Calcium Deficiency of Tomato and Blossom End Rot

Q. I wanted to ask about a strange
occurrence in my tomato garden. Not all, but some of my tomatoes when they
ripen, have these black spots only at the bottom of the tomato crop. I just
wanted to reach out and see if you could tell me about what causes or could be
causing the discoloration?

Blossom end rot of tomato

Blossom end rot of pepper

A. That is normally a physiological
problem on tomatoes, peppers and some eggplant this time of year called blossom
end rot. Some scientists claim it is caused by an imbalance of calcium in some
of the fruit when soils are cooler. Sometimes calcium sprays can fix it. Some
varieties of tomatoes show this problem more than others. This imbalance of
calcium in other plants is called “bitter pit” in susceptible apples
like ‘Mutsu’ and “corky spot” in susceptible pears like ‘Comice’.

Bitter pit of ‘Pink Lady’ apple

Corky spot of  ‘Comice’ pear

            Apples
and pears take regular leaf sprays of calcium as a temporary fix in them. The
easiest way to fix this problem in tomatoes is to use a less susceptible
variety to blossom end rot. Otherwise, it may take several sprays of a liquid
calcium spray (such as calcium chloride or calcium sulfate mixed in water) to
fix it. The fruit is okay to eat, it just looks odd.