The dreaded BER raises it's head!

huntoften · July 10, 2008

I did everything I could this year, bone meal and triple phosphate in the hole, raised beds, plastic mulch, drip irrigation and it got me again! Tossed a dozen romas in the compost bin this evening...grrrrr! Fortunately it just seemed to be on one set of blossoms in one bed, the rest of the green fruit looked ok. Just venting a little...anyone else having BER yet this year?

dice · July 11, 2008

Anecdote has romas and roma-derived cultivars more prone
to BER than average. Maybe a little gypsum or lime with the
bone meal would help (calcium sources).

**Lee** · July 11, 2008

Agree with Dice.... have you checked the ph? Perhaps that
could causing the problem to show up.

Lee

huntoften · July 11, 2008

Come to think of it, this is the only newbed I have this year...just built it! It's about 50% compost (bought in bulk from a commercial source) and 50% soil from my in ground garden that currently has corn in it. I'll re-group with this on in the off season and get a soil test...something is definitely out of balance.

dice · July 11, 2008

When adding calcium to the soil, if the pH is fine use gypsum
(won't change pH significantly). If the pH is low, use lime
(dolomite or calcitic; raises pH). If the pH is high, then you
need to find out why (could be calcium in the soil, could be
magnesium, etc).

You probably would not be seeing BER in a high pH soil with
plenty of calcium, but you might still see it in a high pH soil
with an overabundance of magnesium (calcitic lime can actually
lower the pH in a magnesium rich soil; one would not use
dolomite in that case, because it is high in magnesium as well
as calcium).

July 10, 2008	#1
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	The dreaded BER raises it's head! I did everything I could this year, bone meal and triple phosphate in the hole, raised beds, plastic mulch, drip irrigation and it got me again! Tossed a dozen romas in the compost bin this evening...grrrrr! Fortunately it just seemed to be on one set of blossoms in one bed, the rest of the green fruit looked ok. Just venting a little...anyone else having BER yet this year? __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

July 11, 2008	#2
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Anecdote has romas and roma-derived cultivars more prone to BER than average. Maybe a little gypsum or lime with the bone meal would help (calcium sources). __________________ -- alias

July 11, 2008	#3
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	Agree with Dice.... have you checked the ph? Perhaps that could causing the problem to show up. Lee __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.

July 11, 2008	#4
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	Come to think of it, this is the only newbed I have this year...just built it! It's about 50% compost (bought in bulk from a commercial source) and 50% soil from my in ground garden that currently has corn in it. I'll re-group with this on in the off season and get a soil test...something is definitely out of balance. __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

July 11, 2008	#5
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	When adding calcium to the soil, if the pH is fine use gypsum (won't change pH significantly). If the pH is low, use lime (dolomite or calcitic; raises pH). If the pH is high, then you need to find out why (could be calcium in the soil, could be magnesium, etc). You probably would not be seeing BER in a high pH soil with plenty of calcium, but you might still see it in a high pH soil with an overabundance of magnesium (calcitic lime can actually lower the pH in a magnesium rich soil; one would not use dolomite in that case, because it is high in magnesium as well as calcium). __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; July 11, 2008 at 11:44 AM. Reason: dolomite vs calcitic lime