[TheChilliMan]

Hello. I have a problem with my beef tomatoes. The tomatoes start off fine, but then start to go brown on the bottom, one was the size of a big grape and went brown, then black, then another of the same size, but now a big hand sized one is going brown on the bottom. What the F is happening? I use tomotorite or sommat like that once a week, 10 ml.

[Trillium]

Sounds like blossom end rot. It's not a matter of how much you feed it, but how regularly it got water. Irregular watering causes problems with the calcium content and intake, which eventually forms that black end bump as a result. It'll happen to most of your fruit. Just cut it out before use.

[lincspoacher]

Feed them once a week with a calcium feed to prevent any more going that way.

[mrs bouquet]

I thought that was wrong with mine, but I then discovered that every time it rained (which was practically all the time) the rain was running down the fruit and forming a droplet at the bottom which was causing the problem.
So now each day I go out and water and run the flat palm of my hand under each truss which makes the rain droplets fall away.  Since then the browning seems to have stopped.  Maybe I am just lucky and its probably got nothing to do with it, but its worked for mine.  Mrs Bouquet  PS apart from anything I enjoy it !!  We all get our kicks in different ways !!

[TheChilliMan]

I googled it and its not that bad, the brown spreads, not just the end. It starts from the botttom, and eventualy covers the tomatoe rotting it.

[Trillium]

Feed them once a week with a calcium feed to prevent any more going that way.

I recently heard on our radio that university studies have finally proved that calcium deficiency is actually due to irregular watering and not an actual deficiency. Not enough water mucks up the plant's calcium flow, thereby causing the problem. I don't use any calcium feed at all but I do regularly water my toms. Not a single bit of end rot since.

[jennyb]

if i fin a tom that has started rotting but isn't too bad yet,  i bring it in for the fruit bowl.

this one was totally green when i brought it in and put it in the fruit bowl under the bananas....



you can see the patches of rot.  well when i sliced them off they were hardly more than skin deep.  you need to catch them early tho i think.