I went to pick my beautiful red tomatoes to only find out the bottoms are all rotton.what happened?
Question:
Answers:
add lime to your soil. that will correct the calcium problem. Pick off any fruit that has the rot, because the Calcium won't correct it on afflicted fruits. let the plants build new fruits and they should be better next go around.
Inconsistant watering. Maybe from rain or garden hose. Happens everytime.
Blossom end rot - the bane of all gardeners!
The second person is correct. It is blossom end rot, caused by a calcium deficiency in the soil. You should be able to find something at most any nursery or garden center to alleviate this problem.
Your tomatoes have "blossom end rot" (BER), a physiological condition caused by a lack of calcium at the growing tip of the fruit. It is also a common problem on peppers. While your soil may have adequate calcium, fluctuations in soil moisture content from dry to wet really increase the incidence of BER. It is especially bad on the early fruit each summer and in sandy soils.
The damage occurs as cells die at the tip of the fruit. In time (and as the fruit grows) the spots enlarge and turn black. So, by the time you see it, the damage actually has already occurred some time back.
Remedies for BER include having a soil test to make sure calcium levels are adequate, adding organic matter to a sandy soil to increase its moisture holding capacity, and keeping plants evenly moist, especially during the development of the first fruits. A thick mulch will help maintain soil moisture.
More Related Questions & Answers...