[northfifeduckling]

I picked a rotting tomato this morning, possibly blight, which I never had on greenhouse tomatoes. The plants are strong in foliage, are looking healthy. Will it help if I cut the foliage down a bit? they are still in flower, so I don't want to decimate them completely...

[Dan]

Was the rot only on the bottom of the tomato?

If so it's probably blossom-end rot, which is caused by inconsistent supply of water and calcium to the plant.

If it's something else, can you describe the rot?

[northfifeduckling]

the tomato is still green, nowhere near the ripening stage, greyish and mouldy and soft on one side, the other is still hard.
is it too much water or too little? I try to water twice a day with a can, only rarely with the hose...

[Dan]

Ideally the growing medium (compost?) should never dry out.

It's generally better if you can water from the bottom (by standing the pots in a tray or saucers and filling those) and feed from the top. The problem with watering from the top is it's hard to be sure that the water is penetrating to the root tips. A drip-fed irrigation system is probably best, but we've never gone to the expense ourselves.

Also we've never had blossom end rot with cherry tomatoes, only with larger varieties. Not much help for this year, but something to consider for next year?

Definitely don't cut down the foliage, if it is blossom end rot it won't help.

[suziequeue]

We had big problems with mould and rot last year. We had masses of tomatoes going all over the place and we were surface watering - creating a damp humid jungle in our polytunnel. I must say - from your description it sounds like mould to me. Blight tends to creep up the branch from the fruit to the branch and then the stem

I think if we had the same situation again I would firstly check and double check the diagnosis. If it is just mould/rot and not blight then I think a haircut may be in order but not the flowering branches. Have you been pinching out the side shoots etc.

This year we have been much stricter. As Dan says - we have gone for an underground water system (2L pop bottles with the bottom cut off inverted and buried in the ground near the base of each tomato plant) which we water into. We have also been much more stringent about the quantity of tomatoes we have and have planted them a proper distance apart (last year we couldn't bear to thin out the seedlings!). We are being really anal about foliage and training one stem up straight.

[northfifeduckling]

how deep do you bury the bottlenecks? Worth a go as we have plenty...

[suziequeue]

Well - we cut about two inches off the bottom and then buried them head first so that the end was about two inches above the soil - so about 8 inches deep.

It seems to work much better than surface watering but - as I said - we've made so many changes this year that - if things work out well - it will be hard to know  what it was that made the difference.

Also - I just can't remember where we were this time last year.

Need to keep a good diary next year.

[egglady]

kerstin, i use the coke bottle method of watering my toms - works really well and you can water anytime without worrying about scorching leaves and the like.

i just take the bottom off and 'plant' the bottle (with the lid off) at the same time as the tomato...

[northfifeduckling]

bit late for that  but better late than never...
how frequently do you have to top up the water?

[egglady]

obviously being a super dooper attendant to all my plants........nah, when i remember, when i have the time or when they look sad.....LOL 

i try and do it every day but this week for instance, i've only watered twice...and not got blossom end rot.

come and see if you want to

[suziequeue]

Same here egglady.

When I first put them in I filled them and re-filled them until they didn't empty straight away. Now I just keep them topped up when they need it.

Probably hydroponics going on down there but it sure is an improvement on last years tropical sweat-fest