There is a spray specifically made for blossom end rot which is caused by calcium defiecency. You should be able to find it in Lowe's or Home Depot. Can't always trust Walmart to have what I need anymore. It's in a small spray bottle. It worked well for me. The best thing for you to do is to have your soil tested at the local Ag. center several weeks before you plant. No guessing that way. Amazed at all the different results they get. I just completed the Master Gardener's course which basically means I have a great interest and know where to look for the answers. I found out how little I know after I took the course!

I like your thread title. :-)

Temperatures that are too hot or too cold can cause blossom drop, as can lots of humidity. There's nothing you can do about that. Blossoms drop because conditions have caused pollination to fail.

Some folks gently shake the stems that contain blossoms, but I don't know if that really accomplishes anything or if it's just a therapeutic "do something" exercise for the gardener. :-)

Blossom end rot (BER) is caused by a physiological problem that interferes with the plant's ability to move calcium to the forming fruit. The most common cause is uneven soil moisture, usually over-watering.

Adding egg shells and Tums won't help. I don't know about the Tums, but the eggshells take quite some time to break down, and they break down very gradually, so I wouldn't expect quick results from that.

The problem is with too-wet conditions in this case (it sounds like), so all the calcium in the world isn't going to help because the sogginess prevents the plant from moving the calcium to where it's needed.

It usually doesn't hurt to add calcium or other amendments, but you should realize that it won't necessarily solve the problem, especially if there are other issues, like overwatering, that need to be corrected in order for the amendments to be effective.

Some varieties of tomatoes are more prone to blossom end rot than others. Usually it's the plum tomatoes that are susceptible, but it can happen to any variety under the right conditions.

Once the soil dries out and the plants mature even more, blossom end rot should go away on future fruits. Those of us who get lots of rain often have to deal with BER on our early fruits. The good news is that it will resolve once conditions improve.

Link to the forum's FAQ below. Both topics are covered in the FAQs.

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ Topics

zackey - is your Master Gardener's course really still teaching the old myth that BER is caused by calcium deficiency? If so they really need to do some updated reviews of all the research.

creamedcorn - lionheart covered it well above. Stabilize your soil moisture levels, mulch heavily if necessary to do so, avoid over fertilization, and the BER will go away all on its own. There is no "quick-fix".

How to cure BER is an almost daily question here so I hope you won't be offended if I refer you to several of the recent discussions about it instead of going through it all yet again.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: BER discussions

You might try a solution of calcium nitrate as a foliar spray, or just use a watering can and water the leaves of your plant with it. Whatever doesn't get absorbed through the leaves will drip onto the ground and get absorbed through the roots. It is also a good quick acting source of nitrogen, and is cheap, I think I paid around $14 for a 50 pound bag least time I bought it.

Hey Dave...just an fyi....I just completed the MG program in VA and I can say...YES to the question.....calcium deficiency=BER is still being taught. However, I remembered from this site, and I think by you, being told that it is often caused by inconsistant watering. So I did a little more research after that particular class and found on the VA Tech website a paper supporting the inconsistant watering theory causing BER. I emailed the paper to the instructor that taught us (and laughed at me when I ased if it wasn't caused by inconsistnat watering). The instructor just responded by thanking me for the info...I'm hoping the information for the next class will change.

Mary

It is a calcium deficiency but the deficiency is brought on via limited or minimal water transport to the blossom end of the tomato.

Among the instances that can occur:
1 Young plant with small root system
2 transplant not yet developed extensive root system
3 Hot spell where top's water needs exceed the ability of the roots to supply it
4 Low humidity for the same reason as #3
5 Windy days for the same reason as #3
6 Extra bright sunny day following a cool spell for same reason as #3
7 Erratic water supply (rain and/or supplemental water)
8 damaged roots -- transplanted and/or too dry and/or too wet and more

Calcium sprays don't work
Egg shells don't work
Tums don't work
etc

sigh

It is a calcium deficiency

If it was then how would one explain the adequate Ca++ found in the tissues of tomatoes with BER? That literature has been posted here several times.

It is a poor distribution of Ca throughout the fruit, not a deficiency of it. And all of the causes you list Jean can easily cause that mal-distribution. And I'll add

9. plants that have been so over-fed that their root system cannot adequately support/feed all their top growth and

10. poor quality soil that drains too rapidly or retains too much water and

11. trying to grow tomatoes in containers that are too small and/or too shallow

Mary - good for you!! :)

Dave

I've used hydrated lime in the past, and it's been successful in getting some quick calcium to the plant and fixing my BER problems.

It was said "And all of the causes you list Jean can easily cause that mal-distribution."

Umm. That was my point.

Today I noticed that the first few tomatoes on one of my plants have BER. I quickly removed them. I haven't had a problem with this in the past, but obviously something is causing it. Could be one or several things mentioned on the above list(s.) I added "a little" fast acting lime, and some gypsum to the soil. I'm not too worried, I usually grow too many tomatoes anyway, and I have many more plants that are doing fine. Ironically, it's the one plant that also has some warty, bumpy, thingys on the stalk.

first round of Roma tomatoes for me with some BER, this happens every year with my Romas (despite my attempts at conducting my own "add calcium" tests) It passes every year afer the first bunch get close to ripening and is no longer an issue after that. Certainly frustrating, but knowing that it will pass now through experience it isnt a big deal. NONE of my regular shaped tomatoes ever have BER - thank god!

Well I'll add my two cents. After growing tomatoes for 50.I use composted horse manure which is 3 years old and oak leaves. I have found that spraying Ca on plants with BER cures it. All this talk about Ca not working is silly.
Everyone I know with the BER problem has always found an immediate cure by using a Ca foliar spray weekly.

I haven't posted in this thread, to date.

But I'm the one Dave referred to when he said that the tissues of tomatoes that had BER fruits had the normal amount of Ca++ in the tissues. That was a wonderful article but has now been dropped as many of the excellent articles from an earlier time have been when the basic traits of tomatoes were studied in detail b'c at that time there wasn't all the genetic and molecular knowledge we have today/

Just some other comments.

There are only two situations where addition of Ca++ is needed and a soil test will indicate the following.

First, if the soil has no Ca++ and that's a very rare situation.

Second, if the soil or container mix is too alkaline, then Ca++ is bound and can't be taken up by the roots and that situation can be altered by adjusting the pH and it too is very rare.

For most growers BER goes away as the plants mature and are better able to tolerate all the environmental conditions that can induce it, meaning maldistribution of Ca++ within the plant.

Paste tomato varties are very susceptible to BER and actually very susceptible to Early Blight as well, that's A. solani, as opposed to Late Blight, P. infestans, which can be lethal, and either one can appear early or late in the season.

I think what happens sometimes is that someone adds this or that something containing Ca++ and says that they no longer got BER fruits when indeed the plants were just more mature as noted above and BEr would have gone away naturally.

And the product Stop Rot doesn't work either. Molecules are not taken up by an almost mature fruit or every time it rained they'd burst. THe epidermis on very immature fruits is thinner, but spraying Ca++ containing products has never worked well, on fruits or foliage, when extensive testing has been done by using controls.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

What about good ole' fashion MILK. A guy I bought some plants from last year, said he uses milk every now and again. Water it down and pour it on. Will milk provide the Ca++ needed?

tokizy,

Will milk provide the Ca++ needed?

In a word, no.

Betsy

What is blossom-end rot? How can I prevent it?

Blossom-end rot is a disorder of tomato, squash, pepper, and all other fruiting vegetables. You notice that a dry sunken decay has developed on the blossom end (opposite the stem) of many fruit, especially the first fruit of the season. This is not a pest, parasite or disease process but is a physiological problem caused by a low level of calcium in the fruit itself.

Question, why hasn't the FAQ been updated based on good research?

It sure would be better to direct this recurrent question back to an updated FAQ....

Tom

Tom, the larger answeer is that several of the FAQ's need up dating or complete deletion in some cases, IMO. You'll find my name and several others you know here at the bottom of some of those newer FAQ's, well not that many b'c most of us went elsewhere in early Jan of 2006.

GW has put up a thread here asking for anyone to head up doing it, but I did it once and no way would I ever do it again, for lots of reasons. And I guess no one signed up and someone said that GW was doing it many different Forums.

And I think it's a pretty good FAQ as it stands since there's no way that every single stress or fact about BER can be included. In my faves I must have at least 20 links to BER.

As for me and a few others here, I don't think we mind referring folks to the FAQ and then adding additional info as I did in my post above and as did others.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

Plus no matter what is said in the FAQ or what evidence, studies, links, etc. may be posted, there will always be some who claim to have found the cure#2>. Those, that despite all evidence to the contrary, claim calcium sprays cure it, egg shells cure it, TUMS cure it, planting in the dark of the moon cures it, dancing the hootchi-kootchie around your plants cures it, etc.

The rest of us are just silly for not knowing that. :)

So no real point in updating the FAQ. Let them do as they wish. It doesn't fix the BER but it makes them feel better.

Dave

dancing the hootchi-kootchie doesnt work? DAMN!

Waiting until the temperatures are no longer 115 degrees seemed to cure it for my striped Romans, lol.

Thanks Carolyn and Dave, I don't post much here but I lurk quite a bit due to your knowledge and experience, and always find your input immeasurable.

Tom

I have posted this before as well and posting here. I have a proble of BER on one particular heirloom Brandywine. All other plants around it are producing fruits except this one. all get same amount of water at same time. plant is very green and healthy with lots of blooms. I am wondering if its just one small space that has particular issue that is preventing it from fruiting? I cant help but hope for the best.

carolyn....If you can say, just where is "elsewhere". :) It's probably a place I would like also.

Ken

KEnt, I can't say where elsewhere is b'c those who refer to other messsage sites have been banned from GW in the past.

I tried to confirm last Fall if that was still the policy here but got no response. And last I knew the software associated with PM's also caught the names of other sites as well.

I innocently PMed someone with the name of a seed site, not a message site, and that PM was rejected. When I asked why I was told that that seed site had been spamming GW.

Carolyn, who has been at GW for over 10 years now. On my member page I think it says 2002 but there was a major problem with Data when Spike owned the site and they lost all the original joining dates.

Correlation is not causation.

I wonder how many old wives tales were created by coincidence?