| On one of our tomato plants, all of the tomato are getting black on the bottom of the tomato. We have the plant in a black tube and last year, we had no problems with this. What can we do? |
| Your tomato plants sound as though they 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. Water deeply and water only when the soil needs it and applying enough water at one time to thoroughly wet the root mass. 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. |
