The #1 Tomato Killer By Marjory Wildcraft

Yikes, do you remember my ‘tomato sauce sovereignty’ project where I am growing a bunch of tomato plants to, well – not have to buy any more tomato sauce!  If you missed that post, here is the link http://www.growyourowngroceries.org/the-tomato-sauce-sovereignty-project/

That article gives specifics on how many plants you need to grow to get a six- month supply of tomato sauce for your family.

Well I had a big bunch of healthy plants growing, nice fruits developing, and seemingly perfect weather – until disaster stuck. 

It’s the most common tomato problem and affects pretty much everybody regardless of where you live.  So if you haven’t experienced it yet, this will be a good article to keep on file. 

The #1 tomato killer is (drum roll please…)

Blossom end rot. 

Blossom end rot also affects squash, eggplant, watermelon, and peppers.  (BTW, you can click here to see photos of tomatoes affected with blossom end rot http://www.growyourowngroceries.org/the-1-tomato-killer-got-me/

Calcium imbalances are the big issue that creates blossom end rot.

Calcium helps the plant ‘bind’ itself together, sort of like glue. 

Calcium is taken up fairly slowly and plants definitely need water to move calcium.  The biggest cause of blossom end rot is wide swings in soils moisture – but most especially if the soil gets very dry.   If there isn’t enough mositure, the plant can’t move the calcium where it is needed. 

We had been getting some intermittent rains – a 1/4” here, or an 1/8” there and all around me was lush greenness.  So I got a little complacent about checking my soil moisture levels thinking they must be good (you do remember that article about using your fingers to test soil moisture don’t you? – here is the link if you’ve forgotten)

http://www.growyourowngroceries.org/its-ok-to-get-dirty-with-survival-gardening/

Now grass and wildflowers can thrive on a surprisingly small amount of rain – or even dew.  Long grass is especially good at retaining moisture (that’s a tip for those of you living in dryer areas, if you cut your grass, put the mower up on its highest level so the grass is as long as possible).  And that lushness had me fooled. 

In between the rains, we had the typical Texas summer pattern of windy dry heat.  And the actual soil moisture got quite low. 

So if tomato plants get too dry, or if they are over watered and grow too quickly, then calcium doesn’t have enough time to travel through to the whole piece of fruit.  That is why the end rots.

Here are a couple of other factors that impede calcium absorption:

• Not enough calcium in the soil in the first place

• Damage to the roots

• Excessive heat or cold

• Too much nitrogen in the soil

• Large amounts of salts in the soil

• Soil pH too high or low (the ideal is around 6.5)

Note that the tomato plants need calcium the most when the fruit sets, which in many regions is when it starts to get dryer.  So you’ve really got to watch your soil water levels.  Also, as the fruit comes on, you might think you should add nitrogen fertilizer to give the plant a boost – but hold back on the nitrogen as it interferes with calcium uptake. 

But here is the good news. 

Blossom end rot is not ‘contagious’ and there are things that you can do to immediately help the plant and still get a good yield of tomatoes.

First, pick off any fruits that are affected – no need to have the plant waste energy on them.  Secondly, apply a fast source of calcium to the plants and soil.  I am going to try a couple of products specifically designed for this problem and I’ll let you know the results (I am going to test out both Azomite, and “Blossom-End Rot Control” by Greenlight).

As many of you know, I am adverse to being dependent on ‘buying stuff’ so if you’ve got any suggestions for home made quick calcium please put them in the comments section at this link: 

http://www.growyourowngroceries.org/the-1-tomato-killer-got-me/

But lets also talk about how to prevent this in the future.   

First off, make sure your planting area has good drainage, at least 6 hours of sunlight, and work in a lot of compost to ensure you’ve got a good amount of the necessary minerals.  (Note that I am researching survival sources of minerals – like could sheetrock which is mostly gypsum be used as s source of calcium?)

Secondly, determinate tomato varieties tend to be affected more than indeterminate varieties because they grow more quickly.

Protect plants from excessive cold or heat, and make sure you water evenly.  A drip system or soaker hose and lots of mulch is the best way to go. 

So I’ll be posting the results and final yields in a future article.  If you’ve got any comments to add to this topic, please put them in the comments section at this link – and hey, I have really been enjoying the interaction.  So many usefrul comments!

http://www.growyourowngroceries.org/the-1-tomato-killer-got-me/

Warmly,