Blossom end rot

Phillip Armstr · February 19, 2014

Who is able to give me some advice?

I am a new grower and have tried a small hydroponic trial.

I mostly have have Heirlooms in the hydroponics, and have picked up Blossom end rot. I have added Calcium Nitrate as well as Gypsum to my solution.

How long does it take before the fruit will not be affected by the calcium deficiency? A friend also has the same problem with his tomatoes in a tunnel, that are planted directly into the soil.

Thanks in advance

Doug9345 · February 19, 2014

I can't tell you about hydroponics, but it seems that plants simply out grow the problem. My understanding of the problem is that it's not so much a calcium deficiency as much as it is a calcium transport problem within the plant. Some varieties seem to be more prone to it than others.

Urbanfarmer · February 21, 2014

Hello.......you can virtually eliminate any possibility of BER if you do two things: feed with a properly formulated nutrient, and make sure you water consistently.

Assuming you have a decent hydro system that delivers nutrient and drains well, inconsistent watering isn't your problem.

However, in hydroponics you must use formulas designed and blended correctly. Arbitrarily throwing calcium nitrate and/or gypsom at the problem only makes it worse. You have to apply nutrients as a formulated package, that is......correctly balanced. Do that and you might never see BER again.

Good luck......

Salsacharley · February 22, 2014

Urbanfarmer makes Texas Tomato Food so he knows of what he speaks. Texas Tomato Food is amazing. I began using it last year and I have had fantastic results with it. I am keeping a Tommy Toe cutting over from last year. I planted it inside on Nov 1 in a 5 gal SIP. My medium is 1/2 peat, and 1/6 vermiculite, 1/6 perlite, and 1/6 Ultrasorb (from Autozone). I added a touch of lime but I wish I didn't because my PH is a bit high now. As you can see my grow media has no nutrients. I only feed my plant Texas Tomato Food once per week. Right now my plant has over 50 trusses of tomatoes growing with new flowers continually. My plant does have early blight but as I remove lower leaves the top growth just continues. The plant has grown from the floor to the ceiling and now I am turning it back down as it goes and goes. I was only going to see if I could do this inside with 5 Sunblaster lights with Nanotech reflectors but I have added 3 more lights since the plant is so dense. Here are some pics.

AKmark · February 23, 2014

Some have flowers break off others get BER, in both cases, mine always seem to correct themselves when this happens.

Phillip Armstr · February 24, 2014

Thanks Urban Farmer,

I bought a Hydroponic mix from our local Co-op. I made the mistake of listening to the salesman, who said that this was all I needed. It was only when I had the problem or BER that I started to read up on it and read the instructions on the bag, which stated that I needed to add Calcium Nitrate, and Potassium Sulphate at different stages of the plants development. As the local Co-op did not have either of these in stock, it became a costly exercise to get what i needed.

Any way, this is all a learning curve, hopefully for a future project.

February 19, 2014	#1
Phillip Armstr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: South Africa Posts: 9	Blossom end rot Who is able to give me some advice? I am a new grower and have tried a small hydroponic trial. I mostly have have Heirlooms in the hydroponics, and have picked up Blossom end rot. I have added Calcium Nitrate as well as Gypsum to my solution. How long does it take before the fruit will not be affected by the calcium deficiency? A friend also has the same problem with his tomatoes in a tunnel, that are planted directly into the soil. Thanks in advance __________________ Phil - Rustenburg South Africa

February 21, 2014	#3
Urbanfarmer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Freeport, Texas Posts: 134	Hello.......you can virtually eliminate any possibility of BER if you do two things: feed with a properly formulated nutrient, and make sure you water consistently. Assuming you have a decent hydro system that delivers nutrient and drains well, inconsistent watering isn't your problem. However, in hydroponics you must use formulas designed and blended correctly. Arbitrarily throwing calcium nitrate and/or gypsom at the problem only makes it worse. You have to apply nutrients as a formulated package, that is......correctly balanced. Do that and you might never see BER again. Good luck...... __________________ theurbanfarm.com

February 24, 2014	#6
Phillip Armstr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: South Africa Posts: 9	Hydroponics Thanks Urban Farmer, I bought a Hydroponic mix from our local Co-op. I made the mistake of listening to the salesman, who said that this was all I needed. It was only when I had the problem or BER that I started to read up on it and read the instructions on the bag, which stated that I needed to add Calcium Nitrate, and Potassium Sulphate at different stages of the plants development. As the local Co-op did not have either of these in stock, it became a costly exercise to get what i needed. Any way, this is all a learning curve, hopefully for a future project. __________________ Phil - Rustenburg South Africa

February 19, 2014	#2
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	I can't tell you about hydroponics, but it seems that plants simply out grow the problem. My understanding of the problem is that it's not so much a calcium deficiency as much as it is a calcium transport problem within the plant. Some varieties seem to be more prone to it than others.

February 23, 2014	#5
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	Some have flowers break off others get BER, in both cases, mine always seem to correct themselves when this happens.