pow wow
Senior Member
Posts: 227
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:55 am
Location: Alberta Canada

Re: BER -- Blossom End Rot

I had to grow all my tomatoes in the greenhouse for the past couple of years due to a very tall duplex that was built next door, taking away my sun. Lost half of my tomatoes due to BER last year. I happened on a video of the calcium solution and gave it a try this year. I have only found two tomatoes with BER. I just take some pills and grind them into a powder and work them into the top of the pots, every few weeks. Also I made sure that any organic fertilizer I used when planting had calcium in it.

The toms are late this year but coming on fast right now.

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Dirt
Full Member
Posts: 30
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:36 am
Location: SE Michigan, 6A

Hello all. New member here. I hate coming into a new forum and offering advice, don't want to sound like a know-it-all. I actually joined to ask questions, not provide answers. Therefore, I offer this only as a recount of my own experience.

I started the year with BER. Like many of you, I have wasted untold amounts of tomatoes fighting it, and was determined not to lose any more than I had to. I poked around the internet and found a video. The host took three good handfuls of garden lime and mixed it into about 3-1/2 gallons of water, forming a very wet slurry. He used the slurry to water his plants. He was sure to mention that there is no recipe, just three good handfuls. This measure was an emergency response. A mixture half as potent could be used as maintenance.

I ran to the store and picked up some lime, applying the mixture as prescribed. It looks very much like water that someone had used to wash tools after pouring concrete. Since the materials are similar, I guess that shouldn't be surprising. At any rate, the next few tomatoes had BER, and that was it. It never appeared again through hundreds and hundreds of tomatoes. I also applied it to squash, peppers, and eggplant.

Coincidence? Could be. I can only say the problem disappeared. I did not have to reapply, and am still picking tomatoes in zone 6A.

Someone in this thread stated that the problem is rarely a lack of calcium, but more the plant's inability to take up and use what there. This is exactly what the video's host said.

I'm sold. Next year I will apply earlier, and use some when conditioning the soil.

pow wow
Senior Member
Posts: 227
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:55 am
Location: Alberta Canada

Knowing your calciums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD8zCenTOHA

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden- ... ilizer.htm

My plants were heavy producers this year and only two tomatoes had BER. I'm sold on the importance of calcium for tomato plants. Of course that's not all my plants were given but it sure made the difference.

Dirt
Full Member
Posts: 30
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:36 am
Location: SE Michigan, 6A

pow wow wrote:Knowing your calciums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD8zCenTOHA.
Thanks for that. I couldn't remember the source of the video I referenced in my post. It was the same guy in your link, "The Rusted Garden". Want to give credit where due.

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Gary350
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Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

I have BER every year if I don't try to head it off before the plants get BER. I mostly have BER problem with Tomatoes, sometimes squash, melons and peppers have it. I put a large hand full of pellet lime in the hole when I plant tomatoes and peppers that seems to work good for about 2 months then I need to sprinkle more pellet lime around the plants every month. Squash and melons both had BER problem this year a hand full of pellet lime every month solves the problem. All my peppers had BER this year too especially banana peppers a hand full of pellet lime solved the problem. We have lots of rain in TN usually every day March to June so maybe rain washes away lime? Several things work in place of lime, wood ash, drywall pieces = sheet rock, dry wall mud, cement, lime stone dust, it takes about 1 week for BER to be gone after adding some type of calcium. Dry wall mud makes tomatoes taste gritty.



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