Why do my tomato plants get like rotten on the bottom?

I have a patio tamato and big boys in the garden and cherry's in the garden and they all seem to get black rotten spots on the bottom of them, and there not on the ground.

Why do my tomato plants get like rotten on the bottom?
Probably blossom end rot caused by a calcium deficiency in the soil or uneven watering. Here is an article all about it and how to fix it.


http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/hortic...


here is a great site to help you identify future problems.


http://gardenhobbies.com/veggies/tomatop...
Reply:Try not watering so much for a week. The water goes only so far into the ground and can come back up as mildew or mold. We pick as soon as they turn red and put them in a window.
Reply:When decay is visible on the blossom end of the fruits it is often irregular water or low soil Ca++.





When plants are water stressed Ca++ moves to the leaves not the fruit. This happens because the dissolved calcium is carried, in the water, to where the plant needs the water. Fruit doesn’t transpire so it gets less water also less calcium. So even if there is plenty of calcium in the soil it can't get to the fruit.


Prevent future problems by:


1 lime %26amp; gypsum if Ca++ is lacking in soil


2 Fast growin tomato varieties produce leaves fast also. So use no more N than needed like a 5-10-10, 4-12-4 or 5-20-5 ratio. I use Whitney Farm’s 3-5-2 plus Bone Meal (1-11-0). The plant will put its energy into growing fruit not leaves and sequester less calcium. Prune out the lateral shoots that appear at the axis of leaf and stem. Do this at least on the lowest pairs of leaves. Skip it later to reduce sun scald, and spread of disease from handling.


3 set up irrigation on timer.





Remove this damaged fruit set and later fruit may be fine if calcium is available in your soil. Tomato plants require 1.0 to 1.5 inches of water per week during growth and fruiting depending on soil type and weather conditions. So consider the idea of a simple timer and one of those patio dip irrigation sets for pots and a timer with soaker hoses for the garden.





Once blossom-end rot appears on the first cluster, you can spray just the plant with calcium chloride at the rate of 4 level tablespoons of calcium chloride per gallon of water. Apply sprays every 7 to 10 days until 3 or 4 applications have been made. Application should be done while temperatures are cool in the morning. Spray to the point of run-off on the leaves but do not spray the soil.





If soil calcium is tested low and the pH is correct, gypsum (CaSO4) can be incorporated into the soil at a rate of 1-2 lb/100 sq. ft. to supply additional calcium. Work into the soil 8-12 inches deep 3 months before planting. Gypsum will not alter your pH.


For untested soils you may use the following: Mix 1/2 cup of dolomitic lime, 1/2 cup of bonemeal 1-11-0 and 2/3 cup of 6-12-12 or 5-10-15 into the soil in a 2 x 2 foot area (dug 1 foot deep) for each plant. Mix in well and plant. Don't over fertilize tomatoes when planting them.
Reply:It's "Blossom-End Rot" a calcium deficiency due to soil moisture problems. Calcium, which is being used first for foliage growth, doesn't make its way to the fruits. It can occur even when there is abundant calcium in the soil. Poor drainage, root damage and soil pH that is too high or too far below the optimum 6.5 , inconsistent watering or too much nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, sodium, ammonium salts, or a deficiency of soluble calcium salts, cause a decrease in calcium %26amp; can be contributing factors.





Remove affected fruits to improve the development of other healthy fruit on the plant. You can correct the problem by improving drainage, watering plants consistently as needed, %26amp; mulching plants to conserve moisture %26amp; to provide a more uniform water supply. To provide calcium, eggshells can be crushed and added to the soil. Foliar sprays of calcium won't correct blossom-end rot once it has occurred on the fruit, but it can help prevent the condition from occurring on developing fruit. Soil-applied treatments and prevention by cultural practices are generally preferred over sprays. Chelated calcium solutions also provide an excellent source of calcium.





Gypsum %26amp; compost improves drainage. Water early in the day, %26amp; give plants room so they don't stay wet. Fluctuations in soil moisture during periods of rapid plant growth create moisture stress and limits calcium distribution to the fruit. Make sure the plants are getting at least and inch of water per week. If fertilizer is needed, reduce nitrogen levels by using 5-10-10 fertilizer in place of 10-10-10. Windy conditions in the spring coupled with low relative humidity can cause high transpiration rates that can induce blossom-end rot, as does planting too early while the soil is still cold or undergoing severe hardening off.





Fortunately, by the time a second set of fruit begins developing, your plants will have expanded and developed a root system capable of gathering and delivering calcium to the tomatoes.


Good luck! Hope this helps.
Reply:I assume it's the tomatoes going rotten, not the plants?.... if so, the soil is lacking in calcium.... you can get a spray that will fix it in the plant for the next part of the crop, but these are not going to be any good.... ask at a nursery for the spray for 'blossom end rot'...........