Pepper Blossom-End Rot - Knowledgebase Question

Stratford, CT
Avatar for lojo80
Question by lojo80
April 24, 1998
My bell peppers start to rot at the blossom end as the peppers begin to turn red. Why?


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Answer from NGA
April 24, 1998
Blossum-end rot is common on peppers, tomatoes, squash and watermelons, and is caused by a lack of calcium in the developing fruits. This lack can be caused by several things: fluctuations from too dry to too wet; rapid early growth followed by extreme dry periods; excess salts in the soil; as well as cultivating too close to the plant.

The solutions require that you limit those factors from affecting your plants! Keep the moisture level even; avoid use of high-nitrogen fertilizers and fresh manures; be sure the soil is well drained; water heavily when you do
water, in order to leach out the salts in the soil; and last, don't cultivate within a foot of the plant, or deeper than one inch. It's also a good idea to mulch plants with a 3 or 4" layer of straw, to help keep soil moist.

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