Grow Your Own Magazine

and what do I do about it?

got 5 alicante and 5 buffalo mixed in growbags and pots growing on a hot patio against a wall with glass above. masses of fruit (all still green however) but I have noticed that some of them seem to be have sort of opened so you can see the inside. also found one with a black bottom (blossom end rot?).

do I cut off the manky looking ones and hope for the best for the rest? I'm feeding them every week-10 days with tomorite, and watering liberally every other day - the ones in growbags are in those pot things that you slot into the growbag and top up with more soil.

any advice please? they look so good, I hope I'm not going to lose them.

Do you mean they have split open? This is caused by too much water after the soil or compost has dried out. Watering tomatoes can be a nightmare. You have just got to get it right. When the weather is hot I water them every day. When the weather is normal I water every other day. Or rather WE water them! Last year though a Russian variety that I grew had very thin skins and every single tomato split.

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yes, I think I mean they've split. will the ones that havent already split be ok if I water daily from now on? luckily they're all near the tap, so the hosepipe ban is not too painful.

You've just got to get the amount of water right. You don't want them swimming but you don't want the compost to dry out. Mine are planted at the allotment not in grow bags so I think that makes it easier. Blossom end rot is a symptom of the compost drying out.

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yes well you say that but ive had loads of blossom end rot and mine havent dried out nor have i been overwatering so no idea why its happeneing, never happened before

It could be this crazy weather that we have had.

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think I'll water the top bits of the pot daily, and maybe do the circular bit (which reaches into the growbag) every 2-4 days depending... most of the rest look ok, no sign of turning red though!

maybe this will help you with your tomatoes
Click Here

Hope it helps you a lot