Blossom end rot

[ken]

Hopefully I'm getting this on the forum before people put their tomato plants into final positions. I grow mine in large, 10-inch pots. For a while I was getting blossom end rot, but not on Gardeners Delight, only on the plum varieties - Red Dabarao, and, more recently, Olivade. I suspect plum varieties may need more water. Blossom end rot is due to calcium deficiency, generally the result of incorrect watering. But getting the watering right isn't easy - the plants' needs vary according to how fast they're growing, hours of daylight, temperature and light levels. Hope this is a helpful hint - I cracked the problem by adding Swell Gel to the potting compost, to hold extra water in reserve. I found I needed to exceed the instructions slightly: if the packet said add two spoons to a 10 inch pot, I added three.

[Mike Vogel]

My Italians say it's too much watering, as well as irregular, that causes this.

[ken]

Hi Mike. Yes, I was careful to say 'incorrect watering' because I think too much can be as bad as too little. You could say the Swell Gel is holding an extra reservoir of water against shortage, or you could say it is mopping up excess water. Either way, it seems to help.