Plum Tomatoes going rotten underneath before ripening

[PaulBudd]

Hi I am growing several varieties of tomatoes this year but my Plum tomatoes are giving me grief...I have loads of green fruit but beofre they ripen the bottom of the tomato turns brown and starts to rot..can anybody tell me what i am doing wrong or tell me what causes this.

[smallblueplanet]

Sounds like blossom end rot (BER)? Its caused by lack of calcium and isn't helped by irregular watering...do a search of the site, you'll find other threads with info if this is what it is. HTH.

[Kristen]

Just to add : the problem is fixable, so the rest of your crop should be OK

[rustylady]

Definitely blossom end rot. Make sure they're kept evenly watered. Where are you growing them, and in what sort and size of containers?

[Bluemchen]

I have this too, but luckily only on a few toms. I traced it back to four days in a row when I didn't water. Since then, no problem, and those that are affected still taste fabulous, we just have to cut the bottoms off. I have got a fair amount of splitting, though as well, which I think is down to those four days, and then overwatering..... my greenhouse is currently a lesson in how NOT to grow tomatoes!

[Alice]

I would say it is blossom end rot Paul - calcium deficiency in which irregular watering is implicated. The good news is it is not an infectious disease, so later tomatoes should be fine. Hope you manage to salvage something worthwhile.

[PaulBudd]

Thanks

Thanks to you all, yes it is BER as not all toms are affected and they did dry out badly one day. I am watering twice a day now if there is no rain, they are in 10" pots with saucers on a south facing fence so get a lot of sun. the other non plum tomatoes don't seem to be affected so fingers crossed and thans to you all for your advice.