Source of Calcium to treat EBR in tomatoes.

13 years ago

EBR ( end blossom rot ) in tomatoes can be prevented by feeding plants with Calcium.Antiacid tablets is a handy source to feed Calcium.Dissolve one or to tablets in a gallon of water, add a cup of milk to it and feed the solution to your plants.You will see it's effect in couple of days.

Featured Answer

digdirt2

13 years ago

Sorry but BER (blossom end rot) is not caused by a lack of calcium but by the plants inability to supply the available calcium to the fruit due to inconsistent soil moisture levels. This is well documented scientifically thanks to all the research funded by the commercial tomato growing industry. You can find both a FAQ as well as many discussions about it along with research links over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here.

While certain varieties of tomatoes are more prone to BER early in the season, if a cure was really that simple then the commercial industry would have adopted it decades ago. Using antacid tablets is one of the many debunked old wives tales that exist about this condition and like the use of egg shells and the many other "cure" claims, it doesn't hold up in practical experience. Any "cure" that happens is strictly coincidence since BER always disappears all on its own as the plant matures and adapts to its environment.

Respectfully suggest some further reading on this topic.

Dave

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (34)

glib
13 years ago
Further, an antacid tablet has pitiful amounts of calcium anyway, perhaps one gram. A mature tomato plant, including the tomatoes, easily has 30 grams of Calcium. I give about a cup of wood ash per plant. Of course that is mostly to provide or replenish Mg and K, and perhaps other things such as B or Mn as well.

But those are the doses. A gallon of wood ash has the K of approximately 150 medium tomatoes, and also approximately 1.5 lbs of Ca, enough for maybe 20 plants.
0
Related Discussions
How Much Calcium Can You Get From Crushed Eggs?
Q
Comments (19)
When Good Tomatoes Go Bad by Charlie Nardozzi Finally, it's time to enjoy the results of weeks of pampering young tomato plants. However, nothing is more frustrating after so much effort than seeing misshapen or rotten fruits on the vines. It's easy to blame pests or diseases, but the weather, the tomato variety, or even your gardening practices may be the actual cause. To help you identify what's spoiling your tomatoes, we've compiled a list of eight of the most common tomato fruit problems not caused by insect or disease. You can do something about most of these problems now, so the next cluster of tomatoes on your plants could be perfect. We also include suggestions for resistant varieties to plant next year. But first, here are the three basic steps for growing healthy, perfect tomatoes: Supply and conserve water. Tomato plants need 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water a week from either rain or irrigation. Often the problem is not the amount of water, but sudden changes in soil-moisture levels. To conserve moisture, mulch plants with a 4- to 6-inch layer of hay or straw. Keep plants warm, but not hot. In early summer, protect young plants from cold temperatures by covering them, especially at night. Conversely, in mid- to late summer, protect plants (especially fruits) from high temperatures with afternoon shade. Feed carefully and avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. Two weeks before planting, work in a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, then fertilize the plants with a complete fertilizer (5-10-10) at the rates recommended on the label. Side-dress your tomatoes monthly with a complete fertilizer. Click on the following link for the rest of the article: http://doityourself.com/vegetables/whengoodtomatoesgobad.htm Eight Avoidable Tomato Problems These stresses have sent many befuddled gardeners looking for a pest or disease. Tomato experts call the stresses physiological problems, meaning the cause has to do with the functioning of the plant itself, not with any outside agent. Blossom-End Rot What it looks like: Brown-black sunken areas appear on the blossom end of green or ripening fruit. Causes: Insufficient calcium levels in the developing fruit cause the cells in the blossom end to break down. Though insufficient levels of calcium in the soil may be the cause, it is more likely fluctuating moisture levels. This is why it is important to apply a mulch. Water transports calcium through the plant. With insufficient water, calcium doesn't move quickly enough to the fruits. As little as 30 minutes of water deficiency at any time can cause blossom-end rot. These other factors contribute but are all ultimately connected to calcium availability in the developing fruit: excess nitrogen fertilization, high soil salinity, waterlogged soils, root damage during cultivation, and soil pH that's too low or too high. Blossom-end rot occurs most often on the first fruit clusters, when the plant grows quickly and demands calcium for leaf growth. What to do: Pick and destroy rotten fruits, keep the soil pH around 6.5, reduce nitrogen fertilization, and apply a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 (1/2 cup per 10-foot row) once early in the growing season. Also, mulch early in the season with a 4- to 6-inch layer of hay or straw. Apply at least 1 1/2 inches of water a week, and avoid growing susceptible older indeterminates (vining tomatoes) such as 'Beefsteak' and both determinate and indeterminate varieties of plum tomatoes ('Roma' is one example). Blotchy Ripening (graywall) What it looks like: First you see light green or clear blotches on green fruit. These patches gradually turn yellow, and the tomato doesn't ripen evenly. Often, the tomato is rotten inside. Causes: Graywall is most often caused by shade and cool temperatures followed by bright, sunny weather. Excessive foliage growth also causes it, so the most vigorous indeterminate tomato varieties are the most susceptible. But other factors promote graywall. For instance, it occurs more often in plants growing in soggy soils, and diseases like tobacco mosaic virus may indirectly cause this condition. What to do: Grow determinate bush varieties that allow sunlight through the leaf canopy. Decrease nitrogen fertilizer, and increase potassium. Stake or cage plants to allow sufficient light to reach the fruit. Catfacing What it looks like: Misshapen fruit has black scarred areas on the blossom end that often rot. Causes: Catfacing happens when flowers don't develop properly. The most common cause is low temperatures (below 65oF during the day and 55oF at night) three weeks before flowers open. High wind on plants with little foliage can also damage blossoms. Although a common problem on the first fruit clusters, it disappears when temperatures rise. But it may recur if the plants are still setting fruit as temperatures drop in the autumn. Larger and older varieties such as 'Beefsteak' are more susceptible to catfacing. What to do: Grow the plants when temperatures are high during pollination by planting later in the season and protecting transplants from cold and wind with plastic cloches or floating row covers. What to do: To avoid catfacing next year, grow modern hybrid varieties that are much less likely than older ones to be bothered by low temperatures and don't prune off the foliage. Fruit Cracks What it looks like: When ripening, fruits crack around the stem end and along the sides, and the fruit rots. Cracks may be radial or concentric. Causes: Abruptly alternating wet and dry periods cause cracking. When the plant takes up deep drinks of moisture after a dry spell, the fruit cells expand too fast and burst, and the skin cracks. (Heavy dew worsens cracking because the fruit can take water in through the skin.) The soft-fruited 'Celebrity' and cherry tomato 'Sweet 100' are particularly prone to cracking. Too much nitrogen in the soil also contributes to the problem. Green fruits usually don't crack because they're harder and can't expand as fast, and their skin cells are stronger. What to do: Keep the soil evenly moist, especially during ripening, with a 4- to 6-inch mulch of hay or straw. Don't overfertilize. If maintaining soil moisture is difficult in your area, plant less-susceptible varieties next year. 'Mountain Spring' and 'Mountain Belle' (a cherry tomato) are good options. Green (or yellow) Shoulders What it looks like: The "shoulders" on the tomato's stem end stay green (or yellow) and hard as the rest of the fruit ripens. Cause: Normally chlorophyll breaks down as the fruit ripens. However, in some varieties, during periods of high temperatures and direct sun exposure, the chlorophyll does not break down, or does so too slowly. What to do: This problem is most common in heirloom varieties that happen to lack the gene for uniform ripening. Most modern hybrids have this gene and rarely develop green shoulders. However, if you want to grow the older, susceptible varieties, minimize green shoulders by maintaining good foliage cover and picking the tomatoes when they're entirely green to ripen indoors, away from exposure to direct sun. Puffiness What it looks like: Fruits lack internal jelly and have a hollow or "puffy" feel. Causes: Puffiness is caused by incomplete pollination, which in turn is most commonly caused by temperatures that are too high or too low. (Tomatoes are almost completely self-pollinating, so pollinating insects aren't a factor.) Whenever nighttime temperatures drop below 55oF or daytime temperatures rise above 100oF, seed doesn't set properly. Improper pollination prevents the jelly of the inside fruit chamber from developing. Also, too much nitrogen or too little potassium in the soil causes poor pollen formation, leading to puffiness. What to do: Set plants out once nighttime temperatures are consistently above 55oF, or protect young transplants from cold with a floating row cover. In hot climates, use shadecloth to keep plants cool. Protect them from hot winds. Reduce nitrogen fertilization, and test soil to check potassium levels. Next year, plant resistant varieties, such as 'Celebrity' and 'Better Boy', which are less likely to develop the problem under any circumstances. Sunscald What it looks like: The fruit has lighter-colored leathery patches, and fruit usually rots. Cause: This discoloration is like a sunburn. Fruits exposed either suddenly or continually to hot sun develop sunscald, which is most likely to occur on varieties that don't produce enough leaves. What to do: Avoid pruning leaves or stems while the fruit is ripening, and consider shading the fruit. A small section of shadecloth or row cover would suffice. Finally, try to reduce the severity of leaf diseases such as early and late blight, common fungal diseases. If you live where summers are sunny and hot, grow indeterminate varieties that produce a thick cover of shading leaves. Examples are 'Jet Star', and 'Big Beef'. Zippering What it looks like: This problem is aptly named because it looks just like a zipper running from top to bottom on the skin of the fruit. It's disfiguring, but the fruit can still develop properly. Cause: Temperatures below 55oF when flowers are dropping off the young fruit cause this condition. Zippering can occur at higher temperatures, too. Some varieties, such as 'Mountain Spring' and 'Mountain Pride', are genetically predisposed to the problem. Others, such as 'Big Beef', are not. What to do: Cover young transplants with floating row covers to reduce the chances of cold damage to young fruit. Next year, plant a resistant variety such as 'Big Beef'. Charlie Nardozzi is a senior horticulturist at National Gardening.
...See More
Feeding Calcium to Cinense - SmokeMaster
Q
Comments (24)
I think the KEY IS-Calcium Acetate. Dolomite Lime just add Mag. to the mix. Other Acids can do a Ca. thing. IF the net is right???? Acetate can be used by plants ON CONTACT. If the stuff I read AND seems to work is right...FOR MY GROW. I'd bet any organic thing inolved in an Aetate COULD probably work for all kinds of home made organic nutes. As I understand it,Acetates/Vinegar produced stuff. Not a problem as far as being too acid etc. Doesn't mess with PH,What I make is WAY less than 5% acid of Vinegar. At 2 or so oz. per Gal. or less,I doubt it has ANY effect on PH. I've used it without problems in my Hydro grows. BUT I change nutes often. Cheaper and LESS time consuming than messing with PH up or down... Smoke
...See More
The Ultimate Tomato Transplant?
Q
Comments (33)
I've been using tunnels (see link below) for many years. Some areas of the country may not need them but in the Pacific NW there is a wet and dry season, so there is nothing but rain rain rain in spring and planting time. Since the tunnel keeps rain out of the soil under it, it can be used to dry the soil before planting time or I would be digging in mud, not good. That alone makes it worthwhile for me, but in addition it creates a warm microclimate. (Tunnels have seen my transplants through frosts and snow.) Here the nighttime temperatures in summer are in the low 50's so the soil is never really optimal for tomatoes or warm season plants. The tunnel enables me to start the tomatoes earlier so I can grow medium and even long season tomatoes instead of being restricted to short season tomatoes. I also use tunnels for my squash and cucumber transplants with great results, and this year I'm buying more to start beans early as well. And yes, later planted transplants do eventually catch up but I get a couple of weeks of early fruit out of the ones planted out April 1-7. Also I plant out when the transplants hit my lights, at 11", and they don't all do this at once, so by planting out early I stagger the planting process over several weeks which makes it an easier work load, as I grow 60-100 plants a season. Other areas of the country differ, but here there is very little disease or pests for tomatoes, except the possibilty of late blight, so I don't do any disease control at all. If there is rain toward the end of summer, which is not usual but last year there was quite a bit, there can be an outbreak of late blight. This year I'm considering buying some 6 mil 4 year greenhouse plastic and constructing a hoop house over at least part of my tomatoes because it was so cold last year that my first ripe fruit was about a month behind usual, and all the rain caused late blight to start early, so the tomato crop was severely reduced.:-( Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: TunLCover photo
...See More
Can You Suggest A Gluten Free Treat For Afternoon Gathering?
Q
Comments (15)
I make the peanut butter cookies for my stepdaughter that only contains a cup of peanut butter, a cup of sugar, an egg, a teaspoon of vanilla. Bake at 350F 10 minutes. Sometimes I make a "thumbprint" and fill them with jam or chocolate. They have no leavening, so they won't puff up or spread, so if you make them small, they'll be small. Ann T's chocolate meringue cookies are yummy too. Chewy Chocolate Meringue Cookies Source: Wives with Knives/The Cafe Sucre Farine 3 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2-1/2 cups chocolate chips 4 egg whites 1 tablespoon vanilla extract optional ingredients: dried cranberries, dried cherries, toffee bits Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir in chocolate chips. Add egg whites and vanilla; mix with a fork or electric mixer on medium until batter is just moistened. (Do not overbeat or batter will stiffen.) Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds. Bake cookies until tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 15 minutes. Cool briefly, then carefully remove from parchment paper with a spatula. Cookies may be soft and fragile so proceed carefully to lift cookies and place them on racks to cool. Do not wait too long to remove them from baking sheets, for they will stick, even to parchment paper. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Notes Chris’s (The Cafe Sucre Farine) notes: ~ I found that slightly rounded teaspoons of batter work best. I tried making bigger ones and they did not bake as nicely. Also, make sure to leave plenty of room around each one as they will spread. ~ When I made these cookies I found, through trial and error, that if I lightly buttered the parchment paper, then left the cookies right on the paper till they were cool there was no problem removing them. ~ I tried them with 2 cups of chocolate chips and a cup of roughly chopped dried cherries �" fabulous! I also tried them with 2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 cup of toffee bits, even better!! There is the ever popular flourless chocolate cake: Flourless Chocolate Torte 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1/2 tablespoon 1 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup amaretto 8 large eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt Confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder, for garnish Fresh raspberries, for garnish Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Using 1/2 tablespoon butter grease a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with a parchment round. Cover pan underneath and along sides with foil and set in a roasting pan. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Combine the chocolate, butter, and amaretto in a metal bowl set over simmering water or in the top of a double boiler. Melt the mixture, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes; reserve. Meanwhile combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy and almost doubled in volume, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula. Repeat this process 2 more times - until all of egg mixture has been folded into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared springform pan and place in the roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides. Bake until cake has risen slightly and edges are just beginning to set, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cake from roasting pan and cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove foil, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove cake from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Remove springform pan sides, invert cake onto a large plate, and peel away the parchment paper from bottom. Reinvert cake on another large plate or serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder immediately before serving. Too bad it's a drive away, or homemade ice cream would go well. Elery makes a cheesecake with a crust from gluten free gingersnaps, and crème brulee is just cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, basically. And there's always fudge, truffles, caramels, assorted candy. Have fun! Annie
...See More
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks both of you digidirt6 and glib. for your comments.
I am citing one reference about need of calcium and effect of deficiency of Calcium in producing EBR.
This ref. is from Ohio State University:
http:online.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3117.html
Paragraph C explains the role of Calcium in creating EBR.
Mg,K,Mn etc. are important micro-nutrients required for balance growth of plants.
Commercial tomato growing industry has well balanced approach in growing tomatoes from the available research for the amount of fertilizers, micro-nutrient and watering schedule required to keep the EBR to a minimum level.
It is difficult to maintain ideal conditions maintained by the tomato growing industry.
0
DrHorticulture_
13 years ago
glib,

are you sure there's 30 grams of Ca in a tomato plant, even a large one?? A kilogram of broccoli, considered a good plant Ca source, has about 0.5 g. That would be one huge tomato plant :)
0
growinidaho
13 years ago
glib/others
About the wood ash...my wood stove needs emptied and I want to get the best use out of the ashes. I have 28 tom plants, 35 pepper plants, a garden that needs lots of amending and a huge compost pile that is 1/2 broken down. I didn't want to just dump it in the compost if there is a better use for it. Gee, we used the stove during May this yr.
Whats the best use for it...I'm new to gardening. Should I save it for next year?
Thanks for your expert advice!
Yeah, I did the egg shells, figured it couldn't hurt. Had several BER toms last yr but we had a wet June.

Yay, I have a dozen or so baby green tomatoes and my mouth is watering for Annies salsa!!
0
calliope
13 years ago
I have used calcium nitrate in my greenhouses for certain plants requiring calcium supplementation. And, it's a good supplementation for tomato production! In that chaman is correct.....and can be a factor if your soil is deficient in it, but BER even in soils with good calcium availability is more dependent on good watering. Either too much or too little can induce BER. When I use cal nitrate, it is because I do not want to use ammonia or urea based Nitrogen in winter crops.

Using cal nitrate, however, will give you great plants, but can hold off blossom set.
0
glib
13 years ago
Drhort, you may be right. Green matter has a fairly constant Ca content, that is broccoli is similar to chard or grass, and it is at the level of 0.5% total weight. The roots of a tomato plant are probably only half the weight of the aerial parts, and so 10 grams is probably closer to the truth. The point about the dose is valid, though, since if you want 10 grams in the plant, you need to put a lot more in the soil. Ca, incidentally, is typically the micronutrient with the highest concentration in the soil.

Wood ash does not go bad (just today I finally emptied a trash can of the stuff from 2007) and provides all nutrients except nitrogen and sulfur. It also has an alkaline effect, so it works better here in the East than in the West. Most plants love the stuff. I give it to anything except potatoes and some ornamentals such as rhododendron and azaleas.
Michael
13 years ago
Glib: call me picky but, I'm sure you meant to say that Ca is a macronutrient not a micronutrient, others may not know that so I thought I'd make the correction.
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
One more source for Calcium suppliment is available in form of chocolates known as Calcium chews.This one is highly recommended for bone health.Additional advantage in using Calcium chews is it contains vitamine D along with Calcium.
0
mudster
13 years ago
Why would I give chocolate calcium chews to my tomato plants with blossom end rot? It would be much cheaper and more effective to just correct my watering pattern
0
llaz
13 years ago
I think Dave said it all clearly at the beginning of the thread. Any "treatments" will not work, especially after you have BER, because the tomatoes can't absorb the calcium. Over fertilization and inconsistent watering are typical culprits, but regardless, the problem usually disappears as the season progresses. For next year, choose varieties that are less prone to BER.

Lou
0
greenmulberry
13 years ago
Well, I am disappointed to hear it is from watering practices, because I can't do anything about that. We get such a wicked amount of rain every spring/early summer that I don't water the garden at all because it is just ridiculous how much water the garden gets naturally.

My BER is only in the first part of the season, the plants seem to get over it later in the season. (When the damn rain stops????) Anyway, my solution has always just been to pick any green maters I see with rot and fling them into the yard, so that plant does not waste any more effort on that fruit.
0
hoodat
13 years ago
Calcium can be a difficult mineral to handle. The important thing is to have plenty of calcium in the ground before you plant. Adding calcium in the form of egg shells or oyster shells may take an entire growing season before the calcium becomes available. If your soil is on the acid side the calcium may be there but not in a form the plant can use. If it is tied up with acidic compounds adding lime may be the answer. It not only adds calcium but can counteact the acid that is tying up your calcium. Soil test kits for PH are cheap and available at any nursery. They aren't terribly accurate but can give you a ball park idea of your soil PH.
As already noted by other posters even watering is also important. The plant cannot store calcium very well so if the flow of calcium is interrupted by dry soil the plant cannot correct the calcium deficiency. Try to keep the soil evenly moist; never too dry but not flooded for a long period either. When you water use something like a barely flowing or fast dripping hose and let it go for several hours so the water gets good and deep. Often we think the soil has plenty of water but it is only moist for the first foot or so and dry deeper than that. Tomato roots can go three feet deep and the deeper soil may be where the calcium is.
ausbirch
13 years ago
Hey Grenmylberry,
Another option to explore is growing tomato varieties that are less susceptible to BER. I can't remember which ones are best, except that many cherry tomato varieties are less likely to be affected, but I can tell you that San Marzano was far and away the worst tomato I've grown for getting BER.

Since you say the problem fixes itself later in the season you just need a few early varieties that aren't so susceptible. If no one here has any recommendations, the people on the Tomato forum will probably be able to help.

Happy gardening : )
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi mudster,
Chocolate Calcium has Vitamin-D in it.Plants as well as Human body can not absorb Calcium in absence of Vitamin-D.
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
Less watering will feed lesser Calcium to the plant ( soil becoming dry ) and too much watering will dilute the Calcium concentration ( too much water in the soil ) making lesser Calcium available for healthy growth of the fruit.
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
Tomato plants were fed twice by now with solution of Choco. chews and tums.BER is totally disappeared. All tomatoes are healthy ripening into nice red.
0
susan2010
13 years ago
... sigh ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
0
digdirt2
13 years ago
Good point Susan. ;)

Chaman - just because one event follows another event doesn't mean the first event is the CAUSE of the second event. As Susan's link points out that reasoning is one of the classical fallacies of logic right up there with

This is a horse.
This horse is brown.
Therefore, all horses are brown.

As has repeatedly been pointed out BER goes away all on its own as the plant matures. Your chocolate chews and TUMS had nothing to do with it. The age of the plant did. There are numerous scientific control studies to prove it.

But if it makes you feel better to feed your plants TUMS then by all means, feel free. Just don't make the claim to have found a cure for BER.

Dave
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
It is not the Tums or Choco. chocs..It was the Calcium that did the job.
There is nothing like claim declared any where in the post.
It is lack of enough water or too much water that creates the condition for lesser supply of Calcium to the plant assuming that there is enough Calcium in the soil.In my understanding it was the deficiency of Calcium in the soil that caused the BER.Tomato plants bear plenty of fruits that is the good reason that plants will need more Calcium as plant bears more and more fruits.
Calcium is the necessary ingredient for development of the fruit is an established scientific fact.
Your citation of Brown horse does not serve the purpose here.
Read all the postings in this thread.It will clear the concept of looking the same problem from different angles.
0
ausbirch
13 years ago
you didn't slip an egg in there under the tomatoes, did you?
0
naturalstuff
13 years ago
EggShells worked wonders for me one year...unfortunetly I decided to use Lime this year...but luckily on 1 plant alone.......I guess people are too lazy to try that out. What's the worse that can happen with eggshells?

Get a bunch and crush in a processor. Might take little more time than other methods but it's cheap, natural, and easy.
0
mudster
13 years ago
Chaman, at the end of the season I think you'll also be delighted to find that your tomatoes will have avoided developing osteoporosis!
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
ausbirch,
No.I did not.But if you do,do it just before planting.And do not slip the whole egg.Use only egg-shell after grinding it.
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
mudster,
Tomatoes do not have bones.
0
mudster
13 years ago
They don't have teeth, either, but that didn't stop you from giving them calcium chews!
mudster
13 years ago
You know, actually, let me apologize for being flip, because even though it's fun, it's not very helpful.

This is the point I'm trying to make: A lot of novice, and even experienced gardeners come across this site when looking for helpful information. Blossom end rot is a common tomato problem, and most gardeners will encounter it at least once. They may end up here.

To gardeners who end up in this thread looking for information on how to control blossom end rot in tomatoes, please note that feeding chocolate calcium chews to your tomatoes is an expensive non-solution. If your blossom end rot clears up after that treatment, it was an expensive coincidence.

For good advice that might actually work, you'll want to read hoodat's or digdirt's comments in this thread.
0
chaman
Original Author
13 years ago
mudster,
Tomatoes were feed calcium chews dissolved in water.No need for teeth.
0
ausbirch
13 years ago
I was being facetious about the egg (I should know better!).

To clarify, I'm with the logical, evidence-based folks on this one. It's very rare for lack of soil calcium to be the issue with BER. BER often appears early in the season and goes away as the plant's root system becomes more extensive. The culprit with persistent BER is usually inconsistent watering. Also some varieties of tomatoes are just more susceptible to it (roma types).

So for any newbies out there who maybe can't afford health care for themselves in this recession, let alone a steady diet of Tums for their tomato plants, please don't give up, just water deeply and regularly (soil damp down a foot, one to two times a week depending on heat and humidity) and don't give up.
0
chinamigarden
13 years ago
My son would never eat mushrooms as a kid. When he hit 16 he started to eat mushrooms, by the time he was 17 he started to shave.

Mushrooms made his whiskers grow.
0
bobinbrem
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
OK I have read all the threads here dealing with BER.. some sound ridicules'... I have 5 Tom. plants . in pots maybe 6 or 7 gallon ones. 4 of the plants are beefsteak variety and the other is an Early girl. BER first appeared on the Early Girl , I have discarded all that I found. Now I am starting to get a few of the beef steak with BER... very dis-hearting , so looking for the best way to add calcium. but then it may be to late this year?? I do water daily, in fact twice a day, morning and evening. I usually flood the plants well to try to get water to the bottom of the pots... which have drain holes at the bottom. The plants have produced a good number of small to medium fruits but seem slow to ripen and we have had near perfect growing weather here in western Washington this summer. So am I watering to much or would liming the soil have helped before planting OR ???? Thank you Bob
0
bobinbrem
8 years ago
OH yes add to the thread above. I did buy some calcium spary.. that says spray the foliage and fruits .. Not sure if that is helping or not and don't remember the product name ... who produces it? bob
0
Chris (6a NY)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I'll slightly prepare you for what you are about to hear from others. While it's too late now, those pots are on the small side for tomato plants. What potting mix did you use? Also, watering daily? Are the temps extremely hot in Washington? Watering definitely needs to be done more frequently in pots, but I'm not sure twice per day is necessary. You're basically flushing the nutrients out of the mix you have your plants in. If you read further up on this thread, you'll see that calcium isn't your issue. It's the lack of the plants ability to uptake the calcium due to inconsistent moisture levels. But in your case, I'm not sure the soil has a chance to become dry. I'd cut back on the watering a bit and maybe add fish emulsion to your watering, twice per week.
digdirt2
8 years ago
Agree with Chris that the main problem is the pots are way to small. Especially too small for the varieties you have listed which are all large indeterminate varieties. 12-15 gallons minimum for those. By now all those plants are long past being root bound and supplying them with the soil moisture needed isn't possible.

But please note the water issue is not the number of times a day you water. The issues is maintaining consistent

soil moisture - same level of moisture at all times rather than dry-wet-dry-wet-too dry - overly wet - etc..

In containers that is difficult to do, in small containers such as yours it is almost impossible. Systems like drip irrigation on automatic timers can do it but unless you can monitor your small pot's soil moisture almost hourly and add small amounts as needed you will have BER problems.

The larger the container, the slower the soil dries out. The larger the container, the better it maintains soil moisture levels. Then there is the mix in the container. The soil-less mixes made for containers work best as they can prevent root rot but they come in all sorts of quality levels and you have to learn to work effectively with the one you choose.

So next year plan to at least double the size of your containers and triple them if at all possible for best results. If you cannot do that then you need to restrict your plant varieties to the small and dwarf varieties bred specifically for growing in small containers.

Dave
0

Source of Calcium to treat EBR in tomatoes.

Comments (34)

Related Discussions

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

chamanOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author

chaman
Original Author