tomato blooms falling off

[higgledy]

I planted several varieties of tomato plants this year, 5 plants total. I used Osomacote slow release fertilizer. All seem to do well, most are not growing all that well, I think due to the cold spring. Anyway, one plant has many blosoms, but as soon as the bloom wilts the blossom falls off with no tomato left behind. The other plants have several blooms but none have yet developed into a tomato. I do not think that I over-fertilized because these plants are not tall, nor bushy, nor yellowed. They seem to be non-fruit bearing?? I have tiny peppers and tiny cucmbers forming but my tomato plants are going no where.

[Lar]

In article , [e-mail] says... :) I planted several varieties of tomato plants this year, 5 plants total. :) I used Osomacote slow release fertilizer. All seem to do well, most are :) not growing all that well, I think due to the cold spring. Anyway, one :) plant has many blosoms, but as soon as the bloom wilts the blossom :) falls off with no tomato left behind. The other plants have several :) blooms but none have yet developed into a tomato. I do not think that I :) over-fertilized because these plants are not tall, nor bushy, nor :) yellowed. They seem to be non-fruit bearing?? I have tiny peppers and :) tiny cucmbers forming but my tomato plants are going no where. :) :)

[bamboo]

Nightime temperatures below 60? That'll do it.

[higgledy]

That is it then. Last night temp was in the 50's. Dam, I am not in love

90 degree days but I like tomatos more.

[John McKay]

Blossom-end-rot is caused by a lack of calcium in the soil. The plant however, can be doused or sprayed with calcium such as Dragon. This should supply enough calcium to get you thru this season

John

[Jean B.]

D--n! I was seeing the same thing. Mebbe I should take the plants in at night. :-(((((

[John McKay]

Where is my mind. You don't have blossom end rot the blossom is falling off. Sorry for the missinformation. How much rain have you had. We have seen blossom fall off of some annuals this year and some contribute the cause to all the rain that we have had....

John

[Jim Carter]

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:02:58 GMT, [e-mail] (John McKay) wrote in rec.gardens:

BER is enough to give any sane person a headache. You are correct about the calcium, but excess water is usually the culprit! :-) See

to unravel this. It is a problem of poor calcium distribution in the plant.

-- Gardening Zones Canada Zone 5a United States Zone 3a Near Ottawa, Ontario

[ozzy.kopec]

Try gently shaking the tomato plant, and also try "finger flicking" the tomato blossoms. I do that in the late Spring and whether it works better than doing nothing, who knows! Haven't killed a plant by doing so (yet). Some varities just drop blossoms no matter what. I grow some delicious (beefsteak) every year and have a ton of blossom drop, just the way it is.

As to BER - many think that the belief that calcium deficincy being the cause isn't true. NOT doing anything to a plant that has BER will have the BER go away. Neighbor of mine usually has it every year (plants very early), does nothing and the BER goes away on the later tomatoes. PS - he had a soil test done and the calcium levels were on the high range and oh did he have the BER on the early tomatoes (very cold/wet Spring 3 years? back).

[Aspasia]

This whole blossom end rot business if vexing.

Two years ago, I had tomatoes out the kazoo; so many I had to re-learn how to can.

Last year, I had BER out the kazoo. Beaucoup blossoms; zip tomatoes. I was advised to buy blossom spray, applied it, with zilch results.

This year, I have so many tomatoes ripening, I'll have to can again.

Same varieties of seeds -- sent by an internet friend from Canada.

Same conditions -- I didn't change anything in the soil, nor my watering pattern. (We did have heavier rains in So.Cal. in "winter"/spring, but why would that matter?)

Bewildering, indeed.