Blossom End Rot
Blossom end rot is a common problem in tomato gardens. It appears as a round, brown, sunken area on the end of the tomato fruit opposite the stem. As fruit ripens the area turns dry and leathery. This is often caused by a lack of calcium.
The best thing to do if you notice this problem in your vegetable garden is to remove all of the bad fruit, use a spray like Rot Stop® to help correct the calcium deficiency and water more evenly throughout the rest of the season.
What should I do differently next year?
- Start by testing the pH of your soil. We test soil ph for free here at Hicks. Bring a bone dry sample of soil to the Garden Information Desk. We’ll test it for you while you wait.
- Mulch around your vegetables. This helps to keep the soil evenly moist.
- Fertilizers with high nitrogen levels impede the uptake of calcium. Stick with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. We love Tomato-tone from Espoma which also, by the way, has added calcium!
Stop a Hicks Nurseries to pick up Rot Stop®, mulch and all of your other gardening needs.
Additional Information:
Summer Watering Tips
How to Plant