BER -- Blossom End Rot

[Runningtrails]

I had a terrible problem with BER last year and am doing everything I can this year to prevent it. Last year I grew the tomatoes in a tilled, depleted field but tilled in some chicken manure before planting and mulched with lots of egg shells. Didn't help.

This year I am planting them in my good nurishe-for-years lasagna bed and putting in a little lime.

Does the TUMS addition really work? I will definitely be giving it a try. I have a lot of TUMS on hand!

I depend on my tomatoes for seed sales! I need good tomatoes. I managed to get enough seed from last year's BER tomatoes to keep it going but sold out quickly. I look for better things from my tomatoes this year.

Thanks for the TUMS tip! I am excited about trying it this year!

[Kisal]

No matter how much calcium you add to the soil, if the pH is too high or too low, the plant won't be able to access the mineral. Have a soil test done first. Then add any amendments that are lacking.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes please read TZ's very thorough explanation of BER at the beginning of this thread. It is very rarely due to a lack of calcium in the soil. It is either a problem of the roots being able to uptake it oar the plant being able to transport it to the fruit. Providing extra calcium might help a bit to compensate for the difficulty, but it doesn't solve the problem.

And Epsom salts can make it worse (see TZ's post for the explanation).

[Runningtrails]

Thanks for the information. I did skim a little of it. Not really a science detail person. I won't be getting the soil tested either. I'm more of a causal gardener and must keep it cheap. I am adding some lime this year, the Tums and some epsom salts later in the season and mulching. Any more "secrets" I can do that will help, easy and cheap?

I planted them in a new bed last year in a depleted field with just a little chicken manure tilled in. This year I will plant them in the good bed where I have not had BER when used previously, so I don't expect problems but will do the listed things above just to be safe.

Thank you all for the information!

[gardenbean]

I also have put in my tomato powder milk along with eggshells and banana peels. So far so good........

[quiltbea]

When I found BER on some of my tomatoes, I put a handful of dried milk (calcium) around the base of each plant and watered.
The next rush of fruits didn't get the BER.
I don't know if it worked or not, but it seemed to do it. I did this for many varieties of tomatoes last year and they all benefited from the extra dried milk.

[RogueRose]

I'm growing 8 different kinds of tomatoes....there's 2 that haven't fruited yet. I started these myself and were stunted. I'm frankly surprised they've grown at all but they look pretty good now. Anyway, of the 6 that ARE fruiting, I have only 1 plant that is BERing right now. I can't remember what kind it is. But I've noticed that this plant also really gets thirsty very quickly.

[icemanx3]

Hi all. Last year many of my tomatoes had BER. I simply sliced the BER part of the tomato off and ate them anyway...It was my very first time growing a garden and I couldn't imagine tossing my babies out They tasted fine.

Question is, was it ok (safe) for me to still eat them after cutting away the BER?

Thanks all!

ice

[rainbowgardener]

You are still here, aren't you? Yes, it is safe. The BER isn't a disease, it is just a physiological response to the conditions. It just spoils the quality of the tomato in that area.

[mattie g]

You are still here, aren't you? Yes, it is safe. The BER isn't a disease, it is just a physiological response to the conditions. It just spoils the quality of the tomato in that area.

In my experience, you have to get to them fairly quickly, or else they can spoil a little faster than an unblemished tomato. Not too difficult a chore for many!

I had bad BER problems the first year I gardended, but since then I've been adding lime to my holes when I transplant and I haven't had nearly as many problems with it. And that's in spite of the fact that I plant a good number of paste tomatoes.

[icemanx3]

Well, I suppose I am here physically Good to know though, that I don't have to toss the BER ones!

When you say you put lime in the holes, are we talking the fruit or mineral?

Thank you!

ice

You are still here, aren't you? Yes, it is safe. The BER isn't a disease, it is just a physiological response to the conditions. It just spoils the quality of the tomato in that area.

In my experience, you have to get to them fairly quickly, or else they can spoil a little faster than an unblemished tomato. Not too difficult a chore for many!

I had bad BER problems the first year I gardended, but since then I've been adding lime to my holes when I transplant and I haven't had nearly as many problems with it. And that's in spite of the fact that I plant a good number of paste tomatoes.

[mattie g]

Ice...I mean the mineral. I just use pelletized lime - nothing fancy. I assume it works OK since my BER issues have been fairly minimal. And I assume it doesn't hurt the plants since mine grow really strong and out out good amounts of fruit. I figure that putting it in the holes when the plant is young helps the plant absorb it over a period of time, rather than just trying to treat as it happens.

[gixxerific]

Garden (or pulverized) lime will work faster than pelletized.

[imafan26]

I do not add calcium to correct or prevent BER. For the most part, I only had the problem in the peak of summer when the plants would wilt in the middle of the day. I adjusted my watering times and it solved the problem. I actually have not had a problem with tomatoes grown in earthboxes since they have a reservoir and do not dry out. The only thing that does sometimes happen is that if the tomatoes get too much water, they crack more (can't stop the rain). Excess water when the fruit is ripening sometimes leads to blander fruit.

BER is a physiologic response to a relative lack of calcium. Rarely does the soil actually lack calcium. The soil can have a lot of calcium but it won't do any good unless the plants are able to absorb it. Most of the time what is really needed is to finesse the watering schedule. The real science is tweaking the water so it is not too much, not too little, and get it so it is just right.

[LindaD]

Wow...so much good information. I have had black spots on my tomatoes and I thought it was some kind of rot as I usually just grow flowers. Now I feel informed and armed with usefull, practical knowledge on how to combat BER and that the fruits of my labor would still be safe to eat. Thanks all!

Linda