Blossom-end rot is a common physiological disorder, not a disease, that is caused by low levels of calcium (Ca) in developing fruit. This disorder typically affects tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and watermelon, but it may also affect other fruiting vegetables as well.

Symptoms of Blossom-End Rot

Initially, a small water-soaked circular spot on the blossom-end of developing green fruit is noticed. As the fruit matures, the spot becomes larger, sunken, dry and black or tan in color. In severe cases, blossom-end rot may affect the entire lower half of the fruit.

Factors & Solutions to Blossom-End Rot

Factor – Calcium-deficient soil or soils with unavailable forms of calcium
Solution - Apply lime or fertilizers high in calcium, such as Healthy Plant, to calcium deficient soils

Factor – Sandy or coarse soils
Solution - Sandy or coarse soils require more frequent applications of calcium

Factor – Acidic soils
Solution - Maintain an ideal soil pH of 6.5

Factor – High levels of other elements in the soil that compete with calcium for uptake
Solution - Applications of lime help increase calcium content in soils with high levels of elements that compete with calcium for uptake

Factor – Overuse of nitrogen fertilizers
Solution - Avoid fertilizers containing ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₄⁺) and use fertilizers that contain nitrate (NO₃^-)

Factor – Soils high in phosphorus
Solution - Avoid the buildup of phosphorous in soils from over application

Factor – Drought stress and frequent fluctuations in soil moisture affecting calcium availability
Solution - Use mulches to help conserve water and aid irrigation during droughts

The post How Healthy Plant Helps Prevent Blossom-End Rot appeared first on Healthy Plant.

Traditionally, Creole tomatoes are large, juicy, rich and flavorful tomatoes grown in the direct sunlight of hot and humid south Louisiana River Parishes where the rich and fertile alluvial soils provide ideal growing conditions. Due to their popularity, “Creole” tomatoes were designated the official Louisiana vegetable plant in 2003.

Many people mistakenly believe Creole tomatoes are one particular variety of tomato that can only be produced by planting seeds or transplants of the tomato cultivar named “Creole.” Many decades ago, Louisiana State University developed a tomato cultivar and named it “Creole,” but the cultivar ‘Creole’ did not stand the test of time and other tomato varieties have since replaced it. The word “Creole” is now used as a marketing term for many cultivars of tomato that have similar fruit.

If you are willing to break tradition, Creole tomatoes can be grown in your own back yard—No matter where you live. The key to growing a delicious and succulent tomato is selecting a suitable cultivar and providing it with optimal growing conditions.

Keys to Growing Healthy Tomatoes

• Light:  All tomato cultivars require a minimum of 6-to-8 hours of direct/full sunlight per day. Selecting a location that receives full sunlight all day is best. Plants that receive less than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day often are less healthy, grow tall and spindly, produce very few fruit, and are more disease prone.
• Drainage:  Whether grown in the ground or a container, tomatoes require well-drained soil. Plants grown in areas with poor drainage are more prone to root rot and disease. If you find yourself in such an area it is best to plant tomatoes in raised beds, on mounds, or in containers. Containers selected for tomato gardening should have several holes in the bottom of the container to provide adequate drainage. Tomato roots require lots of oxygen for proper development, whereas wet soil has lower oxygen content than well-drained soil. Tomato plants that are over watered or grown in wet soils often appear wilted, as if they haven’t received enough water. This is due to a weak or compromised root system.
• Soil Organic Matter:  Tomatoes grow best in soil with high organic matter content. Natural soils are usually less than 5% organic matter.  Regions with high temperatures and high rainfall have soils with lower organic matter content than regions with lower temperatures and lower rainfall. To increase organic matter in natural soils, the soil must be amended by incorporating composted yard debris such as decayed leaf litter or leaf mold, composted manures (horse, cow, goat, sheep, chicken, rabbit), composted sawdust or commercially available soil conditioners such as peat or pine bark fines.Commercially available soils and potting mixes are known as “soilless” media. Soilless media are composed primarily of organic matter such as peat, composted bark, wood, rice hulls, or other byproducts of agriculture. Soilless media may contain small percentages of minerals like sand, perlite and vermiculite.

  If tomatoes are grown in containers soilless media should be used. This is because natural soils do not work well in containers due to the particle size and structure. The down side to using soilless media is that they lack most of the essential nutrients found in natural soils, which are composed primarily of minerals.

• Fertility:  Proper fertility is essential to the growth of any plant. There are 17 essential nutrients required by all plants for proper health. Few natural soils contain adequate levels of all 17 essential nutrients.Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service to inquire about having your soil fertility levels tested. A routine soil analysis is inexpensive and tells you the exact level of essential nutrients in your soil, the soil pH, and usually comes with recommendations on how to improve your soil fertility. Soil fertility tests are also available for soilless media. Regardless of which you use, both natural and soilless media will need the addition of fertilizers to achieve the proper balance of essential nutrients.
• Soil pH:  pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity. pH is a logarithmic scale that ranges from 0 to 14, with a pH of 0 being very low or highly acidic, a pH of 7 considered neutral and a pH of 14 ranking as very high or highly alkaline.The pH level of a soil affects the availability of nutrients found in it.  In very alkaline soils nutrients are usually bound to soil particles and consequently unavailable to plants. In very acidic soils nutrients are readily available to plants at levels that are toxic.

  Luckily, soil pH can be adjusted to manipulate the levels of available nutrients. Lime is used to raise soil pH and sulfur is used to lower it. Soil test results provided by Cooperative Extension Services will come with recommendations for adjusting soil pH. Tomatoes grow best in slightly acidic soils with a soil pH that ranges between 5.8 and 6.7. If the levels go outside this desirable range, the tomatoes will have decreased production.

• Variety Selection: The selection of disease resistant tomato cultivars that grow well in your region is a key factor in successful tomato gardening. To find out what cultivars of tomatoes are disease resistant and perform well in your region, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service to obtain recommendations based on current research.  Recommended varieties have been evaluated and selected for desirable traits such as resistance to one or more diseases, tolerance to high temperatures, high plant vigor/performance, high yield and fruit quality.
• Water and Irrigation:  There are many factors to consider when determining water requirements for tomatoes. The most important one is simply providing the appropriate amount. Water requirements will vary with climate and soil type.  In general, deep less frequent watering is better than frequent shallow watering. Although, newly planted tomatoes require water more frequently than established plants.If you grow your tomatoes in containers, make sure the containers are as large as possible, preferably 5 gallons or more in volume. Container grown tomatoes will need to be watered almost every day. To prevent the buildup of salts in container soil, you must occasionally allow water to run out of the pot for a couple of minutes.
• Growth Habit: Tomato cultivars have either an indeterminate or a determinate growth habit. Indeterminate or “vining” tomato cultivars grow continuously until season’s end, whereas determinate or “bush” tomato cultivars grow to a determined height and stop growing with a cluster of fruit at the top of the plant. When the last cluster of fruit ripens on a determinate variety the plant dies.
• Staking and Training: Most diseases associated with tomatoes are soil borne, so caging, staking, trellising, and training tomatoes reduces disease by limiting contact between plants, fruits, and the ground.  Indeterminate cultivars are not recommended for container gardens because plants require sturdy staking, trellises or caging due to growth potential. Determinate cultivars are suited for container gardens because of their sturdier compact growth habits and limited height.

The post Growing Healthy Creole Tomatoes appeared first on Healthy Plant.

• Absence of the nutrient in question must result in abnormal growth, failure to complete the life cycle or premature death of the plant
• The nutrient must be specific and not replaceable by another
• The nutrient must exert its effect directly on growth or metabolism and not have some indirect effect such as antagonizing another element present at a toxic level

Where do plant nutrients originate?
Plants absorb nutrients from gases in the air, minerals in the soil, and water.

Which nutrients do plants need?
There are seventeen nutrients considered essential to the growth and reproduction of healthy plants. All seventeen nutrients should be considered equally because deficiencies on any single essential nutrient can cause plant death. There are also other minor nutrients that are beneficial to some plants but not essential for all plants.

Do plants need the same amount of all the essential nutrients?
Plants do not need the same amount of all the essential nutrients. The nutrients plants need in large amounts are called macronutrients and the nutrients plants need in small amounts are called micronutrients. Some chemical elements are beneficial to plant growth, but not required for normal growth and reproduction.

What are macronutrients?
Macronutrients are essential nutrients needed by plants in large quantities. Nine of the essential nutrients needed by all plants are considered macronutrients.

What essential nutrients are considered macronutrients?
The essential nutrients considered macronutrients are calcium, carbon, hydrogen, magnesium, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur (Table 1). Macronutrients are divided into two groups known as primary macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and secondary macronutrients (calcium, magnesium, and sulfur). Primary nutrients are listed as the three numbers on the front of a fertilizer bag (ex. 8-8-8).

Macronutrients essential to plant growth and their chemical symbols.

Why are the following macronutrients considered essential?

Calcium (Ca)
Calcium (Ca) is an essential macronutrient because it regulates the movement of other nutrients inside of plants and also stimulates enzymes, which helps plants produce new growth and fruit.

Carbon (C)
Carbon (C) is the foundation of all organic matter. Biomolecules like sugars, starches, and the cellulose and lignin found in plant cell walls are built upon a framework of carbon. Through photosynthesis, plants withdraw carbon from carbon dioxide (CO₂) found in the atmosphere and turn it into biomolecules like the ones mentioned above.

Hydrogen (H)
Plants obtain hydrogen (H) from water (H₂O). Hydrogen is also a building block of biomolecules such as sugars. Hydrogen is also required for plants to conduct photosynthesis and cellular respiration (production of ATP).

Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium (Mg) is found in soil and plants require it because it is a constituent of chlorophyll, which is necessary for the biological activity of some proteins and contributes to the production of ATP, etc.

Nitrogen (N)
Nitrogen (N) is a chemical component of many rocks and minerals, soils and organic matter. Nitrogen gas (N₂) makes up approximately 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere. However N is only available to plants in a few forms. Nitrogen is the most important nutrient used by plants because it is most often the nutrient that determines or limits plant growth and yield. Nitrogen is an indispensable component of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein and all plant tissues. This macronutrient is also required for other biochemical processes found in plants such as photosynthesis and the formation of enzymes. Nitrogen is a part of both DNA and RNA, which are the blueprints for all known life.

Oxygen (O)
Plants get oxygen from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), atmospheric oxygen (O₂) and water (H₂O). Plants use oxygen during cellular respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP). During photosynthesis, plants produce oxygen (O₂) and release it into the atmosphere.

Phosphorus (P)
Phosphorus (P) is used by plants for growth and seed production. Phosphorous is necessary for plants to produce chemicals from the energy of the sun. Phosphorus is a major component of ATP, which is a form of chemical energy produced during photosynthesis. Phosphorus is also part of both DNA and RNA, and is used for communication within cells, affects enzyme function, etc.

Potassium (K)
Plants require potassium (K) to regulate the opening and closing of stomata. Stomata are tiny pores on the leaves and stems of plants that regulate gas exchange and the loss of water vapor. Potassium increases a plant’s resistance to drought stress, affects enzyme function, and is a component of cellulose—a building block for chlorophyll.

Sulfur (S)
Plants use sulfur (S) to make amino acids, vitamins, construct chloroplasts, and carry out photosynthesis.

What are micronutrients?
Micronutrients are essential nutrients needed by plants in small quantities. There are eight micronutrients essential to the growth of all plants. In the past, micronutrients were called “minor elements” or “trace elements;” however, the term “micronutrients” is now considered the correct wording.

What essential nutrients are considered micronutrients?
The essential nutrients considered micronutrients are boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc.

Micronutrients essential to plant growth and their chemical symbols.

Why are the following micronutrients considered essential?

Boron (B)
Boron (B) is considered a micronutrient because plants use it to make and transport sugars and carbohydrates. It plays a role in cell division and is also used in other cellular activities.

Chlorine (Cl)
Very little is known about the how plants use Chlorine (Cl). However, it is necessary for the movement of ions across cell membranes.

Copper (Cu)
Copper is used by plants in electron transport during photosynthesis, is part of the proteins found in chloroplast, used to make lignin in cell walls, and functions as an enzyme activator.

Iron (Fe)
Plants require iron (Fe) to synthesize chlorophyll and it also affects enzyme function.

Manganese (Mn)
Plants use manganese (Mn) during the construction of chloroplasts.

Molybdenum (Mo)
Molybdenum is considered a micronutrient because it is required by plants to form enzymes used in nitrogen metabolism.

Nickel (Ni)
Nickel (Ni) is essential to the activation of enzymes used in the metabolism of a nitrogen compound called “urea” in vascular plants and other enzymatic processes in nonvascular plants.

Zinc (Zn)
Zinc (Zn) is necessary for the proper function of the plant growth hormone auxin, the creation of RNA copies of DNA, and basic to the structure of many enzymes.

Are there other nutrients that are beneficial to plant growth?
There are approximately 118 chemical elements known to science. Numerous chemical elements can be found in plant tissues during laboratory analyses. For many of these chemical elements the role they play in plant nutrition is unknown. It is very likely that many of these elements are absorbed incidentally and have no nutritional value to plants at all. The roles of some of these chemical elements, such as aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), and silicon (Si), are still being studied.

Why is Aluminum (Al) beneficial to plant growth?
Aluminum (Al) stimulates the growth of tea (Camellia sinensis) but the reason is unclear.

Why is Cobalt (Co) beneficial to plant growth?
Cobalt (Co) is a micronutrient required indirectly by some plants. Legumes (beans, peas & related plants) live symbiotically with bacteria called Rhizobium. These bacteria live in the root systems of legumes; take nitrogen (an essential macronutrient) from the air; and form a compound that they provide to the plants. In turn, the plants provide the Rhizobium with the products of photosynthesis that they require for growth. Cobalt is an essential nutrient required by Rhizobium to fix nitrogen, therefore the legumes indirectly need it.

Why is Silicon (Si) beneficial to plant growth?
Silicon (Si) is beneficial to some plant species because it strengthens cell walls, improves drought tolerance, and increases resistance to frost. Silicon is essential to the growth of many grasses and plants in the horsetail family.

Can any nonessential elements be substituted for essential nutrients?
Some nonessential chemical elements can be partially substituted for essential nutrients that are deficient in the growth of some plants.

Essential plant nutrients and possible nonessential chemical element substitutions.

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