Well it had to happen! First the weather, then the underside of the 2nd largest Belriccio fruit turns up an unhappy ending.
I’m surprised it was this variety. It’s one of the Sutton’s grafted, a beefsteak but it’s been consistently watered. The ones I thought would be more likely to be the problem are the San Marzano, the determinate plums. They tend to wilt more readily so I clearly haven’t got their watering correct. They’ve also been attracting the blackfly. A ruffle through their green fruit however and I can see they too have signs of Blossom End Rot.
Last year it was Roma and Cream Sausage which suffered. Both plums. But it would seem now, flat bottomed beefsteak maybe prone as well.
I also found it to be the early fruit which got this disorder and then it seemed to self correct – let’s hope that pattern repeats this year. No more tomatoes which thought they were conkers please !?
20th July – BER update. For details on how the timing of watering does make a difference ( see comments section) with watering at night recommended to prevent blossom end rot- the reason – calcium uptake is greater at night.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh dear, that is a sorry sight; I hope it’s only a glitch in the harvest. If you get lots of those, and I hope you don’t, the only thing I can suggest is to chop the affected end off and use them for chutney. I’m growing beefsteaks this year, so I’ll post if mine suffer the same fate. I’ve never seen that in any cherry toms I’ve grown.
Thanks for posting the pictures on your chilli plants yesterday, my seedlings are at about the same stage or smaller. The plant your bought looks great and promises some heat to warm a homegrown tomato salsa.
You are so right about Cherry Toms – of all the varieties I grew last year – none got it. And I don’t think the standards like Alicante or Moneymaker did either. So although it’s a disorder it does also seems to be ‘shape’ related. I’m trying to remember if Carbon which was the nearest I grew to a beefsteak did or didn’t….
I am enjoying seeing the bought chilli plant grow its little chillies – but I suspect that as for ripening and making it to chopping board stage…. well put it this way…. if ripening tomatoes is all about learning the art of patience … chillies may take it to a whole new level !
Hi Sally, love this blog of yours. I too have tomato fever and am for the first year growing tomatoes from seed. This year I have Purple Cherokee, Green Zebra, Black Krim, San Marzano, Sungold, Tigerella, Black Cherry and Costoluto Fiorentino. The greenhouse is like a jungle! I grew some cherry tomato plants I was given last year and had a bit of trouble with blossom drop but this year the little’n's have been good as gold. I’ve had a hell of a lot of problems with blossom end rot on the bigger varieties though. Costoluto has been the worst offender and I’ve had to dispose of a fair lot of fruit. So frustrating! From looking about online I’m guessing its a watering problem. So I’ve changed my tactics from a little water in the morning before work and again at lunch, to a larger quantity of water introduced in the evening. Theory being the plant has more chance to absorb and use water during effectively during the night rather than in the heat of the day when it’s evaporating as quickly as it’s being absorbed. We’ll have to see I guess. I’ll let you know how I get on! Any tips?
Cheers, Daniel.
Hello
Thank you for getting in touch and for the nice comments !
I like your choices of variety – Sungold was my favourite last year – the skin tends to split either on the truss or when you go to pick them off and it’s a bit of an unruly plant – but such good flavour. Black Cherry also has a great flavour. I have a couple this year and they are turning into really tall plants – take longer to come to ripeness than Sungold though. Tigerella is pretty and a nice mid size. And then like you I am growing Purple Cherokee, Green Zebra and San Marzano for the first time. Anything with a pattern or different colour is especially enjoyable to grow as you never quite know what you’re getting till they ripen.
The Blossom End Rot thing – I wish I knew how not to get it. It is a watering related thing – but I think the actual direct cause is a lack of calcium. The plant needs calcium to form cells and if as a whole it has insufficient calcium then the cells at the flower end of the fruit are the ones at the furthest extremity and so don’t form correctly. And calcium gets delivered round the plant via water – so that’s where the connection comes in. So you can have all the calcium the plant needs in the soil/compost but if it’s not been taken up and delivered via water at the right time … then BER is the net result. Interesting that it’s the beefsteaks for you that are getting it – so its those and the plum shapes which seem susceptible.
As for watering in the evening – all the longterm gardeners I’ve asked are adamant its better to water in the morning – I think related to the fact that damp soil and lower night temperatures can trigger fungus ….and with tomatoes again the advice was given was to water more rather than little and often so that the water soaks down, rather than the roots ‘coming up’ to get the water.
I don’t want you to think any of this is hard and fast advice as I’m very much still learning but I just thought I share !
Be great to hear how you get on !