How to Treat Tomatoes With Flower Rot

Flower rot is more appropriately termed blossom end rot and is a tomato disease that causes the fruit to rot prior to full maturity. It gets its name because the dark, rotten spots first develop near the stem of the tomato where the blossom typically occurs. A variety of causes exist for blossom end rot, but treating it involves improving the moisture and nutrient supply to the tomato plant's roots.

Things You'll Need

Water
Organic mulch
4-12-4 or 5-20-5 granular fertilizer

Calcium chloride
Garden sprayer

Instructions

- 1
  Maintain constantly moist but not soggy soil since mild drought causes blossom end rot. Water at least once per week with 1 1/2 inches of water or more frequently during the peak of summer if the soil feels dry to the touch.
- 2
  Spread a 2- to 3-inch thick layer of organic mulch around the base of the tomato plants to help hold in the soil moisture. Pull the mulch back 1 to 2 inches from the base of each stalk to prevent additional disease from occurring.
- 3
  Apply an immediate release granular fertilizer such as 4-12-4 or 5-20-5, over the soil under the tomato plants using the amount indicated on the package instructions. Water well after application to dissolve the fertilizer.
- 4
  Spray the plants until saturated with a calcium chloride spray if all of the fruit exhibits rot. Mix 4 tbsp. into one gallon of water and use a garden sprayer to saturate all leaves and stems of the tomato plants. Reapply the spray two to three times per week until symptoms subside.

Blotchy Ripening Tomatoes

How to Slow Down Ripening Tomatoes

Growing Tomatoes