Blossom End Rot

[bindy]

I'm at the end of my tether... I am growing tomatoes in a growbag but they all have Blossom End Rot. I was told this is because they don't have enough water but I have been watering them every night and they never seem to dry out during the day, also I was told to add two "Tums" and Epsom Salts to the water when watering them as they don't have enough calcium. I have done this for a week but it's still not correcting it. Should I start from scratch or is there no way to fix this problem? Will be glad of any help. Thanks.

[smallblueplanet]

Hiya Bindy, I'm sure someone will come up with some technical info re BER, but I always understood it was due to irregular watering?

Here's a tech link I just found that talks about calcium levels.

BER link

[Alice]

Hello Bindy, no expert here, but I think your BER does have something to do with the watering. I find tomatoes do better in 12" pots than in grow bags. Maybe no help for this year but a point for next year. Also what variety are you growing. Don't know what its got to do with it but I have BER on Marmande (outdoor variety) in the greenhouse, but the ones outside are fine. I do hope you find a solution to your problem and do let us know so that we can all learn.

[Filbert]

As far as I understand it blossom end rot happens because of irregular watering when the fruit is forming. So it may just have been a couple of days when they got dried out. The good news is the rest of the fruit can't catch it so pick off the affected fruit and if the conditions are right now then new fruits forming should be okay.

[sewer rat]

Toms are quite fussy about watering - they don't like to dry out or be too wet either. As far as grow bags go, it is difficult to really tell how moist they are. I grow my toms and cukes in growbags but I sink 12" bottomless pots just a couple of inches into the growbags, fill with compost and plant the toms in the pots, so they grow down through the pots first and I just water the pots - seems to work for me.
I don't think that there is a cure for BER, just remove the infected fruits. Sorry can't be more positive, but once bitten and all that. Veg growing is a constant battle of wits, some we win, some we lose, and some we muddle through. Every season is a new learning experience, so take heart that you now know what the problem is and how to prevent it next season

[bindy]

Thanks for the advice, I think the recent hot weather dried them out. I'll know for next year to water them more.

[lyndap]

Checked my sweet peppers this morning and they look like some of them have blossom end rot!Do peppers get that?They kept moist all the time(well nearly!)

[MissyMoo]

Hi Lyndap, My sweet peppers are suffering from Blossom end rot as well...from the first fruit to the present and no matter what I do I can't get rid of it. I water daily without fail and I've even tried liming to no effect.
I have no idea what else to try and have reluctantly resigned myself to losing half of each pepper.
So no help I'm afraid but perhaps a little moral support!!

[lyndap]

Thanks for that missy moo.I have 2 plants growing under identical conditions,and one plant has the problem,but the other doesn't!

[nick the grief]

Yes they can Lyndap.
Blossom end rot is a calcium deficency not a watering problem per se (thats split fruit).
If you've been feeding with to High a nitrogen feed that won't help. a lot depends on what sort of Nitrogen compound id used in the make up of the fertiliser. Nitrate's are OK but the ones that release Ammonioum into the soil can make the condition worse. try any keep the PH to around 6.5 as well as this can inhibit the uptake of calcium.

You need to maintain an even moisture to the compost (too much water & they drown, to little & they de-hydrate) this will hinder the uptake as well.

It's harder to control things if they are in growbags as your not 100% sure of where you're starting from. I usually use John Innes No3 you can either buy it orn make it yourself the soil in it acts as a buffer an it has all the trace elements already there.

Hope that helps.