Black area on bottom of tomatoes

[nofishfisherman]

I've noticed I have some tomatoes with a black spot on the bottom of them. Its like they are rotting but its only on the bottom.

Any idea what causes this or how to fix it?

Luckily its not affecting all the tomatoes and even the one it does it doesn't seem to affect the majority of the fruit you just need to cut off the bottom.

[Steve Foss]

It's blossom end rot.

Here's a link to a fact sheet on it.

[nofishfisherman]

Thanks for the help. Sounds exactly like what's going on.

[crothmeier]

i have some of that as well on my tomatos

[nofishfisherman]

It seems like its not an easy thing to pinpoint the exact cause.

It does seem limited to only 1 or 2 plants out of 6 that I have and it seem more prevalent on the first fruits from the plants.

[Walleye Guy]

I have heard that BER can be caused by uneven watering. I'm not sure if that is exactly true or not.

[croixflats]

It's blossom end rot.

Here's a link to a fact sheet on it.

That is an awesome find on that fact sheet Steve. Very descriptive and to the point.

[nofishfisherman]

I have heard that BER can be caused by uneven watering. I'm not sure if that is exactly true or not.

The fact sheet mentions uneven moisture conditions as a factor. I've tried to be consistent with watering and making sure not to over or under water but who knows maybe that is the problem. The other factor it mentions is a lack of calcium which can be a soil issue.

[KEN W]

The watering problem can be taken care of by mulching with straw,clippings etc.I put mulch around my plants as soon as the fruit start to appear.I almost never get blossom end rot unless we get way to much rain.

[nofishfisherman]

I'll need to start doing that. Good tip.

[eurolarva]

BER blossom end rot has been mainly determined as a calcium deficiency. By no means does this mean the end of the plant. I grow about 20 tomato plants a year and experience a few fruit with this problem. This year was the second level of fruit and some on the third tier. The first tier of fruit were all fine. Tomato plants grow so fast and suck the calcium out of the soil faster then the soil can recover. I have heard of people using tums and powdered milk but to me the best has been buying hydrated lime with water. Mix about 2 cups of this with a gallon of water and water at the base of the plants and around being careful to splash as little as possible. Epsom salt is suppose to be a good remedy as well. Use dried out grass clippings to carpet your garden. This helps keep out weeds that will rob all of the nutrients in the soil and it also helps keep moisture and fertilizers from washing away. The garden web has many people that will help with any kind of garden issue. Use them as a resource.