Many vegetable growers who grow tomatoes are familiar with the disease known as tomato blossom end rot. This disease most often affects young tomatoes and can cause even more dangerous diseases.
What does blossom end rot look like in tomatoes?
The disease is manifested by the appearance of brown spots on the tops of the fruits, which grow. These spots are dry to the touch. As the disease progresses, the spots become larger and flat or depressed areas of dry rot appear. Affected tomatoes stop growing and ripen quickly.Fruits that have been affected by blossom end rot of tomatoes in a greenhouse cannot be eaten as food, since they have a bad taste and will not bring any benefit.
Five causes of blossom end rot in tomatoes
Blossom rot appears on tomatoes for the following reasons:
- Soil pH imbalance;
- The content of nitrogen, potassium and magnesium in the plants themselves has been increased;
- Reduced content of phosphorus, calcium and manganese;
- Frequent watering;
- Mechanical damage to the root system.
For example, a lack of an element such as calcium. Very often the plant is unable to absorb calcium from the soil, where there is a lot of it. What are the reasons that prevent tomatoes from absorbing calcium when it is abundant in the soil? It is impossible to answer unequivocally. The most common reason for the occurrence of crown rot is a sharp and frequent change of dry and wet periods.
Classification and characteristics
Tomato blossom end rot is classified according to its etiology. It comes in two types:
- non-infectious nature,
- bacterial nature.
Tomato blossom end rot can affect plants both in open ground and in shelters. Young tomatoes, especially the “cream” varieties, are affected by rot. Such tomatoes are more affected by the type of rot that occurs in tomato cells without appearing externally. Initially, brown concentric spots appear on the berries, soft to the touch.
Gradually they grow, turn black and become depressed and flat. The tomatoes themselves harden, dry out and fall off the bush. At high humidity, dry rot turns into wet rot. Affected fruits ripen faster than healthy ones. When there is little moisture for the bush, the leaves take moisture from the tomato for themselves.The cellular structures of the tomato decompose - this is how blossom end rot occurs. In addition to tomatoes, other vegetables of the nightshade family are also affected.
Tomato blossom end rot is bacterial in nature, wet and soft to the touch. The color is dirty green, the shade is closer to brown. The lesion has uneven boundaries. Rot spreads quickly and has a strong unpleasant odor. Fruits lying on the ground are affected.
What to do
The occurrence of blossom end rot on bushes is not a death sentence. The harvest can be saved. Control measures are known. The first thing to do is to remove the affected fruits and leaves near them from the bush. This will prevent complications.
Prevention and treatment
In fact, it is always easier to prevent a disease than to treat it. This statement is fully applicable to tomato diseases.
Prevention of blossom end rot disease begins with proper preparation of the soil for planting, as well as compliance with certain rules of agricultural technology:
- The soil for tomatoes should be slightly acidic to moderate, sandy, and light.
- It is mandatory to maintain humidity within 65-70%. It is humidity fluctuations that play a decisive role in the development of blossom end rot of tomatoes.
- Lighting should be uniform and continuous, about 18 hours a day.
- Air temperature for normal tomato development is 18-22 OWITH.
- To prevent diseases, on day 35-40 the seedlings are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture. They are also treated with this solution after each rain.
- In greenhouses, plants are sprayed more often than in open ground. For this purpose, solutions of calcium nitrate or calcium chloride are used.
- Under each bush, the soil is powdered with wood ash, and the roots are also watered with ash diluted in water or dolomite.
Tomatoes are treated with a solution of Bordeaux mixture, as well as by spraying them with Brexil Ca, calcium nitrate, etc.
Folk remedies are also used to treat blossom end rot on tomatoes:
- One liter of milk is poured into a bucket and topped up with water to 10 liters. This solution is applied to the leaves and fruits of tomatoes once a week. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times.
- Dried eggshells crushed in a mortar are also used. It is crushed into powder, which is sprinkled on tomato holes before planting seedlings in them.
- Two tablespoons of chalk, crushed into powder, are mixed with one liter of warm water and watered on the bush with damaged tomatoes.
However, it must be remembered that excess calcium content can lead to a lack of potassium in vegetables, and this can lead to problems with fruit ripening. Therefore, an integrated approach and moderation in fertilizing the soil are necessary.
Some recommendations
When studying blossom end rot of tomatoes, it was revealed that in 90% of cases of this disease, the cause is irregular watering at elevated temperatures. The regularity of soil moisture, temperature and air humidity should be optimal (temperature 18-22 degrees, humidity 60-70%). When air temperatures rise, watering should be increased and vice versa. Ventilation of greenhouses also plays an important role. It is also better to remove the lower leaves of the plant to improve aeration and prevent topping. Drip irrigation and soil mulching have worked well, since an optimal microclimate is created near the root, and the plant develops and bears fruit normally.
Excessive application of manure and chicken droppings can cause blossom end rot in tomatoes, as the pH of the soil is disturbed and it becomes more acidic.
When loosening the soil under tomato bushes, you should be careful, as injuries to the rhizomes can cause blossom end rot. Due to damage, the plant cannot absorb the minerals it needs from the soil and becomes sick.
