Tackling
Tomato Troubles
By Melinda Myers
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[September 01, 2023]
Extreme heat, drought, torrential rains, and
hungry critters may be wreaking havoc on your garden. After weeding,
watering, and waiting you may be finding less, diseased, or
misshapen tomatoes. Don’t give up. Make a few adjustments in garden
maintenance to boost the current and future tomato harvests.
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Blossom end rot is a common problem on the first
set of fruit. It’s due to a calcium deficiency often caused by
fluctuations in soil moisture frequently seen on the first set of
fruit and those grown in containers.
Always water thoroughly to encourage a deep robust root system.
Adjust your watering as needed and mulch the soil to help keep it
consistently moist. Have your soil tested before adding any calcium
fertilizer. Further reduce the risk of blossom end rot by avoiding
root damage when staking and cultivating your garden. Eliminating
some of the roots limits the plant’s ability to absorb water and
nutrients. Avoid overfertilization and don’t use ammonium-based
nitrogen fertilizers on tomatoes.
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Fortunately, it is safe to eat the firm red portion of the affected
tomato. Since this is a physiological disorder, not a disease or
insect problem you can cut off the black portion and toss it into
the compost pile.
Cracked fruit is also common in the garden. Fluctuating
temperatures, moisture stress, and improper fertilization result in
irregular development of the fruit that results in cracking. You
can’t change the weather, but you can reduce the risk of this
problem with thorough, less frequent watering to encourage deep
roots. And just like blossom end rot, mulch the soil to keep it
evenly moist and be sure to avoid root damage.
Several fungal diseases, such as early and late blight, septoria
leaf spot, and anthracnose, can cause spots on the leaves and fruit
of tomatoes. Minimize the problem by rotating your plantings
whenever possible. Move your tomatoes to an area of the garden where
unrelated crops, such as beans, lettuce, or onions, had been growing
the previous season.
Mulching the soil also helps keep soil-borne fungal spores off the
plant. Water early in the day and if possible, apply the water
directly to the soil with a soaker hose, drip irrigation, or a
watering wand to reduce the risk of disease.
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Properly space and stake or tower your tomato plants
to promote healthier growth and reduce the risk of disease. Remove
any volunteer tomatoes that sprout and crowd out the current
season’s planting.
Remove weeds as they appear. Many serve as hosts for insect pests
and diseases and compete with tomato plants for water and nutrients.
Removing them before they flower and set seed eliminates hundreds of
weeds you would need to pull next year.
Always clean up and dispose of disease-infected plant
material in the fall. Cultural practices and growing the most
disease-resistant varieties available are often enough to keep these
diseases under control.
If you choose to use a fungicide, select one labeled for food crops
and apply it at the first sign of the disease. Repeat applications
are usually needed. Be sure to read and follow all label directions
carefully whether using organic, natural, or synthetic fungicides.
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Enjoy this year’s harvest and continue to make any needed changes
now and in the future to boost your gardening success. And as a
gardener you know there is always next year.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including
the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition, and
Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow
Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated
Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is
www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo credit: www.MelindaMyers.com] |