How to prevent blossom-end rot

SALT LAKE CITY — One of the diseases that can affect Utah produce is blossom-end rot. It’s a non-parasitic disease that can affect tomato, pepper, eggplant, and watermelon fruits growing in Utah.

A classic symptom of blossom-end rot is a water-soaked spot at the bottom of the fruit.  The disease can cause a calcium imbalance within the plant.

Taun Beddes, host of the KSL Greenhouse has these preventative tips for taking care of your fruits so you don’t have to deal with blossom-end rot.

The pollination stage is crucial

According to Taun, the calcium imbalance that causes bottom-end rot happens at pollination from a few different factors.

“As that pollination is initiated if we have wild temperature swings, if the tomato is experiencing drought stress, or if it’s heavily watered… it inhibits calcium uptake in the roots,” said Taun.

What can you do?

“Make sure that they are watering evenly, use mulches over the tomatoes or black plastic and just make sure that the tomatoes don’t swing from extremely dry, to extremely wet, to extremely dry,” Taun said. 

We can’t control the wild temperature swings. But knowing when to plant our fruits at a time where the weather is more stable is also key.

To learn more about preventing blossom-end rot listen to the podcast below!