What is causing the watermelon to have blossom end rot?
- Francis Barnswallow
- Green Thumb
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- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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Blossom end rot is whether it occurs in tomatoes, squash or whatever, is always a sign of lack of calcium in the developing fruit. However this does not mean there's not enough calcium in your soil. It means for some reason the plant is not able to uptake the calcium to get it to the fruit. It maybe because your soil is too acid which locks the calcium up. Or it could be something else that is stressing the plant causing it to be unable to uptake calcium. Inconsistent watering can do this.
" blossom end rot is due to a calcium deficiency in the developing fruit. The deficiency can be due to a lack of calcium in the soil, as is the case in parts of the country with acid soil....However, if water, which transports calcium and other minerals, doesn't reach the end of the fruit during the critical time when the fruit is developing, blossom end rot will develop. The failure of water to reach the fruit can be due to hot, dry, windy days which evaporate water before it reaches the fruit, or due to waterlogged soil, which due to absence of adequate oxygen around the roots, prevents the absorption of water and minerals by the roots. So, extremely wet conditions when the fruit were just forming can cause of the problem. "
https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/1997/082597.html
So too wet or too dry or especially going back and forth between those.
There's a sticky on BER in the Tomato Forum. The causes and treatments are the same regardless of what kind of plant it occurs in.
" blossom end rot is due to a calcium deficiency in the developing fruit. The deficiency can be due to a lack of calcium in the soil, as is the case in parts of the country with acid soil....However, if water, which transports calcium and other minerals, doesn't reach the end of the fruit during the critical time when the fruit is developing, blossom end rot will develop. The failure of water to reach the fruit can be due to hot, dry, windy days which evaporate water before it reaches the fruit, or due to waterlogged soil, which due to absence of adequate oxygen around the roots, prevents the absorption of water and minerals by the roots. So, extremely wet conditions when the fruit were just forming can cause of the problem. "
https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/1997/082597.html
So too wet or too dry or especially going back and forth between those.
There's a sticky on BER in the Tomato Forum. The causes and treatments are the same regardless of what kind of plant it occurs in.
- Francis Barnswallow
- Green Thumb
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- gixxerific
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