Tomato blight? - Ask Extension
This is an heirloom Baltimore tomato plant. After last nights rain, my tomatoes look like they are getting some kind of fungus or blight on the botto...
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Tomato blight? #874950
Asked June 27, 2024, 11:47 AM EDT
This is an heirloom Baltimore tomato plant. After last nights rain, my tomatoes look like they are getting some kind of fungus or blight on the bottoms. The leaves are fine though. What should I do?
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi- this appears to be blossom-end rot, a very common disorder of tomato, pepper, squash, eggplant, and watermelon. The darkened areas on the fruit bottoms are caused by a lack of calcium in the bottom of the fruits which in turn could be caused by a number of stress factors including inconsistent soil moisture, extreme heat, and insufficient soil calcium levels.
Remove affected fruits as they will not ripen normally. Water plants regularly and deeply during hot, dry weather. You can also water in about 1/4 cup of gypsum (calcium sulfate; won't alter soil pH and is more readily available to plants than ground limestone) to ensure that sufficient calcium is available. Also, avoid fertilizing with high-nitrogen fertilizers like urea.
Reference:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/blossom-end-rot-vegetables/
Jon
Remove affected fruits as they will not ripen normally. Water plants regularly and deeply during hot, dry weather. You can also water in about 1/4 cup of gypsum (calcium sulfate; won't alter soil pH and is more readily available to plants than ground limestone) to ensure that sufficient calcium is available. Also, avoid fertilizing with high-nitrogen fertilizers like urea.
Reference:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/blossom-end-rot-vegetables/
Jon
