Blossom End Rot
Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by tkhooper on June 17, 2006 03:16 AM
here is a previous post on the subject that should tell you everything you need.
Blossom-end rot is not caused by a parasitic organism but is a physiologic disorder associated with a low concentration of calcium in the fruit. Calcium is required in relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of necessary calcium, the tissues break down, leaving the characteristic dry, sunken lesion at the blossom end. Blossom-end rot is induced when demand for calcium exceeds supply. This may result from low calcium levels or high amounts of competitive cations in the soil, drought stress, or excessive soil moisture fluctuations which reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant, or rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization.
You will lose the ones that have BER. However, there is a good chance the rest of your tomatoes will be ok if all else is equal.
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Blossom-end rot is not caused by a parasitic organism but is a physiologic disorder associated with a low concentration of calcium in the fruit. Calcium is required in relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of necessary calcium, the tissues break down, leaving the characteristic dry, sunken lesion at the blossom end. Blossom-end rot is induced when demand for calcium exceeds supply. This may result from low calcium levels or high amounts of competitive cations in the soil, drought stress, or excessive soil moisture fluctuations which reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant, or rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization.
You will lose the ones that have BER. However, there is a good chance the rest of your tomatoes will be ok if all else is equal.
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by LandOfOz on June 17, 2006 04:54 AM
So do I need to just toss these tomatoes then? I was seriously considering just picking them off while they are still green and small to keep the plant from wasting it's energy on something that will not something that we can eat.
Sarah
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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
Sarah
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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
by mater sandwich on June 17, 2006 05:55 AM
Sarah, Do as you were considering. Pick the fruits with BER so your plant can use the energy elsewhere.
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Some days there is more laughter than others....Just depends on what/who you focus on....
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Some days there is more laughter than others....Just depends on what/who you focus on....
by fredix on June 20, 2006 01:25 AM
Yes, remove the bad fruits. Also cut some of the leaves (leave only half of them) so most calcium can go to the fruits.
by LandOfOz on June 20, 2006 02:21 AM
Hmmm, I have never heard of this before... Removing the leaves? DOes it actually work? I am pretty sure that I don't have an actual calcium deficiency in my soil.
Sarah
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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
Sarah
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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
by johnCT on June 20, 2006 03:00 AM
Sarah, If it were me I wouldn't go cutting all the plant's leaves in half. Paste-type tomatoes, especially the early fruit, are very prone to BER. Subsequent fruit should be fine. Just toss affected fruit and keep them consistently watered. Good luck.
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John - Zone 6
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John - Zone 6
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Thanks
Sarah
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Sarah - Zone 5b/6