23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Blossom end rot is mostly common in tomatoes, which seems to affect certain types more (Roma, San Marzano ...my experience). But Calcium deficiency seems to be a hypothesis. I read a lot a lot of discussions (here on GW) that IT IS NOT really CALIUM DEFICIENCY BUT PLANTS" INABILITY TO TAKE IT AND DISTRIBUTE IT properly. The common consensus is that irregular watering (from too much to too little, from too wet to dry ..) is to blame.

Normally, calcium is one of the abundant elements in most soils(NOT talking about soiless potting mix). Calcium can exist in many chemical compositions that some are not readily available to plants. It is also most common soil sweetner(in Lime, gypsum, ...)

IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING that ROTTING is the outcome of bacterial action(fermentation, infection ...) Most bacteria grow and thrive in moist environment where also the air is stagnant. it is also a fact that MOST(not all) BACTERIA CANNOT SURVIVE AND MULTIPLY IN ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT.
So, then it is more likely that roting starts in an environment of prolonged wetness, and where the environment is also alkaline.

When I weigh all of these, I can say that growing atmospheric environment is also crucial, in addition to the soil chemistry. I would take the following precautions:
1- keep the plants reasonably pruned near the ground, to prevent wetness, to provide air circulation.

2- Always water my pepper plants, tomatoes during the day(preferably early in the morning) so that it will have a better chance dry up fast. But then we cannot do anything about rain and wet weather

3- Avoid sprinkler/spray watering . Because if pepper fruits are dry, there will be a less chance for rotting.

In effect, in lieu of knowing the actual causes, all we can do is try to improve our odds.

This post was edited by seysonn on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 4:14

Thank you bunches! I will do this!

@ IL-gardener,

ONE: I use NEEM oil spray(buy concentrate and make my own mix). There are several manufacturers. They clearly say on the package what it is: e.g. 60% neem oil, 40%(other..)

TWO: Now that you have sprayed with both Neem oil and milk/water, please report the results. This way is better than "Somebody said such and such.."

Either one of those, even the chemical fungicide is NOT a complete cure all. They just keep the fungi at check. Then of course it depends on the state and stage of PM. At certain advance stage, even if you destroy the fungi , the plant is not going to recover.

Could you not cut off the infected areas and treat with something like neem oil or Azamax? Not sure if Azamax specifically helps powdery mildew. I had it on my tomatoes last year due to high humidity in my greenhouse and it took out my whole crop despite all measures to keep it from spreading. Luckily it was late in the summer this started. Not sure if this would work but appears organic. I've used TKO many times for other uses but not gardening sprays. Good luck!

I have been picking my cukes that look like that- they taste just fine.

Here is a great article that I found that might explain this.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/opp4556

I've read the first few inches of the plant the fruit should be trimmed to allow for proper growing and nutrient intake. Fruit should taste fine though. I wish I could find the other article I had about cucumbers as well that showed pics but can't.

WooHooMan, This is my second year. Last year I tried mini watermelons which were very hard to tell when they were ripe. I don't allow insects into the greenhouse so I pollinated by hand. They grew to be 4lbs and had 3 per plant. For my zone it was not nearly long enough to support that amount of fruit. I am trying honeydew & cantaloupe but thinking I incorrectly tagged them as the one & only fruit growing should be honeydew but it has veins like cantaloupe. Can I cross pollinate these two with the male flowers now that I am not sure which plants are which? They both look identical... I'm going to stick to 2 melons per plant and see if that works. Currently the plant is expelling a majority of the female blossoms by turning yellow before even growing as Laceves mentioned.

DigDirt, I had someone post reasons for blossom drop with my peppers and I'm seeing many things I could be doing wrong. Thanks for your input!

Laceves - Check this out: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0716012119853.html?2

I too was amazed at how fast my early prolific straight neck yellow squash began to yield. I harvested my first squash 36 days after seeding. If you can keep the SVB at bay, they are wonderfully gratifying.

I have two kinds : (1) Straight neck yellow and Striped/mottled green globe.
They both have started growing male/female flowers. I am doing about 3 pollinations a day now, Luckily, I don't have to do it real early in the morning. They stay open well passed noon. Because, I think, the weather is not hot and they don't get much AM sun.

VIVA La Squash !!! hehe

The leaves are probably falling from too much water and the flowers may also. But the flowers/pods will also fall because of high and low temps, amongst other things. that's whay with more months of extreme heat coming, mulch is the way to go. Mulch will also help extend your season some when the temps start to drop. I'm all about the mulch-- the benefits far exceeds the drawbacks.

Kevin

Thanks, Kevin for the mulch info! I am going to put some more down as mine has melded into the soil. Not enough I guess. But this site is great. I've already learned so much.

Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki is used against caterpillars but isn't active against beetles.

For beetles use Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai.

Wasn't recommending it for the beetles Jean but for the beetle larvae, which are caterpillars. They are what is doing the damage.

Dave

I use the 85 degrees in a small room thing. When I added moisture, I had some sprouting trouble after a few days.

Thank you all for your replies, and suggestions on curing sweet potatoes.

I thought I would share what I typed up and handed out to the people I gave slips to. I've collected tips from various sources (y'all included), and am not taking ANY credit for this (except for copying and pasting into a document). Just sharing the wealth. :)

"Curing Sweet Potatoes
Although large amounts of soil clinging to roots during storage is not desirable, sweet potatoes are easily damaged during the washing process when freshly dug. Allow roots to dry and cure before removing excess soil.

Cure** sweet potatoes by holding them for about 10 days at 80-85°F and high relative humidity (85-90 percent). In the absence of better facilities, they can be cured near a furnace to provide warmth. If the temperature near your furnace is between 65-75°F, the curing period should last 2-3 weeks. To maintain the required high humidity (85-90 percent relative humidity), stack storage crates or boxes and cover them with paper or heavy cloth. Packing in perforated plastic bags will also keep humidity high, yet the perforations will allow excess moisture to escape.

Once the sweet potatoes are cured, move them to a dark location where a temperature of about 55-60°F can be maintained during storage. Sweet potatoes are subject to chilling injury, so keep them out of the refrigerator. Good results can be obtained by wrapping cured sweet potatoes in newspaper and storing them in a cool closet.
Exposure to low storage temperatures for several days will cause the sweet potatoes to develop a hard center and reduce their eating quality.
When the roots are stored at high temperatures for a long time, they begin to sprout, shrivel and become dry, stringy and pithy.
**Curing ideas
• If humidity can’t be achieved, place on a closet shelf with a space heater below and left the door open a crack and monitored the temperature. Kept it about 85 degrees for 10 days or so.
• Cure by, "letting them bask in the sun for a day, and then removing them to a shady area that remains above 80 degrees for 7-10 days." from Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith
• Cure the sweet potato for 10 days in a room that remains around 80 degrees, or for 20 days in a room that remains around 70 degrees. If you live in an area with cool fall temperatures requiring use of the furnace, place the sweet potatoes near the furnace for the curing days. In the south where fall temperatures are still in the 70's and 80's during the day, a sunny porch during the daytime can be used to cure the sweet potatoes, but you will have to bring them indoors when the night time temperatures drop or the sweet potato won't cure properly and will rot before winter ends.
• Place a space heater and a humidifier (not necessary, and if not monitored, the humidity may encourage sprouting), and the newly harvested sweet potatoes, and shut the door as much as possible.
• Some people suggest dampening a piece of burlap or some old towels to drape over crates containing the sweet potatoes, and place in a warm location for 10 days. Rewet cloth occasionally, and rotate sweet potatoes, being careful not to damage the skin of potato."

This post was edited by commgardener11 on Mon, Jul 15, 13 at 21:40

I don't have room in my freezer for corn cobs, so I blanch, chill, cut it off the cob, then freeze it. It tastes the same, is more convenient to prepare for serving, and only occupies about 10% of the freezer space it would if left on the cob.

I tried your method of steaming my corn on the cob to freeze and look forward to the taste this winter. Also if you are concerned about taking up too much space in the freezer and prefer to cut the corn off the cob to freeze, try cutting it off before blanching. Not only do you have space to blanch more corn at one time but you are not tempted to handle the hot corn. Suggestion given to me by long time Iowa corn farmers who really know their corn.

Thanks for posting those pics, very much appreciated. My garden is to extensive to use it like that, but maybe I could spray glue pieces to boards and prop them at an angle in the shadiest areas.

Supposedly one of the best reflective materials is just flat white paint (not gloss). Painting a fence or plywood and angling next to shady areas could help boost light.