My tomatoes have cracks around the stem end and black sunken tissue on the blossom end. What is wrong?
Cracking around the stem is caused by high temperatures and watering practices. However, the cracking is genetic in that there are varieties that do not crack. The “Mountain” series, including “Mountain Pride” and “Mountain Delight”, from North Carolina do not crack. The other problem is called blossom end rot. It is a physiological condition that arises because of varying moisture in the soil. The plant cannot transport enough calcium to meet the demand in forming cell walls even though there is plenty in the soil. Most nutrients are carried in water to uptake sites on the root hairs. Sometimes a secondary fungus like sooty mold will colonize the tissue, causing a black fungal growth. Other plants like squash, pepper, chile and melons also can have blossom end rot. Control: Water consistently and deeper and apply mulch to keep soil moisture consistent. Early fruit have more blossom end rot problems that fruit produced later, so be patient. The fruit is still edible just cut out the ba
