Dispelling some of the myths that surround blossom end rot. Our Facebook Page: / seedsagas Our Instagram: / oneseed1world Music in this video: Gravity/Short Version - by Stanley Gurvich Used with permission from www.artlist.io
Completely agree with you - was just about to make a video on this topic as well, my experience has been that the earlier fruit get it, especially in the longer varieties of tomatoes (Roma's particularly) and that the problem resolves itself with no intervention in the later fruit. Companies actually sell products which they claim gets rid of BER - I feel bad that people get taken advantage of in this manner, but I guess placebos help too cos it makes them feel like they are doing something to help the plant!
Very informative video, Todd. I agree with everything that you said. I have tried every suggestion out there to stop BER and I still always get a few like that in the begining of the season. I think my problem is that I always put my tomatoes out too early. Like you said, the problem always fixes itself when the weather warms up.
Thanks! Yes cold temps early has more effect than people realize I think on the calcium transfer into the plant and is often overlooked. Warm weather will almost always help the plant correct itself (as long as the watering schedule is ok too).
Finally someone talking some sense! Thank you. I'm growing my tomatoes in rain gutter system, and on 1 plant I noticed it,apparently it's ph issue,because I fertilize the plants well.the tomatoes are huge so the gutter system is working well,and yiu are right,it's just some of the tomatoes on that plant,not all of them! Can you let me know what's your thoughts about tje rain gutter system? Or similar once?
I'm not sure, as I not familiar with the rain gutter system. Are you using the rain gutter as a watering system, or actually growing the plants inside of the gutter system? I have a rain gutter on my greenhouse that feeds into a water catchment barrel and then I use that water to water my plants.
@@chefe2152 That sounds like a great idea. I haven't used that method before. I hope to set up a drip system in my garden eventually to keep a regular watering schedule. But I would think that your gutter system should work pretty well, especially since you are watering from the bottom, reducing splash which would help you avoid fungus from damp leaves.
@@oneseedoneworld its amazing how well the plants are doing,you can't do any root vegetables, but cucumbers, tomatoes and melons,herbs doing great in it! If you ever do it I wish you success!
Blossom end rot is simply a failure to water consistently if planted in anything like normal soil or compost. Punktum. As a regular grower I have moved to 'wick' watering as it provides a consistent supply of water to the tomatoes roots, costs little or nothing, and also reduces the incidence of mildew. Life does not need to be complicated.
A consistent water schedule is definitely one of the biggest factors, although temperature plays a part as well, as Cornell studies showed that temps too low during blossom/fruiting stage or extreme high heats will have a high impact. Additionally, plants that don't have a slow steady growth rate can be affected (which again is determined by watering and temps).
I don't agree with this one. That could be the problem for some people, but I grow my tomatoes in Earthboxes so consistent watering is not an issue for me. I think I still get BER because I tend to put my tomatoes out too early in the season. I'm always hoping to get some ripe by the fourth of July so it's a risk that I take.
Great info. as I always seem to have issues with blossom end rot and your right nothing seemed to help. I need to do a soil test. Any suggestions as to which kind? Not sure my AG dept is open because of covid.
I bought a soil test kit on amazon a couple of years ago, but still haven't ended up using it. My soil with all the manure and rabbit poop seems to do just fine, but I should probably dig out the test kit and do a review so I can provide some info on one. Right now I don't have a specific recommendation though.
Soil testing where I live costs a whopping $40 PER TEST. When growing in containers this is not economical. I simply sprinkle some pelletized gypsum on the surface and when it rains or I water, it gets washed in. My biggest problem is pH above 7.0. STRUGGLING to get it lower.... And that is with commercial POTTING MIX too!
Growing in containers is definitely a different scenario, and a soil test may not always be the most economical, although prices vary per location. Ours at the AG center is $15 for a test. But you can also purchase home test kits from Amazon that range from $12 for a very basic one up to more expensive ones that include options to send to a lab like this one: amzn.to/3py8RKM
@@crazysquirrel9425 Agreed. I think the only way around that would be to use one load of dirt to fill all the containers and test that load prior to putting it in the containers.
See if there is a "farmers co-op" near you. They will send your soil to be tested for free. Just tell them what you are trying to grow. They will tell you what your soil needs. Free.
If you use 1/2 cup of lime granules and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar it will help to break it down faster. Now you have soluble ready calcium for your plants.
Good to know! Although I would counter that you might not even need to do that if you already have enough calcium in your soil. The plants will only take up what they need, so adding more won't change that....but if you do have a deficiency, using a method that makes it easier and more soluble is definitely a good thing!
On the magnesium in the Epson salt- magnesium increases the absorption of calcium - at least in people it does. Someone or a group may have related if it works for us it should work for plants in helping absorb the calcium in the soil. Easy fixes spread like wildfire. Does this work - who knows.
@@hoosierpreppingnurse One issue is that magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) can compete with calcium for uptake into the plant. So too much epsom salt in and around your plants can exacerbate an issue like Blossom End Rot. Plants do need the magnesium of course, but only trace amounts, so you can have too much of a good thing.
I had an old farmer tell me to sprinkle powdered milk around the base and water to dissolve the milk, or to mix the dry milk into a water can and then water… will that actually help?
Powdered milk will add calcium to the soil. But in most cases, your soil already has the calcium there, and its more of a problem of the plant not being able to pull the calcium in, whether due to watering issues, temperature, etc.
Normally your local county AG department will do them, but depending on your location, sometimes they can be expensive. There are also various home kits you can get on Amazon. Here is one example: amzn.to/3xVt6Xd
I know it’s been 3 years since your post on bloom rot. I have a question, first have you learned anything new or any new insight’s on bloom rot? The main reason for my message however is, I hear people talk about consistent watering, but Im abit confused about how much! I tend to water consistently, but have some plants in pots with a drip line set for every 2 days. But it the meanwhile, I’ll check soil in pots about 2 to 3 inch depth for moisture. Typically the drip lines don’t get the entire plant, at least that’s my thinking. *Question 1* is it incorrect to think a drip line isn’t reaching the entire plants roots? *Question 2* Is watering the plants ie tomato, zucchini, and a lemon tree in addition to the drip line, too much? *Problem* I’m getting a lot of bloom rot on tomato’s in *wood pot* and on my zucchini’s in *stock tank* there’s some zucchini’s dying off, they’re soft, so I’m just removing them. *Question 3* Is flooding the pot okay to do. At least once in awhile to limit air pockets? I do make sure soil is not moist under 2-3 inches. *Just abit of information* The land we live on is pretty rocky and the soil is sandy, so it’s high PH. It’s the reason for using pots mostly. Thanks in advance, and sorry for all the questions. I really appreciated your information.
I don't have any new insights since I made the video. Over the past several years I have found the two biggest things that affect my plants for BER is cool temps early on and watering. But I will answer all your questions the best I can! Question 1: Generally, drip lines are recommended as the best way to water tomatoes (although I don't have one yet, I still drag a hose around). If you are watering every couple of days, that should be reaching the roots without issue. How long is the drip line on at a time? Question 2: it is possible to water too much as you could run into issues with root rot. However, with root rot, the leaves on your plants would start to turn yellow and you'd be having other issues with the plant as a whole instead of just BER. In regard to the zucchini though, if you have zucchini fruit dying off, where it starts off well, but then softens and dies, that is a pollination issue, not a watering issue. Question 3: I don't know if flooding a pot is necessary, (have to be careful with the root rot as mentioned above). That being said, plants grown in pots do require more watering overall since soil in containers heats up faster which can lead to more evaporation. Adding some mulch to the top of the soil in the container can help slow the evaporation rate and hold moisture in longer. I hope that info helps and wish you success with your plants!
@One, I have blossom end rot... But it's not on my tomatoes or my peppers...!!! It is my squash, I have been treating them with milk water and mater magic, because it is all I could find at the store, I fertilize with rabbit poop... I was looking for something to help with blooms but I could not find any of it either.
With squash that is normally more of a pollination issue. If your squash starts to form, but then turns yellow on the end and rots off, blossom wasn't properly pollinated. To correct this you can hand pollinate by gently rubbing the interior of the male blossom to the interior of the female blossom.
@@oneseedoneworld I have been hand pollinating them, they are rotting/ turning yellow before they ever bloom. All of my squash plants zucchini and yellow straight next. The fruit is not developing for the most part.
@@oneseedoneworld I am talking about the fruit not developing on the plant before it is to bloom. I am not sure I am getting my point across, about what the squash is doing.
@@hands2hearts-seeds2feedamu83 sorry, I thought you meant the fruit was rotting part way through. Do you mean your blossoms are just dying off before any fruit begins to form?
Did you watch the whole video, or do you always have snide remarks for people sharing ideas with each other? The awesome thing about growing in general, is the trial and error we all go through. And if you think your growth is perfect, why is that you're on here? You have your own page, share your "perfect" plants on there. Maybe you'll have more viewers than you do. I've yet to meet an elder, or anyone for that matter who gets it right everytime. Learn to listen to what someone is saying, not just the minute tidbit you listened to before your own chatter took over.
I think you missed some of the points in the video: If your plant went a whole season and all you had was blossom end rot, then your soil may need some amendments but you should do a soil test first to see what is lacking. Did you do a soil test? What temperatures were you dealing with? Did you have a regular watering schedule?
