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| One more tomato tip | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 2 2007, 09:16 PM (646 Views) | |
| MikeC | Aug 2 2007, 09:16 PM Post #1 |
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Too late for this year but thought I would throw this out to you. If you have ever had blossom end rot, you know, when you watch the tomato grow, ripen and then you pick it to find a big old black rotten spot on the other side. Well it comes from two things, lack of calcium for the plant while it's growing, and uneven watering, letting it go dry, then flooding it keeping it wet and then having it dry out again. Well here's a way to solve that poroblem, Second first. To even out the moisture condition in the soil and conserve water you have to mulch. I put down the black mulch cloth, but it in a 4' by 250 foot roll, I use a lot. Then cut X's to plant the tomatoes and after the have take root and start to grow., I cover it all with straw, and I do mean cover. I put down 8,10 inches which will eventually compact down to 3 or 4. Don't forget to wrap the stalk or I use small dixie cups with the bottom cut out, to protect from cut worms. Waxed paper also works. That part, evening out the soil moisture is easy. Now for the lack of calcium. Some people I know have diluted rock salt in water and used it to water but I have never good results with that. HOWEVER, this little tidbit has never failed me. Used to get the end rot all the time. Since I started using this 15 / 20 years ago, (knock wood) not once. I take some really rich dirt from compost pile, make from leaves, grass, weeds, vegetable skins, whatever, you know the drill. To that, about half a five gallon bucket, I add 4 tablespoons of Epson Salts. Can get a pint container at any drug store for about a buck or so. Then I take a piece of sheetrock, 8 X 10 inches or so, beat it with a hammer to pulverize the innards, separate any paper and cardboard back. grind the chalk, and add about 8 tablespoons to the mix. Stir well and put a handful in the bottom of each plant hole and fill in, use more of this mix or the dirt you took out of hole. Works like a charm. I'm told that the science behind this is that the plant is able to absorb the calcium through the roots and since it doesn't really disappear, its there for the season. Whatever the reasom, this works. Try it if you have end rot and would like to get rid of it. If you already have rot this year, you can try the calcium chloride in water but you have to remove all affected from from the vine. It might help some but that I dont guarantee. |
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