What causes this?

[kath]

Well, it's comforting to know that it's common enough and others are seeing it, too, especially this year. The weather has been unusual so maybe it's to blame.

Tom- thanks for the warning about boron. I've heard the same regarding beets and would only treat if necessary.

kath

[bower]

I have the same thing on my Vorlon tomatoes at all sizes and stage of maturity. Not on any others. This is the kind of thing I expect to turn into a rot, and maybe in some circumstances it does?
Last year I lost every Black Giant fruit to stem end rot.

[lakelady]

My Vorlon didn't have this, but Legend, Belmonte, and Dwarf Wild Fred did. Since I haven't harvested many others yet, I haven't noticed it in particular, but I'll bet its there.

[kath]

Originally Posted by bower

This is the kind of thing I expect to turn into a rot, and maybe in some circumstances it does?
Last year I lost every Black Giant fruit to stem end rot.

What is stem end rot? Did the Black Giant tomatoes look like this before they rotted?

[dice]

Some years I get botrytis on the stem end of large, flat fruits
that catch and hold the rain in the depression around the stem.
It looks like this:
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corne...otrytisFS2.htm

There is no corkiness with it, though, just rot, so your fruit malady
may be different.

[kath]

Yes, Dice, it seems that this is different than botrytis. What I'm seeing isn't a wet rot- the tissue is completely dry.

kath

[TightenUp]

i looked around the garden for this after seeing the pictures you posted. i have a kelloggs breakfast which has the dry brown tissue around the stem. its actually worse off than the photos you posted. if i can get a pic before eating it i will post

[kath]

Originally Posted by TightenUp

i looked around the garden for this after seeing the pictures you posted. i have a kelloggs breakfast which has the dry brown tissue around the stem. its actually worse off than the photos you posted. if i can get a pic before eating it i will post

Is KB a variety that you've grown before? If so, have you noticed this before?

kath

[TightenUp]

this is a first time grow. i will try to get a better look at the few other fruits on the kelloggs plant.

[barkeater]

I learned young that the uglier the cap (stem end) the sweeter the tomato. You want pretty caps you can find all you want at the supermarket.

[kath]

Originally Posted by barkeater

I learned young that the uglier the cap (stem end) the sweeter the tomato. You want pretty caps you can find all you want at the supermarket.

Oooo...good news for my sweet tooth! I'll watch for a correlation in future taste tests- that certainly would be a silver lining.

kath

[bower]

Looks like the Black Giant last year was botrytis alright - no surprise, since botrytis killed all my plants eventually last year. The stem ends of the Vorlon look similar enough, but appear dry, and so far, no soft rot of the fruit. I have a really big one just ripening now.. my first taste of Vorlon. So I hope it's true, it just makes em sweeter!

I can't help wondering though, if it was cold and wet now like it was last year, whether these dry patches would turn into a botrytis score...

[dice]

I had numerous botrytis-rotted fruits on Gary'O Sena one year,
two plants, they both had it. The foliage was less affected, probably
because it dried faster after a late-summer rain, and I would pinch
it sooner as soon as I saw any signs of leaf damage. I did not try
eating any of them, though, because I still had plenty of not-afflicted
fruit from those plants.

I have not seen on it on Vorlon yet. (Vorlon does have good flavor
to my palate that holds up unusually well to cool temperatures.)