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Q about blossom end rot on toms...
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Message 1.Â
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Saturday, 30th July 2011
I've grown a number of diffderent varieties of toms in th GH this year and have had different problems, also successes the zebra variety has been brill..
Red and yellow pear were the only one's grown from seed. These are in pots. The red has blossom end rot, the fruit isn't red yet and still quite small, the plants are checked daily because I go out to open and shut GH door and pick any ripe fruit although this week I've only been in to water.
Firstly I was surprised at how quick they have gone black. Not all the fruit is affected so I picked off the fruit which was black at the bottom. The leaves are fine.
Q is what to do now, will the rest of the fruit get blossom end rot... -
Message 2
Posted by Italophile (U12516505) on Sunday, 31st July 2011
If it's BER, there's no guarantee fruit on the same plant will develop it. I've had clusters of toms on the same stalk with one tom developing BER, the others avoiding it. One of the great unpredictables is BER. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope.
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Message 3
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Sunday, 31st July 2011
Not able to wave a magic wand for you, but is does help to understand why your tomatoes got blossom end rot in the first place, then you'll be so much wiser in future.
Blossom end rot occurs when there are insufficient calcium levels in developing fruit. This is most common when the first trusses are forming and calcium demand is high.
As water transports calcium around the tomato plant the condition is usually linked to inadequate or irregular watering. Tomatoes need the equivalent of 2-4cms rainfall every week, though the amount of water given is less important than maintaining consistent water levels.
Watering daily, at least, will be necessary in hot conditions. As little as half-an-hour of water deficiency can cause the condition to develop.
Pick off and compost any fruits that have been affected.
Mulching around tomato plants with grass clippings, straw or hay will prevent plants drying out. -
Message 4
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Sunday, 31st July 2011
I noticed today another tom had BER so took it off but I'll keep the plant and hope no further fruits develop BER.
The pot does dry out on this plant despite regular watering, I may have used a different compost, some seem to retain water better than others and it doesn't have a mulch on top, I have some straw which I'll try.
I'm growing red and yellow pear, one plant is in a flower bucket and that one's fine, this one, which has BER is in a shallower pot.
Thank you for your replies both equally helpful, and yes it does help to know why. -
Message 5
Posted by Italophile (U12516505) on Monday, 1st August 2011
Even though much more is known about BER these days, it remains one of the curly ones. It's been proved to be tied to plant stress. The stress impacts physiologically on the plant, disturbing the balance of its inner workings. It's unable to distribute sufficient calcium to the fruit.
Watering is relevant in that irregular watering might be a cause of the plant's stress. Or overwatering. Or underwatering. But plants watered regularly - neither overwatered nor underwatered, in other words perfectly watered - can produce fruit with BER.
The key is that something has stressed the plant. For outdoor toms it could be sudden buffeting from strong wind, or sudden changes in temperature, or watering peculiarities or overfertilising or anything. Ditto indoor toms, apart, probably, from sudden strong winds.
The physiological problem is known, an exact trigger isn't. If only the plants could talk. -
Message 6
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Monday, 1st August 2011
Even though much more is known about BER these days, it remains one of the curly ones. It's been proved to be tied to plant stress. The stress impacts physiologically on the plant, disturbing the balance of its inner workings. It's unable to distribute sufficient calcium to the fruit.
Watering is relevant in that irregular watering might be a cause of the plant's stress. Or overwatering. Or underwatering. But plants watered regularly - neither overwatered nor underwatered, in other words perfectly watered - can produce fruit with BER.
The key is that something has stressed the plant. For outdoor toms it could be sudden buffeting from strong wind, or sudden changes in temperature, or watering peculiarities or overfertilising or anything. Ditto indoor toms, apart, probably, from sudden strong winds.
The physiological problem is known, an exact trigger isn't. If only the plants could talk.Â
I'd like to know the source of this. -
Message 7
Posted by Italophile (U12516505) on Tuesday, 2nd August 2011
David, it's hard to post here 30 years of tomato-growing experience and regular contact - by mail pre-internet, by email these days - with hugely experienced tomato growers around the world, the United States in particular, the "home" of heirloom tomatoes, where vast networks of growers willingly share experience, knowledge, and very generously, seeds. That's my tomato background but difficult to cite as a source.
I have been able, though, to track down a citeable examination of the peculiarities of BER by a tomato expert who, I can promise, from experience, has forgotten more about toms than most of us will ever know:
One day science will probably explain things like BER in glorious detail. Steps have already been taken as the article indicates but at this stage it's still not economically viable to text exhaustively. DNA testing, for example, would help to clear up the huge mess that is the naming of the myriad "black" varieties, some of which are thought to be the same tomato with a different name. But who has the funds? -
Message 8
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Tuesday, 2nd August 2011
An interesting read.
BER has only affected the red and yellow pear plants. One plant was near the door so would have experienced fluctuations in temperature. I found BER on another pear plant at the back of the GH that was in a pot but didn't realise I also have one in the GH bed, this one's ok.
None of the pear variety plants have produced alot of fruit though. If it's a mix of conditions and variety I may give this one a miss next year, I'll see how the plant in the bed goes and if the other plants recover to produce a reasonable amount of toms. -
Message 9
Posted by Italophile (U12516505) on Wednesday, 3rd August 2011
zoomer, some varieties or types are more prone to BER than others. The plums - Roma, etc - are famous for it. It must be something in their genes. Pears and plums can share some similar characteristics so that may be an explanation.
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Message 10
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Wednesday, 3rd August 2011
Thank you for the advice.
It's certainly been a learning curve growing toms this year.
After having trouble germinating seeds, pear was the only success, I bought a few different varieties and they've all grown very differently, I've had curly leaves, brown and yellow bits on leaves to mention but a few problems.
...and I swear the money maker plant is going to snap before too much longer, the fruit is so big and bountiful I've had to tie it to the GH frame, it's nice to hear BER is unlikely to affect these more mature fruits though.
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