0
points
What caused this on my tomato

Tomato    Boston, Massachusetts

I have four early girl tomato plants. Today I harvested one tomato which looks like this. Can anyone let me know what is the reason? Thanks.


Posted by: adrianne (3 points) adrianne
Posted: August 12, 2016




Answers

2
points
Is this on the bottom of the tomato, and are you seeing any symptoms on other tomatoes? It could be blossom end rot which is a calcium deficiency in the soil. Early symptoms appear as gray/white blotches on the bottom, or the end turning black, so look for those on your other tomatoes. More pictures would be helpful as well.


Posted by: Matt (9 points) Matt
Posted: August 13, 2016


adrianne commented,
thanks I ended up mixing a single serving organic plain yogurt with water and added that while watering once a week for 3 weeks and it solved the problem
over 7 years ago.

Matt commented,
Glad it worked out! I should also note that another common trigger for BER is water stress (drought and/or wilting) which interferes with calcium uptake. Personally, I have found that although symptoms stop occurring after I add calcium, the addition also coincides with increased watering (or increased rainfall). I suspect that for most gardeners, it's a correlation rather than causation. However, adding extra calcium to the soil wouldn't hurt, as calcium toxicity in most plants is very rare.
over 7 years ago.



1
point
Adrianne,
It is most similar to blossom-end rot. This common problem is not a disease, but rather a physiological disorder caused by a calcium imbalance within the plant, but, necrotic tissue can be easily colonized by fungi and bacteria.


Posted by: alex ignatov (1 point) alex ignatov
Posted: August 13, 2016


adrianne commented,
thanks they needed some calcium I mixed up a single serving organic plain yogurt with water and added that while watering once a week for three weeks it work out well
over 7 years ago.



0
points
thank you for getting back to me -- it was on the bottom of the tomato -- so far it is the only tomato that has had that problem Im attaching 2 side views of that tomato and a picture of a bunch of tomatos picked from that particular plant and the other 3 plants


Posted by: adrianne (3 points) adrianne
Posted: August 15, 2016


Matt commented,
The other tomatoes seem fine, but it does look like blossom end rot. Although it's a symptom of a calcium deficiency, it can be induced by hot and cold fluctuation, heavy rainfall, and high pH, which may all affect calcium uptake. You might want to add some form of calcium to the soil to prevent it from showing up on more tomatoes, and maybe get your soil tested for nutrient composition and pH. If you see it on ripe tomatoes, the healthy portion should still be edible.
over 7 years ago.

adrianne commented,
Matt thank you for your help although some parts of MA are in drought I have had some very heavy downpours but with that said I am going to have my soil tested -- this is my first attempt at gardening and I believe I started a little late in the season but so far knock wood no huge issues ... thanks again
over 7 years ago.



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