Blights and rots

We've been receiving a lot of questions about tomatoes recently. With the changes in climate it seems as if most of us are getting some ripe tomatoes. Unfortunately, with the deliciousness sometimes comes the blights and rots. The most common problem we see affecting the tomato fruit is Blossom End Rot. This results from a calcium deficiency in the soil.

There are several ways to make sure the plant gets the calcium it needs. We have a very inexpensive calcium spray that seems to work well when it is applied to the plant and the base of the plant. We also have bags of calcium that can be added to the soil around the plant. Any of these will help with the Blossom End Rot.

Another common problem affecting tomatoes are blights. There are several different blights, but the most common in our area is the early blight. Common among all blights is that they are caused by various fungi and can be treated with a fungicide. We are having the most luck with Daconil (active ingredient is Chlorothalonil), but we hear good things about a copper fungicide.

The easiest way to be able to tell the difference between the rot and blights is the plant. If the foliage on the plant is affected, it's probably a blight or another fungus. If the condition is only affecting the fruit then it is most likely a rot.

With any other questions concerning tomatoes or gardening come in and see the friendly staff at Randy's. As always "we don't mind your questions, we don't mind them at all!"