What is the matter with my tomatoes? >> BER

[JohnnyB60]

My plant is full of tomatoes, but 50% have black bottoms. They are in pots this year because of the drought and because something happened to my soil last year preventing anything from growing.



--- Sorry I just noticed a couple of threads before this one about the same thing. I guess I should have searched before posting but just couldn't think how to describe it at the moment

[rainbowgardener]

Blossom end rot. There's a sticky about it at the top of this section and if you type "blossom end rot" into the site search box, you will find tons of info already here about it.

[JohnnyB60]

Blossom end rot. There's a sticky about it at the top of this section and if you type "blossom end rot" into the site search box, you will find tons of info already here about it.

Thanks, I didn't notice that there were so many threads on the subject when I logged in.

Anyway I just went through all the tomatoes and every one has it from the ripe dark red to the orange all the way down to the newest green ones. I pulled every single tomato off and was about to toss the whole plant, but my wife still has hope.

I think it may have been from the grower and I bought the plant that way. I don't know it its too late to start a new plant at this time.

Oh well I guess its just going to be cherry tomatoes this year which isn't so bad because they are plentiful and I love them. I can not walk by without grabbing a handful.

[rainbowgardener]

Don't pull the plants! It is not a disease, it is a physiological response to the conditions. If you can fix the conditions, the new tomatoes that come will be fine.

If you read any of the information here about BER, you already know that it is due to calcium deficiency. The problem is usually not deficiency in the soil, but the plant's inability to take it up and transport it, due to stress.

One of the main stressors that can cause this is inconsistent watering. You said "They are in pots this year because of the drought." How big are your containers? One tomato plant needs at least a 5 gallon bucket size, preferably twice that. The more soil you have, the easier it will be to maintain consistent moisture. A smaller container dries out very fast, especially in hot, dry weather. When I tried growing tomatoes in containers, I found that they needed to be watered twice a day in the heat of summer and I probably am in a much more humid climate than you.

You might need to make a wicking system to move water from a reservoir to your soil, to help with consistent moisture:

https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Wicks-to-Water-Plants

Too much high nitrogen fertilizer also contributes to the problem. Use Tomato Tone or something like it that is higher in PK.

Even though the problem is not a lack of calcium in the soil, some people swear by mixing some Epsom salt (no more than 1 cup per good sized container) into the soil or using it as foliar spray.

[JohnnyB60]

Thank you so much rainbowgardener for your help.
You have explained it well so that I can understand. I did take a look at one of the sticky explanations, but it was a little too scientific for me and I didn’t have time to study it so I just skimmed over it. I am glad to hear that it’s not a disease and feel more comfortable in trying to correct the problem.

I feed it Miracle-Gro Water-Soluble Tomato Plant Food once a week and I don't remember the potting soil name only that it had pictures of vegetables on the bag.

I do not know the gallons of the planter but it is a Kiri 24in Round Resin Planter. I chose it because I thought the double side wall would help insulate the roots from the hot desert sun.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Planters-Onl ... ri+Planter

Anyway I did notice that the potting soil has settled a bit and I will need to add more if that doesn’t cause other problems. I'm not sure if I can actually get more soil into the bottom rather than on top.

The watering is a problem because I'm not exactly sure how much it is getting. When I'm home, I put approximately 2 ½ gal of water in the morning out of a bucket while my wife waters using a hose while I'm at work and we have no idea how much its getting.

[rainbowgardener]

You can add more soil at the top. If you bury some of the stem, that is fine. Tomatoes have the unique property of being able to put out roots from any buried stem, so that just increases its root system, which is a good thing.

Your container looks like a decent size for ONE tomato plant. But it looks like you probably have three plants in it.

Even though it will unsettle them some, since you are having problems, I would probably go ahead and separate them and give them each their own container. Lay the container on its side. Take some kind of implement that is long, flat, like a yardstick or something or a really long handled trowel and insert it down the side between the soil and the container. Then lift up gently from the bottom. You might have to do it in a few places around the circle (think about getting a cake out of the pan!). Then you should be able to slide the whole root/soil mass out. Once it is out, water well to loosen it up and gently pull the plants apart. When you re-plant, bury them deeper than they were.

Sounds like you probably are over watering sometimes and under watering others. When you water, water thoroughly until water is coming out the drain holes. You want to be sure that all the soil is moistened. That will help it stay more consistently damp, which is what you want.

[JohnnyB60]

Thanks, I may have to put something under it to see how much water is coming out. I drilled extra holes in the bottom because I had a potted pepper plant die last year from over watering. I guess I need to do more research on watering.

I don't know how it would be possible to have more than one plant because we bought one of those 3” or 4” biodegradable pots that you plant pot and all directly into the soil. I wonder if thinning it out some would help.

[rainbowgardener]

OK, sorry... I thought I was seeing different tomato types, but I guess just different ripeness.

If so, it should be fine, but yes, I think thinning and opening it up to better air circulation would be good. That is not particularly an answer to the BER, but it does help prevent fungal diseases that often crop up as the season progresses. I have a lot less problems with disease on my tomato plants, since I started pruning more.

[JohnnyB60]

Thanks, I'm hoping that with some pruning I may also be able to get rid of a spider problem

[GardeningCook]

If by "spider problem" you mean "Spider Mites" (any other spiders wouldn't be a problem), pruning won't solve the problem. You'll need start spraying some insecticidal soap (I like the Safer brand).

(Just a note that Spider Mites usually rear their ugly little heads & webbing on plants not getting enough water.)

[JohnnyB60]

Ok I don't really know what kind of spiders they are, but if that's a sign of not getting enough water than that falls into place the other BER problem. Thanks again

[imafan26]

Some varieties will be more prone to BER than others. I rarely have it but I grow mostly heat tolerant tomatoes.
I have use self watering containers. As long as the reservoir has water the plant will stay evenly moist so BER is less likely to happen.

[JohnnyB60]

Some varieties will be more prone to BER than others. I rarely have it but I grow mostly heat tolerant tomatoes.
I have use self watering containers. As long as the reservoir has water the plant will stay evenly moist so BER is less likely to happen.

I've never had this problem before, but then again this is the first time I've had Roma tomatoes. We've always had better boy, celebrity other large sandwich size tomatoes.

I chose the Roma's because I like tossing a few of them in my lunch whole and eating them like an apple as a snack. They don't make a mess in my lunch box like others do.

We moved the planter today more out in the open and on a concrete block so that we can observe how much excess water we have if any. The watering situation is a problem because there is a warning for mosquitoes and West Nile Virus so we are being extra careful with standing water

We also bought a bottle of Garden Safe® Brand Insecticidal Soap and are going to use it when the wind calms down.