Blossom rot on tomatoes? is it too late to add some calcium to the soil?
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Answers:
In a word yes! Remove all the infected plants immediately.
For max effect get some powder Bone Meal for the remaining plants. Spray the remaining plant with a solution of 1tbls of Pure Ivory Soap Liquid Detergent (nonscented) from the base to top including the undersides of the leaves.
Do this in the evening to prevent burning.
Lime, granular or pellet, takes six to nine months to take any effect in the soil!! The Bone Meal works a bit more quick, however, it may be to late to change the soil at this point.
If you wish to have acidic loving plants do yourself a favor and in early Sept take a few soil samples to you local County Extension Agent for analysis. They will charge you about $25 but get back to you with a full soil profile including what you have and what you need. Take there advise in late fall and next year you are on your way with confidence!
You can add calcium to your garden any time. One product I found was pelletized limestone, available at most garden centers. It IS too late, however, to save the rotted tomatoes. That damage cannot be undone. Adding the calcium / limestone now will help future fruits as they develop.
This disease does not spread from plant to plant, nor from fruit to fruit -- if you put it in now, any of the ones unaffected so far should be okay...
The best thing to do is get some compost on it. Every year you have to have to replenish the soil with tomatoes, since they deplete the soil of so many nutrients. One thing that I saw on a gardening program once, was when they make anything with eggs, they don't throw away the shells, but they soak them overnight and then pour the water on their veggies (in this case tomatoes) it helps a lot.
There is a spray lime solution that you can buy if it is still on the market. My bottle is old, but still works. You just spray it on the plants with blossom end rot.
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