control. Spray the plant till the point of run off in the early morning or late evening to prevent foliage burn every 5-7 days. Adding calcium to the soil is also another way to arrest the problem. You can use a vegetable fertilizer that contains calcium, bone meal or egg shells (cleaned, dried and crushed into a powder) and applied to the soil to help with the deficiency. An application of earth worm castings is a great way to add organic matter and green up your plants fast! J Regular watering and some organic fertilizer will help keep your plants healthy and producing.
