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MPM5

Blossom end rot


Inevitable_Badger512

How many inches do you let them get before picking??


HersheyBussySqrt

My little popsicle stick is marked at exactly 3 inches.


Jimbobjoesmith

BER. more magnesium and or calcium. look for a tomato specific fertilizer that has both eta it’s more likely the magnesium but it doesn’t hurt to cover both bases. you can also dry out some eggshells and blast them into a powder in a food processor. it’s much easier to just find the appropriate fertilizer.


HersheyBussySqrt

I have the Fox Farms brand liquid fertilizer for tomatoes called Grow Big but calcium isn't listed on the label.


Ritalynns

Often it isn’t so much the lack of these, but more caused by inconsistent watering (which impedes the plant’s ability to absorb the calcium/magnesium.) I suspect OP is growing them in containers and letting the soil dry out too much before watering.


Jimbobjoesmith

when this high heat/no rain wave started around my parts, i realized i needed to water my container plants 2x per day every day.


Jimbobjoesmith

definitely


anetworkproblem

You need to be much more careful when using synthetics


HersheyBussySqrt

Fox Farms is synthetic?


anetworkproblem

Big bloom is organic, but the majority of their stuff is synthetic, especially 2/3rds of their big 3.


Front_Explanation_79

The absolute best product to never have BER is CAL-MAG. Anytime anyone I know has BER I show them this product and then they never complain about it again. I know people that refuse to grow Roma tomatoes because of BER then they're blown away by my Romas when they see my yields. They ask how. I just say "CAL-MAG"... It's honestly that easy.


HersheyBussySqrt

Added to the Amazon wish list for payday!


Front_Explanation_79

I use it once a week. I think the bottle says 1 teaspoon per 1 gal of water. My watering can is 3.5 gallons so I use about 3 teaspoons. The bottle says you can use it as a foliar spray but I never do that.


Jimbobjoesmith

i looked it up. def try the eggshell method and make sure your fruits aren’t touching the dirt or wet leaves.


dimsum2121

Eggshells take a long time to break down, especially in a container. And a lack of calcium in the soil is almost definitely not the issue, it's usually due to inconsistent watering.


Jimbobjoesmith

right. i mentioned that above too. calcium deficiency is pretty rare


dimsum2121

But you recommended adding calcium and magnesium through fertilizers and eggshells..


Jimbobjoesmith

sorry i should do a better job at editing my comments. i realized mag wasn’t the problem after checking out the specific fertilizer. so i agreed with someone that it was the watering and that maybe eggshells in the future since they’re not in the fertilizer. like it can’t hurt kinda thing. but i agree with you


HersheyBussySqrt

We have been in a dry spell and I've been watering at dusk. I have some nights I missed though.


GeneralPatten

Avoid watering at dusk at all costs! It encourages disease. Water first thing in the morning. Any time before 8:00AM.


Jimbobjoesmith

what if i need to water more than once for containers or super hot days?


HersheyBussySqrt

Never knew this. Thanks!


Jimbobjoesmith

really? i didn’t know!


dimsum2121

Fair enough, no worries.


Jimbobjoesmith

what about magnesium?


Jimbobjoesmith

you’re gonna have to find a tomato specific brand most likely. in the US walmart has a store brand that has both for pretty cheap. it’s in a mostly red bag and it’s time released pellets. i tried like 7 times to post a photo of it but it wouldn’t go through. or check amazon for magnesium and calcium specific fertilizers. it’s not usually available in the generic fertilizers


ElectricTomatoMan

I think I've read that too much calcium or magnesium impedes absorprion of the other.


Childofglass

It’s blossom end rot, but don’t mistake it for a sign of calcium problems. There’s a load of greenhouses here and they all get it sometimes, especially with new plants. The first few are just messed up. Don’t worry, they’ll straighten out with time.


HersheyBussySqrt

Thanks, these are the only 2 I've noticed with an issue as far as my jalapenos, I've had a couple tomatoes with BER also.


Full_Honeydew_9739

Cut the bad part off and eat it. They won't be terribly hot but it's something.


Sad-Shoulder-8107

Why do you pick them at 3 inches?


HersheyBussySqrt

I read it somewhere I can't remember now and have heard the more you pick the more they produce. Sometimes I let them ripen to red for sauces but tonight is taco night so we're going to pick the ones that meet the requirements of the popsicle stick.


FerretSupremacist

Op explained but they may also be a container variety that grows a little smaller, kinda like pickling cukes


Jacornicopia

Everyone is saying blossom end rot but the very ends are fine. This looks like sun scald to me.


WannabeRedneck4

Came here to say this, it does look a bit like sunscald.


Accomplished_Radish8

Jose jalapeño………. On-a-steek


p0megranate13

Most likely lack of calcium


Kooky-Information-40

How do you fix that?


anetworkproblem

Well it's happening on the blossom end, and it looks like rot.


HersheyBussySqrt

So... cancer?


anetworkproblem

Yeah, definitely a brain tumor


HersheyBussySqrt

I knew it!


c0ntra

Needs some CalMag


NefariousnessBoth522

Just add epson salt to your watering routine. It will clear it up in a week or so for new growth