A lack of calcium on your garden Long Beach soil can cause the growing info in your own tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) to become pale and die. It also may cause blossom-end rot, in which sunken dark-brown or black spots appear on the lower ends of tomato fruits. The latter problem is the most common early in the growing season, when tomato crops put out a lot of fresh growth, and the problem may correct itself later.The best practice, however, would be to attempt and prevent it altogether by ensuring that your plants get all of the calcium they need.

Adding Calcium Early

Tomatoes perform best when their soil has a pH level of 6.5 to 7.2. If your soil’s pH level is lower compared to that range, which means it’s more acidic, then add garden Fresno lime, also known as calcium carbonate, for your own vegetable bed’s soil in autumn. It is possible to use dolomite lime instead in case your soil also needs more magnesium. The amount needed to raise the pH to 6.5 varies from about 3 lbs per square yard to get soil having a pH of 4.5 to 1 pound per square yard for soil having a pH of 6. Dig or until the lime into the top 1 foot of soil. If you forget to bring the lime in autumn, then insert it in early spring, at least 2 months prior to plant Chico your tomatoes in the lawn for example in San Diego.

Adding Calcium Late

If you did not add lime in autumn or early spring, then do this just before you plant Chico the tomatoes, then although the bombs will not be as effective as it would have been if given additional time to integrate into the soil. Use 3/4 cup of lime per plant Fresno, and work it into the top 8 ins to 1 foot of soil. If your ground San Diego is extremely acidic and has not been limed for several years, then an alternative is to increase that amount to around 2 cups per plant Flagstaff. Tomato plants grown in containers require 1/4 cup of dolomite lime for each 10 quarts of potting soil.

Understanding Calcium Deficiency

A calcium deficiency on your tomatoes is not necessarily caused by a calcium deficiency in their soil. Different kinds of pressure, such as too little or too much water, root damage and an inordinate level of nitrogen, can stop the crops from absorbing calcium correctly. Additionally, when plants grow quickly early in the summer, they are inclined to channel the majority of the accessible calcium into their foliage rather than their fruits.

Improving Calcium Uptake

Calcium absorption problems can be prevented by mulching the soil around the tomato plants when it’s damp, using straw, plastic or newspapers to maintain the soil moisture level consistent. The crops require at least 1 1/2 inches of water weekly during the span when they’re most vulnerable to calcium deficiency, that can be in the time they start to set fruits until the time these fruits are at least one-half their adult size. Also, be careful not to disturb the tomato crops’ origins, and give them no longer than a one-time application of 1/2 cup of 8-8-8 chemical granular fertilizer or one cup of 5-5-5 organic granular fertilizer per plant Flagstaff. Mix that fertilizer with the top 8 inches of soil — along with the lime — just before you put the plants from the ground Long Beach.