5 Steps To Avoid Tomato End Rot
What is Tomato End Rot? Tomato End Rot, also called Blossum End Rot, is a common tomato disease that causes your plant to have a hard brown scab or dead area on the growing tip of your tomato.
To achieve tomato plants that are strong and healthy, you must give your plant all the essential nutrients it needs to help fight off pests and diseases. Tomato End Rot is one disease that you do not want your plant to be afflicted with. So how do you avoid this disease? Follow these simple steps:
Step 1 - Water Properly
Water is essential to your plant. Insufficient water supply will deprive your plant from obtaining the nutrients it needs to grow and fight off pests and diseases. Tomato End Rot will be prevented if you make sure to water your plant regularly and consistently. If you really want to be professional about it, you can employ the Trickle and Drip Irrigation Process to ensure optimal watering of your plant.
Step 2 - Good Drainage Is A Must
This next step ties in with the previous step. There's not much use in watering your plant properly when you do not have proper drainage. All this will do is drown your plant and make it conducive to diseases like Blossum End Rot. Before planting your tomato plant, make sure you have proper drainage in your soil. Don't know how to do that? All you have to do is to dig a few holes, fill it with water and check how long it takes for the water to drain. If it takes two hours then that's a little long. You might want to change the soil type or change location, or plant raised beds.
Step 3 - Mulch Away!
Mulching is the process of layering 2 - 3 inches deep of compost on the top of the soil. It helps fight off Tomato End Rot by reducing evaporation, retaining moisture of the soil, retaining water and keeping soil temperature cool. Mulches also attract earthworms which add to the health of the soil through aeration and provide readily available nutrients for your plant in the form of worm casts.
Step 4 - Reduce Acidity Of Your Soil
Although tomato plants prefer a slightly acidic soil, too much acidity will definitely be detrimental to your plant. It will also reduce the amount of calcium in the soil thus making it susceptible to Blossum End Rot. The best fertilizer for your plant is cow manure since it reduces the acidity of your soil.
Step 5 - Calcium Is The Key!
Tomato plants afflicted with calcium deficiency will result in Tomato End Rot. Calcium is an important nutrient for your plant and is responsible for fruit quality, shelf life and disease resistance of your tomato plant. It also helps the plant in absorbing other nutrients.
There are a number of ways you can get calcium for your plant. One way is to apply calcium-rich fertilizers, such as compost containing eggshells, to your tomato plant.
Adding lime to your soil is another way. Measure 2 cups of lime and add it into the soil of your plant. Make sure to dig deep, like 12 inches deep, to ensure that it reaches the roots.
A spray of calcium solution also applies calcium directly to the plant. You can do this by buying calcium nitrate of chloride and mixing 4lb of calcium nitrate or calcium chloride with 100 gallons of water. For best effect, spray the solution 2 - 3 times.
To achieve tomato plants that are strong and healthy, you must give your plant all the essential nutrients it needs to help fight off pests and diseases. Tomato End Rot is one disease that you do not want your plant to be afflicted with. So how do you avoid this disease? Follow these simple steps:
Step 1 - Water Properly
Water is essential to your plant. Insufficient water supply will deprive your plant from obtaining the nutrients it needs to grow and fight off pests and diseases. Tomato End Rot will be prevented if you make sure to water your plant regularly and consistently. If you really want to be professional about it, you can employ the Trickle and Drip Irrigation Process to ensure optimal watering of your plant.
Step 2 - Good Drainage Is A Must
This next step ties in with the previous step. There's not much use in watering your plant properly when you do not have proper drainage. All this will do is drown your plant and make it conducive to diseases like Blossum End Rot. Before planting your tomato plant, make sure you have proper drainage in your soil. Don't know how to do that? All you have to do is to dig a few holes, fill it with water and check how long it takes for the water to drain. If it takes two hours then that's a little long. You might want to change the soil type or change location, or plant raised beds.
Step 3 - Mulch Away!
Mulching is the process of layering 2 - 3 inches deep of compost on the top of the soil. It helps fight off Tomato End Rot by reducing evaporation, retaining moisture of the soil, retaining water and keeping soil temperature cool. Mulches also attract earthworms which add to the health of the soil through aeration and provide readily available nutrients for your plant in the form of worm casts.
Step 4 - Reduce Acidity Of Your Soil
Although tomato plants prefer a slightly acidic soil, too much acidity will definitely be detrimental to your plant. It will also reduce the amount of calcium in the soil thus making it susceptible to Blossum End Rot. The best fertilizer for your plant is cow manure since it reduces the acidity of your soil.
Step 5 - Calcium Is The Key!
Tomato plants afflicted with calcium deficiency will result in Tomato End Rot. Calcium is an important nutrient for your plant and is responsible for fruit quality, shelf life and disease resistance of your tomato plant. It also helps the plant in absorbing other nutrients.
There are a number of ways you can get calcium for your plant. One way is to apply calcium-rich fertilizers, such as compost containing eggshells, to your tomato plant.
Adding lime to your soil is another way. Measure 2 cups of lime and add it into the soil of your plant. Make sure to dig deep, like 12 inches deep, to ensure that it reaches the roots.
A spray of calcium solution also applies calcium directly to the plant. You can do this by buying calcium nitrate of chloride and mixing 4lb of calcium nitrate or calcium chloride with 100 gallons of water. For best effect, spray the solution 2 - 3 times.
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