¤   Preventing Garden Tomato Blossom End Rot

            Tomato blossom end rot can be prevented or stopped after it has begun with an application of good old Epsom salt to the garden soil.   Tomatoes are one of the favorite vegetables home gardeners grow and the satisfaction of planting and watching the fast growing tomato plants produce their red or yellow fruits can only be rivaled by the taste of a home grown tomato.   However, there are several issues that a gardener has to be vigilant about when growing healthy tomato plants, and one of those is blossom end rot, which strikes just prior to the maturation of the tomatoes.   Quite a disappointment for the gardener who has tended the tomato plants for weeks and greatly anticipated eating the fruits of their labor.   Blossom end rot can be prevented and even stopped after it has already begun to attack a tomato plant, with several applications of Epsom salt.

¤   What Causes Blossom End Rot:


            Blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium in the garden soil.   The calcium deficient soil is just not able to bring the tomatoes to the ripe stage before the fruit rots.   Blossom end rot starts out as a small dark circle on the tomato’s blossom end and will spread through the green or partially ripe tomato.


¤   Preventing the Blossom End Rot:

            To prevent blossom end rot, work Epsom salt into the garden soil before planting your tomatoes.   Apply one pound of Epsom salt to the standard sized raised bed garden (four feet by six to eight feet) or one cup of Epsom salt per container which your tomatoes will be grown in and then work it into the soil well with a spade or tiller. The Epsom salt will then be a readily available source of calcium and magnesium for a healthier tomato plant.   Epsom salt also promotes root growth and development for all garden vegetables and flowers and should be worked into the soil along with organic matter at the beginning of spring.   A side dressing of Epsom salt or watering gardening vegetables with a mixture of ½ cup of Epsom salt dissolved in one gallon of water a couple of times during the growing season will keep plants healthy and growing vigorously.   When applying dry Epsom salt as a side dressing, be careful not to allow the Epsom salt to touch any part of the plant.

¤     Stopping Blossom End Rot Once It Starts:

            If blossom end rot strikes tomato plants, it can be stopped and the plant can still go on to produce healthy tomatoes.   At the first sign of blossom end rot, remove all affected tomatoes from the plant and discard them.   Begin watering the tomato plant with an Epsom salt mixture once per week. Dissolve ½ cup of Epsom salt into a gallon of water and slowly pour the entire gallon around the base of the tomato plant.   The Epsom salt mixture will go directly to the plant roots and be absorbed by the plant and stop future developing tomatoes from being afflicted by blossom end rot.   Note that Zucchini plants are also susceptible to blossom end rot.

¤               Fun Things You Can Do This Summer :

      Now is really a great time to put together beautiful, easy to maintain, pots which will last all through the summer and beyond.   Jadwiga is our planting specialist.   Considering the size of your spot, the amount of sunlight, and other factors, she can advise you on what flowers work best for your specific needs.
      And don’t forget for bigger pots to use 'Better Than Rocks'.   It fills the bottom of the pot so that you save on soil and provides better drainage.

            Now is a good time to mulch your garden and shrub beds.   It helps to keep the weeds down and the soil cool during those hot summer months.   Don’t forget to mulch your flowerpots too.   Mulch Blocks of coconut coir fiber are an easy way to mulch open beds and pots.   One small block, when water is added, swells to 2 cubic feet, which covers 24 square feet at 1” thick.   We also highly recommend Master Nursery Black Forest Compost.

            Remember to water deeply, but less often, both to conserve water and encourage the roots to go deeper.   For trees place your garden hose by the tree and let it soak with a slow trickle for two to three hours.   Soak every two weeks from May through September.   Redwood trees especially need this deep watering technique during the hot summer months.

            With the cool spring weather this year, June is still in time to start a beautiful vegetable garden !   For tomatoes that actually have taste? Grow your own!   And don't forget the Morris Gift Store is packed with wonderful treasures for your home and garden.   You simply must come visit to see all the great ideas and selections.   Fertilize, Fertilize, Fertilize!   Give ALL your flowers, berries, citrus, lawn and vegetables a good feeding with either Dr. Earth or Master Nursery fertilizers designed for your particular plant.

                        You still have time to plant Citrus trees!
                        We have available lots of fantastic varieties
                        of Oranges, Grapefruit, Mandarins and Lemons.

            Plant your own Victory Garden !
You don’t need a large space to plant herbs or vegetables. You can incorporate them into the borders of your flowerbeds.   Herbs such as Sage, Thyme, Basil or Oregano can be added among the flowers or shrubs.   Japanese Eggplant, Green Beans; Peppers can be placed in a sunny bed along a walk or in the flowerbed itself.   Tomatoes need a lot more room but as long as the space is in the full sun one or two plants can be added against a fence or the garage.

                        Be sure when planting to use Bumper Crop ...

Grub Control with Arena kills all white grubs, including third-instar/mature grubs and other damaging insects such as aphids, cutworms, armyworms, billbugs, sod webworms and chinch bugs in turfgrass and landscapes. It can also be used on ground covers and in flower beds. One application kills grubs all season long — apply spring, summer or early fall.

Fruit Trees!

¤   Go Check out the 2010 Tree List

            PLANT NOW!

  There's Always Time for a Tree.

¤   Don’t forget to plant them with Bumper Crop and Master Start to get the maximum yield.