Prevent of Blossom End Rot on Your Tomatoes

Now that it’s tomato planting time, the biggest issue most gardeners run into is blossom end rot. It looks exactly like it sounds, the blossom end of the fruit develops a dark spot that rots rapidly. This is due to a lack of calcium and it is usually seen when the soil gets dry, and the calcium in the soil can not be absorbed by the plant because it is too dry. It’s best to have soil tested and make sure your ph is 6.8-7.2 for tomatoes…we can do in store for you, free of charge.

We recommend spreading lime at the time of planting.  Our heavy clay soils in Central Pennsylvania are in dire need of lime every year.  If you’ve already planted your tomatoes you can side dress with lime, which means work a couple handfuls of lime into the soil next to your tomatoes. Make sure to water the lime in well.  If you grow tomatoes in containers, you will need more lime and nutrients as they need to be watered more often and this extra water causes leaching (washing out the nutrients/lime).

An easy product to use to add calcium is Espoma Tomato Tone fertilizer it not only is organic, but also has all nutrients  to prevent blossom end rot.

And finally if you see symptoms of blossom end rot starting try Bonide’s product called Rot Stop.  It is a ready to use spray that contains calcium. It’s best to apply to developing fruit and foliage after periods of heavy rain or rapid growth.

If you have any further questions just ask us online or in store. We want you to be successful!