Blossom End Rot

What is blossom-end rot? How can I prevent it?

Blossom-end rot is a disorder of tomato, squash, pepper, and all other fruiting vegetables. You notice that a dry sunken decay has developed on the blossom end (opposite the stem) of many fruit, especially the first fruit of the season. This is not a pest, parasite or disease process but is a physiological problem caused by a low level of calcium in the fruit itself.

Symptoms

BER, or blossom-end rot usually begins as a small "water-soaked looking" area at the blossom end of the fruit while still green. As the lesion develops, it enlarges, becomes sunken and turns tan to dark brown to black and leathery. In severe cases, it may completely cover the lower half of the fruit, becoming flat or concave, often resulting in complete destruction of the infected fruit.

Cause

Calcium is required in relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of calcium, the tissues break down, leaving the characteristic lesion at the blossom end. Blossom-end rot develops when the fruit's demand for calcium exceeds the supply in the soil. This may result from low calcium levels in the soil, drought stress, excessive soil moisture, and/or fluctuations due to rain or overwatering . These conditions reduce the uptake and movement of calcium into the plant, or rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization.

Management

Adequate preparation of the garden bed prior to planting is the key to preventing BER. Insure adequately draining soil in the bed by adding needed ammendments, maintain the soil pH around 6.5 - a pH out of this range limits the uptake of calcium. Lime (unless the soil is already alkaline), composted manures or bone meal will supply calcium but take time to work so must be applied prior to planting. Excess ammonial types of nitrogen in the soil can reduce calcium uptake as can a depleted level of phosphorus. After planting, avoid deep cultivation that can damage the plant roots, use mulch to help stabilize soil moisture levels and help avoid drought stress, avoid overwatering as plants generally need about one inch of moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and development.

Once the problem develops, quick fixes are difficult. Stabilize the moisture level as much as possible, feeding with manure or compost tea is recommended by many, foliar applications of calcium are of questionable value according to research because of poor absorption and movement to fruit where it is needed but many have reported that foliar application of magnesium (epsom salts) can effect added calcium uptake. Other various suggestions consist of powdered milk, crushed egg shells tea, bone meal tea, Tums tablets, etc. but prevention is the key. Some recommend removing affected fruit from to reduce stress in the plant.

BER should not be confused with fruit abortion or inadequate pollination although the symptoms may appear similar. The onset of BER occurs only after the fruit is well on it's way to development while insufficient pollination problems terminate the fruit while still quite small.

Don’t discard your egg shells, save them for you garden. Egg shells add nutrients to the soil, specifically calcium. Calcium is a beneficial nutrient for tomatoes as the calcium will help stop end blossom rot. They also help discourage slugs and cabbage worms from you tender plants

calcium

Gypsum -- hydrated calcium sulfate -- has little effect on pH. The same goes for calcium chloride, which is often used to prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes.

The above "experts" recommend mixing the oyster shell or whatever with your compost well before application, this can vastly increase the availability as well as the permanence of this added mineral. Otherwise, lime products often need annual reapplication.

As to quantities, I remember Andersen talking about no more than 500 pounds of a lime product (somewhat equivalent to oyster shell I think) per acre at one time. I think this is very roughly a pound per 100 sq. ft., not much at all compared to normal liming rates. This shouldn't really upset your pH, Arden mentioned that calcium doesn't do that much to pH compared to magnesium, potassium and sodium. He's actually seen pH drop after application of calcium, probably thru replacement of more alkaline elements.
Egg shells provide calcium to your garden while coffee grounds provide a high content of nitrogen to your garden. Calcium and nitrogen supplements (egg shells and coffee grounds) will help keep your garden soil and plants healthy.

The gypsum question might revolve around the sulfate content, which will always have some depressing effect on many microbes (sulfur is a natural fungicide). Also some gypsum is artificially produced, tho most available up here is naturally mined and therefore acceptable for certified organic input. I would only use a bit of gypsum along with other calcium sources...but I am always tempted to include some because sulfur can easily become deficient in my high rainfall climate. The ideal time for application is before planting and it should be tilled or disked in. This application rate was "moderate".

Are you hungry?

Morning in the garden and I got the prize of the efforts to nibble on.
The Melon and the berries are doing very well
They need a bit of a breakfast them self.

you may recall the egg shell for the tomato

The cabbage bolted for lack of nitrogen.
I have learned now the importance of offering up the proper food.
Satisfy the belly and the heart of the life will flourish.
I saved the seeds today.

Plant by plant the cabbage is being harvested for seed then going over to the chickens as scrape feed.

Carrots are mighty happy.
So I feed the garden today.
I am taking down the pea poles and twine.
Now I'll better be able to tend the beans.
We are ready for a change up to beans.
The peas were struggleing with some powdery mildew. They were getting old and tired so I am removing them.
This soil is full of nitrogen from the peas, it is a by product.
So the plan is to plant the thing that needs high nitrogen here next.
Research, study and success.

Remember every living thing has a diet their very own.
Don't let them go hungry.

If They are going to feed us they need to eat too.

Tomato Harvest

Two days of tomato and the days Butter Lettuce

Hello, I placed those orange tree trimmings in the bail, it seems to be working to keep the dogs out. Cayenne pepper was sprinkled around the bails...
The dogs licked it up!!!!!!
Then they drank a lot of water.
Oh it is so hard to do those things...
if it works it will be best for their long term.

These las two days the harvest is huge!

The future of food

Life is in the seed
Please watch this

Sound the alarm!

This can is a great chime to spook the dogs away from the gate.
It rattles, when the birds sit on the cans they tip and the bird gets off kilter and fly's off.
Pretty cool way to put the tins to good use.
The cans also protect my face when bending to harvest.
The poles can be a hazard.
Up turned terracotta pot are prettier, but this will do well.

Cabbage seed, first onion.