Why Are My Tomatoes Rotting On The Vine
Camila Farah
Tomatoes rot on the vine for several reasons including inconsistent moisture too much sun pest infestation and exposure to disease.
A common cause of tomatoes rotting before they ripen is blossom end rot. Learn how to deal with it and prevent it. It is caused by a fungus colletotrichum coccodes. Other reasons for blossom drop on tomatoes are insect damage lack of water too much or too little nitrogen and lack of pollination.
Plants rely on water to carry nutrients like calcium throughout the plant. It is a common problem and the disease responsible is called anthracnose. Tomatoes need night temperatures between 55 to 75 degrees f in order to retain their flowers. This calcium deficiency is probably caused by irregular watering and fluctuation in water levels.
Secondary pathogens such as bacterial soft rot infects fruits that are first damaged by insects disease cracking heat injury etc. In most cases of blossom end rot a lack of rain or watering causes the soil around the plant to dry. Beautiful ripe tomatoes inedible because of rot. With it being late in your season with the accompanying cool temps and humidity and having the tomatoes sprawled the cause is likely fungal in origin.
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Is the rot limited to just the parts of the fruit that have contact with the straw or ground. For example if you have a few weeks of slow growth followed by fast growth the tomato can crack. When a tomato plant receives insufficient water the nutrients will first go to the foliage and may not make it all the way to the fruits. Tomatoes that have been overfertilized with nitrogen are more susceptible.The first three problems can be addressed as the plant grows to reduce rot on future fruit but crops that are exposed to disease should be destroyed. If the temperatures fall outside this range blossom drop occurs. The extent of injury varies with cultivar development stage and specific water soil and weather conditions. Longitudinal cracks are caused by inconsistency in growth patterns growth due to temperature changes and or inconsistent watering.
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