Blossom end rot is relatively common, but it's still frustrating when it happens! No one wants to have their delicious tomatoes turn into a soggy mess. Thankfully, early detection of blossom end rot can help you prevent the spread of the disease to other plants so that your whole harvest isn't affected. With a few key strategies, you can prevent it from showing up altogether. Here's how you can identify blossom end rot and how to keep it from returning.
Blossom end rot is a condition fueled by a lack of calcium in the soil. It can also happen if the plant is struggling to absorb calcium, even if it's present in the soil. Most often, once the vegetable or fruit is already affected by the disease, it cannot return to normal. However, you can do a few maintenance tasks to avoid it before it shows up, such as adding calcium to your soil as well as additives to help with calcium uptake.
Peppers, melons, squash, eggplants, and tomatoes are typically the most common veggies and fruit affected by blossom end rot. The most susceptible tomato variety to end rot is Roma tomatoes. Blossom end rot is less common in slicer tomatoes, but you can find many blossom end rot-resistant varieties to grow.
Thankfully, blossom end rot is pretty easy to see once it starts, which means you can identify it quickly. The first sign you'll see are tiny, water-soaked patches that look like bruises on the bottom of the fruit or vegetable. Over time, the spot becomes darker and turns brown with sunken patches. Once the blossom end rot spot gets bigger, you'll notice it turns a darker brown to black, often as a leather-like texture. Eventually, the rot will spread and damage the whole fruit or vegetable.
If you find rotting fruit on your plant, the best thing you can do is cut the fruit off, throw it away (not in the compost), and check the rest of the plant for more bad fruit. Once you've cleansed your plant of rotting fruit, you can try to add calcium to the plant and hope that it recovers, but you'll also need to check the plants around it and ensure it hasn't spread. If your plant is still flowering, it will likely recover and keep producing healthy fruit once it has more calcium in the soil. If you think your plant is a lost cause, it may be best to remove the affected plant to save the rest of your garden.
Thankfully, blossom end rot is easy to prevent! The first thing you'll want to consider is adding calcium to your soil, similar to how you add fertilizer. The soil additives will give your fruit or veggies all the calcium they need to absorb as they grow and ensure that only delicious produce grows on your plants, not rotting fruit! We also suggest checking your soil for pH and overall quality to ensure that the rest of the growing conditions are correct, and the plant isn't stressed from something else. Another way to prevent disease and blossom end rot in your garden is to practice crop rotation. Your fruits and veggies will absorb a lot of calcium from the soil as they grow each season, so planting them somewhere else the following year will give that soil a chance to replenish its nutrients, which decreases your chance of disease!
You can protect your plant's ability to absorb nutrients by keeping the roots safe from damage and watering consistently. Mulch is a great way to keep the roots cool from the summer heat so they can absorb the moisture properly! Inconsistent watering can stress out your plant, so be sure to water on a routine so that your plant can relax and focus on growing.If you are looking for solutions to prevent blossom end rot in Arkansas, visit Westwood Gardens. Contact us with any questions; we are here to help!
