Can anyone tell me why my tomatoes are showing black spots and bottom rot? Is there a fungus in my soil? Is there too much moisture? Should I have my soil tested?
Your tomatoes are suffering from Blossom End Rot. Primary cause is a lack of calcium in your soil. Check with your local gardening store or google Blossom End Rot. You can also start adding your egg shells to your soil, or mix them with water for your watering routine.
That is blossom end rot, and I do not know of any 'natural' treatments for it, but there are products at Walmart, and home/garden centers, and farm supply stores to treat it. Best of luck to you!
This pages has been archived 2 times. You can view older posts and feedback below.
Request: Black Spots on Tomatoes (09/01/2009)
The leaves on my tomato plants are turning yellow and dying and some of the tomatoes are black on the bottom. However, new leaves are growing up the side of our house. What can I do to stop the yellow leaves and black on the bottom of the tomatoes?
Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback (if you are a registered user). If you have not yet registered, click here to do so. It's FREE!.
Archives:
Request: Black Spots on Tomatoes
Archived on 09/01/2009
The leaves on my tomato plants are turning yellow and dying and some of the tomatoes are black on the bottom. However, new leaves are growing up the side of our house. What can I do to stop the yellow leaves and black on the bottom of the tomatoes?
Hardiness Zone: 7a
Wanda from Chapel Hill, TN
Editor's Note: Here is a recent request about tomatoes with yellow leaves:
I have gotten the same thing on my tomatoes and it is caused also by a lack of lime. I sprinkle lime in the soil and work it in and it solves the problem. I found it mostly on my plants that are in container pots.
LI Roe (08/09/2007)
Blossom end rot, not good. Yellow leaves early blight? Comes before tomatoes start ripening. Like the lady said, calcium for rot, also lime or broken dry wall. I also like spraying with Epsom salts.
For blight spray neem oil, copper spray, or other anti blight sprays. Can't say one works better. (08/11/2007)
I have a brother and sister that are getting tomatoes that have a large black soft area on one side of the tomato. What is this and what can they do to prevent this? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hardiness Zone: 6a
Stephen from N.E. Kansas
Answers:
RE: Black Spots on Tomatoes
if it's on the end opposite the stem, it may be 'blossom end rot'.... and that's caused by a lack of calcium in the soil... it should be fixed early in the season before planting.... but for now and this year's tomatoes, there's a spray available at a nursery or feed store that will help... and I've used crushed up TUMS dissolved in water, poured around the plant and then watered in lightly.... those with the black ends are goners... but those that will come from the next flowers should be a lot better.....read here for more info..
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-28-d.html (07/17/2007)
Blossom end-rot, which this sounds like it is can be caused by lack of calcuim but also can be caused by either too little water or too much water. I took have found this problem with my tomatoes and when I water correctly I don't have this happen, have only lost about 4 tomatoes to this. (07/26/2007)
