Large discolored spots on bottom of tomatoes and peppers

Question

GB

Large discolored spots on bottom of tomatoes and peppers

by

Gail Braun

7 years ago

12

Gail Braun · Answer 1 · 11th August 2017, 00:48:52

This year many of my peppers and tomatoes are getting spots on the fruit, bottom of tomatoes and many places on the peppers. It starts with a few light spots on the bottom of the tomatoes, slowly growing and turning a translucent green and then eventually turns light brown and moves over the whole tomatoes. I put 2 tbsp eposon salts in the hole before planting my tomatoes plant and pepper plant, would this cause this Problem?

Gail Braun · Answer 2 · 21st August 2017, 20:07:58

Still waiting for an answer to my problem above????

Elspeth Briscoe · Answer 3 · 21st August 2017, 20:31:35

I'm confident someone will be with you shortly. Maybe even one of our experts! :)

Andy McIndoe · Answer 4 · 21st August 2017, 20:37:08

I'm at a bit of a loss on this one Gail - If it was just your tomatoes I would think it could be tomato blight, But peppers as well! Definitely a problem from the roots. Next year - new growing medium, balanced tomato/fruiting vegetable fertiliser and good plants or fresh seeds - don't save from this year. Post a couple of pics and I might be able to tell you more. Andy

Gail Braun · Answer 5 · 21st August 2017, 23:34:24

Here is a picture of some of them, Andy. Thank you for your input. We put some new manure on our garden this spring, am wondering if this could have come from that as we have never had this before.

Piet Oudolf & Noel Kingsbury · Answer 6 · 22nd August 2017, 07:57:47

Best thing is to look at one of the many websites which deal with tomato problems, often run by US university extension departments, compare with their photographs, there is masses information out there on tomatoes.

Elspeth Briscoe · Answer 7 · 22nd August 2017, 08:29:33

Thanks Noel - our US gardening friends do seem to know a huge amount about tomatoes! You could also consider asking Dr Toby Musgrave who runs a course with us here at Learning with Experts on Heritage Vegetables, and may be able to help on that during the course.

Elspeth Briscoe · Answer 8 · 22nd August 2017, 08:33:31

EB

Elspeth Briscoe7 years ago

Here is the course I refer to.

taught by
Dr Toby Musgrave

Book Now

Heritage Fruit & Veg

A history of old-fashioned cultivars

Elspeth Briscoe · Answer 9 · 22nd August 2017, 08:35:06

It's more of an academic course than a 'how to' but I think Toby should be able to help. Let us know if you don't find what you need on the US specialist university sites, and we'll see if Toby can come back to you.

Jane Perrone · Answer 10 · 22nd August 2017, 10:58:46

It looks like it could be blossom end rot ... v common in tomatoes, aubergines and the like. It indicates a lack of calcium being taken up by the plant, caused not by a lack of calcium in the soil (which is pretty unusual) but by irregular watering which impedes the plant's takeup of this nutrient. Google and you'll find lots more resources for countering it... there's a good page on the RHS website though https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pi…

Elspeth Briscoe · Answer 11 · 22nd August 2017, 11:02:00

Thanks Jane! As you may recognise, Jane is the former Gardening Correspondent at The Guardian and now writes regularly for us at Learning with Experts

Gail Braun · Answer 12 · 22nd August 2017, 14:02:22

Thank you very much for this info. Our tomato crop was bountiful this year with many large and beautiful tomatoes, but we did lose a few from this condition. We do water regularly, but maybe not enough this year. We have had no rain since the first two weeks in June and we maybe didn't get enough water on the garden.

Large discolored spots on bottom of tomatoes and peppers