GROWING THINGS: Tips on how to dodge the blossom finish rot blues

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Q I’ve had a horrible yr with blossom finish rot in my tomatoes. I made a decision to develop my tomatoes in pots once more this yr. Final yr I had no downside however this yr three of the 4 pots of tomatoes developed blossom finish rot. The tomatoes this yr grew in a short time. I needed to repot a number of of them as a result of the foundation system acquired too large for the pot. I actually don’t perceive why this was taking place as I used to be watering each single day and on the new days, I used to be watering twice or extra a day. I used a great potting combine as nicely. I actually hope you possibly can assist as a result of I’m annoyed on the lack of manufacturing this yr.

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A Your e mail query actually resonated with me as a result of I had the identical downside this yr. I attempted to develop a spread known as Lemon Boy this yr and about 50 per cent of the tomatoes developed blossom finish rot. It is a downside brought on by certainly one of two issues. One is inconsistent watering in the course of the formation of the fruit. The opposite is a scarcity of calcium within the soil.

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It doesn’t sound like watering was a problem however you probably did point out that the vegetation grew quickly and also you really ended up having to repot. The very same factor occurred to me this yr. I too needed to repot resulting from speedy development. In actual fact, I had to purchase a 90 cm extensive pot to accommodate the enormous root system!

Once I was doing a autopsy on the plant and looking out on the roots I discovered that the roots had fully crammed the pot and little or no soil was really nonetheless obtainable for the plant to make use of. When this case happens the plant has depleted the vitamins within the soil. In each our instances, the blossom finish rot was a symptom of a scarcity of calcium.

I at all times say, you by no means cease studying as a gardener and that’s actually the case for me with this downside this yr. In doing my analysis after the actual fact, I discovered that supplementing container tomatoes with bone meal or pelleted limestone can alleviate the issue of blossom finish rot. As quickly as you see the small tomatoes beginning to kind add the pelleted limestone and blend it into the potting combine. You may as well use a high-calcium tomato meals. Salisbury Greenhouse has a fantastic webpage that addresses this concern.

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Q Yearly round this time, the decrease leaves of my hollyhocks start to show yellow, and I don’t know why. In my gardening literature, I’ve learn variously that hollyhocks do nicely in poor soil, additionally that they’re heavy feeders — which is the reality?

A My expertise with hollyhocks is that they certainly are heavy feeders however they’ll tolerate poor soils. In different phrases, to get them to carry out to their finest they prefer to be fertilized frequently. The yellowing of the leaves could possibly be resulting from various causes. It could be hollyhock rust, which is a fungus that may trigger the leaves to yellow and drop off, beginning on the backside of the plant. It could possibly be a fertilizer concern or perhaps a lack of moisture that triggered the leaves to yellow as nicely.

A tip for the autumn: As the autumn season arrives, keep in mind that it’s the most effective occasions to plant new timber, shrubs and perennials. Simply be certain to plant them nicely earlier than the anticipated arrival of the primary frost. It will permit the vegetation to get a great rising begin.

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