Prevention and methods of dealing with top rot on tomatoes
Top rot on tomatoes is a fairly common disease that affects the fruits of vegetable crops and leads to the loss of a significant part of the crop. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear in the form of brown rotting spots on tomatoes, it is necessary to immediately start treating it.
For what reasons top rot develops on tomatoes
The defeat of the plant with apical rot can be determined by the following signs:
- In the early stages, the disease manifests itself in the form of brown watery spots on the top of the tomatoes.
- Rapid growth of spots, changing their color from brown to black.
- Consolidation of fruits in the area of the spots that have appeared.
In some cases, black rot, without manifesting itself externally, affects the inner part of the fruit, which turns red and falls prematurely. Their flesh softens and is affected by rot.
It is necessary to fight the top rot of tomatoes regardless of the method of cultivation: plants planted both in open ground and in greenhouses are exposed to the disease.
Fruits that show signs of the disease must be removed from the garden and taken out of the garden to prevent its spread.
The development of apical rot is explained by insufficient absorption of calcium in plant tissues, and without eliminating the causes of this violation, it is impossible to completely get rid of the disease.
The main reasons are improper care
The main causes of impaired calcium absorption include:
- Errors in the watering system of the plant. Regularity is very important for tomatoes. Therefore, the subsequent intensive irrigation after the dry period leads to a significant slowdown in the absorption of calcium from the soil.
- Sharp temperature and humidity changes.
- Salinity of the site reduces the availability of calcium. This is often the result of over-watering or insufficient water drainage.
- Mechanical damage to the roots of bushes, which occurs when they are loosened too deeply or during weeding.
- Increased or decreased acidity of the soil.
- Insufficiently drained or heavy soils, which do not allow the tomato root system to develop enough to fully provide the plant with moisture and minerals.
- Use very cold water for irrigation.
- An excess of nitrogenous substances in the soil. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers, applied in excess to the soil, activate the growth of leaves and lead to a lack of calcium. Top dressing with unripe manure can also cause top rot.
- The lack of elements such as phosphorus, magnesium and boron interferes with the calcium supply of tomato tissues. And an excess of magnesium and potassium contributes to the displacement of calcium.
Top rot on tomatoes can be prevented
In order to avoid or at least minimize rotting damage to tomatoes, it is recommended:
- Choose a disease resistant variety.
- Prepare the seeds correctly.
- Fertilize the soil.
- Timely prevention of the disease.
Tomato varieties that resist top rot
To protect tomato beds and prevent them from being affected by apical rot, it is best to choose varieties that have creamy fruits that are more resistant to this disease.
For the same reason, experienced gardeners prefer large-fruited beef-tomatoes or small-fruited (cherry). Top rot-resistant tomatoes are:
- Rotor F1;
- The Grand Canyon;
- Khokhloma;
- Pink Elephant;
- Benito F1;
- Bolshevik F1;
- Pharaoh F1;
- Point F.
How to properly prepare seeds
Disinfection is an effective way to combat a variety of tomato diseases, including top rot.
For this purpose, several methods of disinfection are successfully used:
- Soaking in potassium permanganate. Seed material in a gauze bag is immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate with a concentration of 2.5-3%. It is kept for about half an hour, after which it is thoroughly washed and dried.
- Soaking in solution copper sulfate... 1 g of the drug is dissolved in a liter of water. The seeds in a gauze bag are dipped in the prepared solution for half an hour. The processed seeds are dried without washing.
How to prepare the soil
The site intended for planting a vegetable crop should be pre-treated with compounds that reduce the acidity of the soil and increase the absorption of nutrients by plants.
The most commonly used tools for this are:
- fluff lime;
- a piece of chalk;
- dolomite flour.
Also effective in combating top rot on tomatoes will be the introduction of wood ash and ground eggshell during planting seedlings in the ground. Half a glass of these funds are applied directly to the hole.
Prevention and top rot on tomatoes
The best measures to combat the top rot of tomatoes is its prevention.
Experienced gardeners successfully prevent this disease by adhering to simple rules:
- Water the plants in a timely manner and abundantly, avoiding overdrying or stagnation of moisture in the soil. The optimal irrigation scheme: 7-10 days after planting and then 3-4 days as the soil dries out. The amount of water per bush should be between three and five liters, depending on its size.
- To reduce the drying out of the soil, mulch is used in the form of sawdust, straw, cut grass or compost.
- Scheduled feeding of tomato bushes is carried out in a timely manner. In order for the plants to feel good, apply complex fertilizers at least 4 times.
- Do not abuse the use of nitrogen fertilizers. It is best to replace ammonia and urea with calcium nitrate or ammonium sulfate.
- Make sure that the pH of the soil remains within 6.4-7.
- Allow the garden to warm up before planting seedlings. Low soil temperature will slow down the rate of absorption of nutrients by plants.
- Provide ventilation of bushes, timely removing stepchildren
- When grown indoors, the greenhouse is regularly ventilated.
- Mulch the soil around the bushes, which allows you to retain moisture in it and prevent the appearance of top rot.
- In hot weather, white materials are used to shade the bushes.
To prevent top rot, it is important to alternate crops in accordance with the rules crop rotation.
Measures to combat top rot of tomatoes
Top rot on tomatoes should be treated immediately after the first signs appear, otherwise there is a danger of losing a significant part of the crop.
For this, first of all, the causes of the disease are identified.:
- If the rot appears as a result of improper watering, it is regulated by pouring abundantly settled warm water under the root. They give oxygen access to the root system, periodically loosening the soil around the bushes.
- If the cause of rot is a lack of nutrition, the tomatoes are additionally fed. An effective measure to combat the top rot of tomatoes will be fertilizing plants with calcium nitrate (in a ratio of 1 g of composition per liter of water) and potassium chloride (2.5 g per liter of water).
The most common traditional treatments for top rot on tomatoes are:
- Calcium nitrate (calcium nitrate). A solution is prepared from 10-15 g of calcium nitrate and 10 liters of water. The resulting composition is used for root watering (2 liters per bush), preliminarily adding boric acid for the most complete assimilation of calcium.
- Calcium chloride. The solution is prepared by diluting one ampoule of the product in six liters of water. Used to spray tomatoes twice a week until symptoms disappear.
- "Brexil Sa" is a fairly effective tool used on an industrial scale. It contains a complex of nutrients, including calcium, which is quickly absorbed by tomatoes. All aerial parts of plants are processed. Solution proportion: 25 g of "Brexil Ca" per 10 liters of water.
Folk remedies in the fight against vertex rot
The following folk remedies are also effective in treating top rot on tomatoes.:
- Wood ash hood. To prepare it, 200 g of ash is poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted for a day. After that, the infusion is added to a volume of 10 liters and used for spraying the plants.
- Trichopolum-based solution with brilliant green. 10 tablets are dissolved in 10 l of water, 10 ml of brilliant green is added. When spraying, make sure that the shoots and leaves are evenly moistened with the product.
- Baking soda solution. A solution prepared at the rate of 30 g per bucket of water will stop the further development of the disease.
Vertex rot is quite dangerous and requires mandatory preventive measures. But even in case of a delay with prevention, timely treatment with quite affordable means will help preserve the harvest.