Gardening Tips and Highlights

Subhead
Blossom-end rot          by Christine Yesko There is a dark spot on the bottom of my tomato, what is it?  Blossom-end rot is a disease that strikes tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and watermelons.  A pest does not cause it but instead by growing conditions. You don’t need to worry about it spreading from plant to plant, although plants of the same type may develop it independently.  Blossom-end rot affects the fruit of the plant, whereas diseases like tomato late blight affect the foliage.  You can recognize this disease by a small wet area at or near the bottom of the fruit.  This becomes darker and larger as the fruit developed, and it takes on a leathery look.  On peppers, the spot will look tan.  In tomatoes and watermelons, it becomes black.  A lack of calcium causes blossom-end rot.  It could be that there’s little calcium available in the soil, or more frequently, that fluctuations in water hinder the uptake of calcium.  Careful watering goes a long way to prevent blossom-end rot.  Too much or too little water, or periods of drought then deluge increases the chance your plants will develop the disease.  In hot, dry weather, water your plants.  Mulch the soil to conserve moisture.  Try not to disturb the roots of the plants, including those small roots near the soil’s surface, when weeding.  Damaging these small roots inhibit a plant’s ability to draw up water and nutrients.  If you think that moisture has been consistently available and the soil may be causing the rot, have the soil tested. If it shows to be lacking calcium, follow the recommendations for amendments.  Generally, this will involve applications of lime and/or gypsum a few months before planting time.  Keep in mind that lime will raise the soil ph, so it is usually recommended only if the soil is acidic. Also, be careful that you’re not using a fertilizer that’s higher in nitrogen, which promotes foliar growth, which increases transpiration, which can lead to calcium bypassing the fruits. For more information contact your county Extension office.  This article was obtained from “Horticulture”.  Stay cool.
Image