Are you worried about your tomatoes rotting from the end? They must be developing a dark watery spot. If yes, your plant is affected by tomato end rot also called tomato blossom end rot.
Tomato end rot is a physiological disorder in tomatoes resulting from calcium imbalance, nitrogen deficiency, and irregular watering. Tomatoes aren’t the vegetables that can get affected by blossom end rot. Other fruits and vegetables like melon, cucumber, pepper, and squash may also develop it.
Now, if you want to recognize it, you must know what does it look like so that you may take action for treatment and prevention. Try to control it as much as you can to save more tomatoes.
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Tomato blossom end rot – What does it look like?
Tomato end rot is a common problem (not a fungal disease though) due to calcium imbalance resulting in dark water-filled spots at the bottom of the tomatoes. You can easily identify as with the passage of time, these water-filled areas enlarge, turn darker brown with leathery appearance.
It generally appears on the first fruits of the season that are not ripe and half-grown. As plants are under stress during their first growth, there is more chance of its development.
Causes
There are several factors that contribute to tomato end rot. Calcium imbalance, nitrogen level, and garden activities such as watering and fertilization can all affect your tomatoes health.
Calcium: Calcium depletion is one of the leading causes of end rot. On the other hand, disturbed calcium intake in plants during stressed growth conditions also results in tomato rot. When the plant is unable to take enough calcium from the soil for its growth, it damages in the form of blossom end rot.
Nitrogen: if you have given abundant nitrogen for rapid growth, it may be the cause of tomato end rot.
Watering and fertilization: Your watering schedule may also lead to tomato rotting. Uneven watering damages soil and makes it less nutritive and inaccessible for calcium and minerals.
Treatment and prevention from tomato end rot
If your tomato plant is suffering from blossom end rot or you are seeing any signs leading to it, you have to be careful. Take some preventive measures to minimize its growth and treat it to make the plant a healthy one.
Here are some of the treatments and preventive measures for tomato end rot:
- If your plant has watery spots, end rot, keep your soil moist by even watering. In the dry season, water at least once or twice a week deeply up to 6 inches but if you forget watering at the time, do not overwater in next watering time.
- When planting in a cold climate, allow the soil to warm as nutrients get limited in cold soil.
- Apply calcium solution.
- A high level of calcium in the soil can treat and prevent from tomato end rot. Try not to add too much. You can add gypsum or oyster shell at planting which can shield plants from developing blossom end rot.
- Keeping the soil moist is necessary. For this purpose, apply mulch as it prevents evaporation and keeps the soil moist.
- Organic fertilizers are best for plants as they keep them healthy and disease-free. In this case, you also have to avoid nitrogen fertilizer as it reduces calcium uptake and increases vegetative growth. With decreased calcium uptake by the plant, fruit tissue will break and a watery lesion will develop that will lead to tomato end rot.
- Maintain the pH of soil near 6.5 at best to prevent rotting.
Are tomatoes with blossom end rot still edible?
In many cases, tomatoes are affected by the bottom and a dark watery spot develops. These dark spots make fruits unpleasant and spoiled but you may use it if the upper half of fruit is just fine. It will not affect half fruit especially if in half-grown tomatoes.
Sometimes, this rotting is further attacked by some pathogens that make it more affected and blacker. In this case, the fruit is more exposed and has a greater chance that complete fruit is spoiled.
You have to cut from the center and see its condition. If you find it smelly, do not eat as it is no longer edible. If there is no smell and no change in taste, you can enjoy it.
Epsom salt and tomato end rot – Should you avoid using Epsom salts?
Using Epsom salt to avoid tomato end rot is nothing but a myth. As, rather than curing or preventing rot, Epsom salt may cause to boost it.
We know blossom end rot is caused by calcium deficiency, while Epsom salt has magnesium sulfate, not calcium. If you add it to the soil in which your tomato plant is grown, it may result in more rot due to more competition of calcium ions uptake.