| I planted an Italial Plum type tomato plant in a very large pot. The plant semed to thrive ang grew into a large plant with many green tomatoes. However, befored the ftuit turned red, I noticed end rot on almost all of the fruit. Is there anything I can do correct this problem and salvage the plant. |
| Your tomato plant sounds as though it's under stress, and the fruits have the symptoms of Blossom-End Rot. The disease usually appears first as a water soaked spot near the blossom end. The spot enlarges and turns dark brown and leathery until it covers half the tomato. This problem is due to a calcium deficiency, often brought on by uneven watering, or excess watering. Try to water regularly, watering only when the soil needs it and applying enough water at one time to thoroughly wet the root mass. The problem may have started with damaged feeder roots when you first transplanted your tomatoes. Finally, calcium can be unavailable to plants when excessive nitrogen is present. Remove the affected fruits, and mulch the soil to retard evaporation and help keep the soil evenly moist. Hold off on fertilizer for now. Fruit that develops after you've made some changes in the plant's care should be just fine. |
