Waaaah, my first container tomato had BLOSSOM END ROT!!

Question

Ok so my container grown Roma tomato had it's first little tomato, but it had blossom end rot. I think I read something about calcium in the soil once..so is there something I can run out and buy to put in the soil around the plant? Help! My container beefsteak maters (in anoter pot) seem so far to be doing fine.

Answer 1

if your soil has a calcium deficiency, it is too late this year to do anything about that.

Your problem might lie in inconsistent watering.  Make sure that you water your plants regularly and don't let them show signs of wilting before you water them again.  If the plant isn't properly watered, then regardless if you have the right nutrients in the soil, the plant won't be able to bring those nutrients in like it should.

Answer 2

If I were you I would double check the drainage on that pot... sometimes water-logging in the roots can cause end rot too.  

Answer 3

it is probably fine, the same thing happened to my potted Roma tomato, i was freaking out, but it was just that, and all the other tomatoes grew pretty good. but its not uncommon.

Answer 4

This isn't uncommon.  The rest of your tomatoes will probably be fine.  

Answer 5

Blossom end rot is typically seen early in the season and often doesn’t affect fruit that is set later in the summer.  The problem is caused by a poor supply of water and calcium in the developing tomatoes.  Tomato plants that were planted out in the garden before the soil warmed up are susceptible to blossom end rot because their root systems don’t develop well in cold soil.  Without a good root system the plants cannot take up enough moisture and calcium for the developing fruit, resulting in blossom end rot.  Blossom end rot may also be a problem after dry periods followed by heavy rains.

Mulching your tomato growing bed after the soil has warmed up is a good way to prevent blossom end rot as the mulch helps to maintain even moisture in the soil.  You’ll also want to keep the plants well watered during dry periods and avoid cultivating too closely to the plants as this can disturb tiny feeder roots that are close to the surface.  

If you have tomatoes afflicted with blossom end rot, just remove those fruits from the plant, maintain even moisture for your plants and wait for the next set of tomatoes to ripen.