I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.

thanks for the great information

Hal

Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement. A real garden center should have something
like that. To minimize the likelihood of the problem NEXT season, add the
limestone as you're putting the garden to sleep for the winter.

wrote in message
...
I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.

thanks for the great information

Hal

water them with Epsom salts.

--
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect." Chief Seattle
wrote in message
...
I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.

thanks for the great information

Hal

wrote in message . ..
I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.

thanks for the great information

Hal

for this kind of in season fixes wood ash is a lot better (acts far
faster), and a much better fertilizer too (than lime). I give each
plant a handful (maybe two heaping tbsp) at planting, and never had
any BER.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...
Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement.

Hmmm. A thought just came to mind as I read this. Do you suppose
calcium suppliment tablets for people would work if disolved in water?
Or a quart of milk poured around the base of the plant?

Bob S.

wrote in message
...

I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.



Blossom end rot is due to low calcium in the fruit. This can be caused
by a couple of different things, not necessarily a calcium deficiency in
the soil.

Calcium may be present in the soil, but its availability depends
somewhat on the soil pH. Acidity reduces the calcium availability. High
alkalinity also reduces the calcium availability, but to a lesser
extent. Availability peaks around pH 7.5

A lack of consistent water could possibly reduce the transport of
calcium through the plant.

I've observed that blossom end rot appears frequently on tomatoes that
are rapidly growing. Apparently, the calcium is directed toward the
growing point of the plant and so the calcium in the fruit is reduced.
This situation corrects itself after a couple of weeks, so it's only the
early fruit that have the problem.

I've tried foliar calcium sprays. They didn't do anything.

Milk would be a bad idea. It's in the same category of things like cheese,
egg shells and meat scraps - the stuff you don't put in your compost pile
because they'll attract nuisance beasts.

"Bob S." wrote in message
om...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem
quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement.

Hmmm. A thought just came to mind as I read this. Do you suppose
calcium suppliment tablets for people would work if disolved in water?
Or a quart of milk poured around the base of the plant?

Bob S.

Milk would be a bad idea. It's in the same category of things like cheese,
egg shells and meat scraps - the stuff you don't put in your compost pile
because they'll attract nuisance beasts.

"Bob S." wrote in message
om...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem
quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement.

Hmmm. A thought just came to mind as I read this. Do you suppose
calcium suppliment tablets for people would work if disolved in water?
Or a quart of milk poured around the base of the plant?

Bob S.

"dps" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
...

I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.



Blossom end rot is due to low calcium in the fruit. This can be caused
by a couple of different things, not necessarily a calcium deficiency in
the soil.

Calcium may be present in the soil, but its availability depends
somewhat on the soil pH. Acidity reduces the calcium availability. High
alkalinity also reduces the calcium availability, but to a lesser
extent. Availability peaks around pH 7.5

A lack of consistent water could possibly reduce the transport of
calcium through the plant.

I've observed that blossom end rot appears frequently on tomatoes that
are rapidly growing. Apparently, the calcium is directed toward the
growing point of the plant and so the calcium in the fruit is reduced.
This situation corrects itself after a couple of weeks, so it's only the
early fruit that have the problem.

I've tried foliar calcium sprays. They didn't do anything.

I've read bad things about the calcium sprays - pretty much useless. Like
shampoo with vitamins in it.

wrote in message . ..
I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.

thanks for the great information

Hal

BER is more a problem of uneven watering than of calcium deficiency.
Uneven watering interferes with the plants ability to obtain calcium
from the soil.
BER is rarely ever a problem for a tomato plant that has a thick
organic mulch as this supplies nutrients and more importantly keeps
soil moisture even.
A fast source of calcium for the folks who screw up in their watering
and mulching practices is calcium chloride - the same stuff for
deicing pavement, dirt road dust control, and filling tractor wheels
for weight. A spoonfull in a watering can applied as a foliar drench
works just fine every couple of weeks.

wrote in message . ..
I came to this group the first time yesterday, and immediately found
the answer to my problem: what was causing the ends of my tomatoes to
rot. Blossom end rot due to low calcium. So can I simply treat this
by sprinkling lime in the soil? If so how much? It seems to be
linked to nitrogen content, so will switching to low N fertilizer help
by itself or will I need the lime treatment as well.

thanks for the great information

Hal

BER is more a problem of uneven watering than of calcium deficiency.
Uneven watering interferes with the plants ability to obtain calcium
from the soil.
BER is rarely ever a problem for a tomato plant that has a thick
organic mulch as this supplies nutrients and more importantly keeps
soil moisture even.
A fast source of calcium for the folks who screw up in their watering
and mulching practices is calcium chloride - the same stuff for
deicing pavement, dirt road dust control, and filling tractor wheels
for weight. A spoonfull in a watering can applied as a foliar drench
works just fine every couple of weeks.

The foremost problem is that calcium in of itself is not enough, it must
be in a form that the plant can absorb through cell walls. I've heard
good things about calcium suppliments but have never seen a study that
would support their use. Part of the problem also goes to cost, gypsum
for instance is cheap and easily taken up, calcium suppliments are not
inexpensive and may or may not work.


susan

Bob S. wrote:

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...

Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement.


Hmmm. A thought just came to mind as I read this. Do you suppose
calcium suppliment tablets for people would work if disolved in water?
Or a quart of milk poured around the base of the plant?

Bob S.

The foremost problem is that calcium in of itself is not enough, it must
be in a form that the plant can absorb through cell walls. I've heard
good things about calcium suppliments but have never seen a study that
would support their use. Part of the problem also goes to cost, gypsum
for instance is cheap and easily taken up, calcium suppliments are not
inexpensive and may or may not work.


susan

Bob S. wrote:

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...

Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement.


Hmmm. A thought just came to mind as I read this. Do you suppose
calcium suppliment tablets for people would work if disolved in water?
Or a quart of milk poured around the base of the plant?

Bob S.

HEY! How the heck have you been? Gee, it's been years since I've seen you post
and believe it or not, I was just recently thinking about you.

Victoria


On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 01:24:28 GMT, Susan Wehe
opined:

The foremost problem is that calcium in of itself is not enough, it must
be in a form that the plant can absorb through cell walls. I've heard
good things about calcium suppliments but have never seen a study that
would support their use. Part of the problem also goes to cost, gypsum
for instance is cheap and easily taken up, calcium suppliments are not
inexpensive and may or may not work.


susan

Bob S. wrote:

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...

Most of what I've read says that if you need to solve this problem quickly,
use a liquid calcium supplement.


Hmmm. A thought just came to mind as I read this. Do you suppose
calcium suppliment tablets for people would work if disolved in water?
Or a quart of milk poured around the base of the plant?

Bob S.



Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html

"Susan Wehe" wrote in message
link.net...
The foremost problem is that calcium in of itself is not enough, it must
be in a form that the plant can absorb through cell walls. I've heard
good things about calcium suppliments but have never seen a study that
would support their use. Part of the problem also goes to cost, gypsum
for instance is cheap and easily taken up, calcium suppliments are not
inexpensive and may or may not work.


susan

I draw a map each year of where I plant various vegetables in the garden.
Each fall I plan where everything will be planted in the garden the
following year. This allows me to work gypsum into the area where I plan on
planting tomatoes the following spring. This gives the gypsum ample time to
integrate into the soil before I plant the tomatoes the following year.
Since I've been doing this, I have not had a case of blossom end rot. It
works!

John