What is YOUR remedy for blossom end rot (BER)?

[Greenthumbroy]

I posted this in my original post to this thread. I used to get BER on my tomatoes and peppers until I found a concentrate called "CALMAG" from Spray-n-Grow. Mix with water and spray on foliage. NO more BER. BER is most usually the result of calcium defficiency. "CALMAG" is liquid calcium with some magnesium.

The name of this product is now "NUTRICAL". Try it ... worked for me.

http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/searchprods.asp

Hope this helps

Greenthumbroy

[baileyj]

All of my vegetable gardening is in either Earthboxes, 5 gal, SLP or containers. The only time I have every had BER is in first year of use for both containers/boxes.

I follow the EB guidelines with adding 2 cups of Dolomitic lime at the beginning of each planting year and then 1 cup each time I refresh/replant another round. So each box gets 4 cups or so in a year.

There are also specific varities that are more prone to BER, like San Marzano...which I no longer grow.

I do use a watering system on my boxes so he watering is consistent, I am sure that does play some role. Also I use the "snack" weekly down the tubes of all boxes/containers...

[Greenthumbroy]

The product in Spray-n-Grow is no longer called "CALMAG" ... it is now called ... "NUTRICAL".


http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/searchprods.asp

Sorry for the "senior moment" Gardenboy

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by Greenthumbroy

The product in Spray-n-Grow is no longer called "CALMAG" ... it is now called ... "NUTRICAL".


http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com/searchprods.asp

Sorry for the "senior moment" Gardenboy

Spray-n-Grow is a great product and their buisness is right here in Rockport, TX.

[dice]

Some people have recommended calcium foliar feeding,
while others say that the calcium will not migrate from
leaves to fruit. My theory is that when the sprays work,
they do so by saturating the leaves with calcium, so that
more of the calcium taken up by the roots is available
to the developing fruit, instead of the growing plant hogging
all of it for new leaves and stems.

(Just a guess.)

[FILMNET]

I have tried a ton of different things some in pots and some in ground For me! don't grow Roma's and the only plants in pots are cherries.If it show's up, i can stop it, but new fruits are stopped also, so its not worth it.

[coolbythecoast]

One extension service suggests:
Spray calcium - The plants may be sprayed with a calcium solution using calcium nitrite or calcium nitrate or calcium chloride at 4 level Tbsp per gal of water. This spray should be applied 2 to 3 times a week, beginning at the time the second fruit clusters bloom. These materials can be mixed with the spray that is used for control of foliar diseases.

I will try this season. I have been told that use of calcium nitrate also significantly boosts fruit production.

[Doug9345]

I'd be concerned with repeatedly putting calcium chloride salt on my beds repeatedly. Around here it's used as salt for walk way and the like when it gets to cold for rock salt (sodium chloride) to work. It is much nastier to handle that rock salt.

[Mlm1]

I grow about 200 plants in 5 gallon pots each year as well as about 50 in the ground. I rarely have BER on the Plants in the ground. For the potted plants I use organic potting soil and add lime, epson salt, azomite and a little crab shell. I have them all on a drip but when I use the drip exclusively I start to see some BER. It stops when I hand water. I run the hose full blast for about a count of 3 when they are smaller and up to about a count of 5 or 6 by the end of the season. I water everyday in the summer and I find I really enjoy walking along looking at each plant while I water. It is my favorite tomato job. I did have one variety (out of about 80) that had terrible BER on all 5 plants, some in pots and some in the ground, while none of the others including the other plum/pear varieties had any BER so some varieties really are much worse-maybe some kind of calcium uptake defect or something like that. I gave up on that variety this year.
Marla

[baileyj]

Marla,
I am interested to know which variety you gave up last year with the BER....
Judi

[jrcomito]

What about on Litchi tomatoes in the soil?

[cythaenopsis]

Originally Posted by SEAMSFASTER

From my reading on the subject, only the fine feeder roots in the top 1-2" of soil are able to take up calcium for delivery to the growing tomatoes. Also, ratios of calcium to other ions (particularly phosphorus and magnesium) are important.

Where I live (high desert near the Great Salt Lake), the soil is heavy alkaline clay, and there is PLENTY of calcium. However, I used to have HUGE issues with BER. I've learned it was because of two major problems:

1. pH was too high (needs to be roughly in the range of 6.5 for best uptake of calcium).
2. I let the surface soil dry out. I bought into the "wisdom" that tomato plants should be watered deeply only once or twice a week to encourage development of deep roots.

My thinking is that drip hoses or even soaker hoses are not the best way to water tomato plants. Sprinklers (or rain for those who are lucky enough to get rain during the summer...) are better because they wet the entire surface. But not a typical sprinkler setup! Instead, sprinklers suspended upside-down about 15" above the soil so that the soil, rather than foliage is sprayed. I good layer of mulch helps as well.

Very interesting to see this. I was doing fine without any BER at all. Then it suddenly struck one plant, then started showing on another.

I've been dealing with a fungus gnat infestation. They've been thoroughly enjoying the moist layer below the mulch. So, I let it dry out to ruin their joy. In these cases, the potting medium is a top soil that gets rather hard if allowed to dry. If calcium uptake is happening mostly in the top 2" of roots from the surface, then... well, the dried soil is making that impossible. I guess I'll have to fight the gnats with other means and get that top layer back into a moist condition.

[joseph]

Originally Posted by Gardenboy

Not all my tomatoes were affected. All the Brandywine strains were fine. The Watermelon Beefsteak was hit the hardest. So are some varieties more susceptible?

Yes, some varieties are more susceptible. My strategy for dealing with BER is to modify my tomatoes genome. I don't try to modify my soil, or my water to please the tomato. I only grow tomatoes that can handle my pre-existing conditions without succumbing to BER.

BER is never tolerated in my garden.

[cythaenopsis]

^ In my case, I simply made a mistake with these two potted plants. It's well established that tomato plants do best in a potting mix kind of medium. If you're using a different kind of medium, then you need to compensate in one or more ways. In my case, using a good quality top soil in a container would mean that moisture retention won't be quite as good as the potting mix, and so if I can't water on a tightly controlled basis then I may risk BER (and in my case, I'd allowed the reservoirs to run dry). From what I've learned thus far, BER is caused by the inability for the plant to uptake sufficient calcium, either by it not being present or due to watering conditions that are too variable. If a plant doesn't get enough calcium, it starts to draw it from fruits which causes the BER. I guess once the change in direction of nutrient flow occurs, the fruit is doomed (sacrificial lamb).

[zipcode]

When I use exclusively organic fertilizers, it's almost impossible to get BER. When tried anorganic liquid, things changed. Maybe the rate with which the anorganic is absorbed is higher and has a negative effect on the balance.