Calcium Chloride only for Foliar spray?

[Qweniden]

As part of multi-pronged attacked against BER I bought some Calcium Chloride solution from a gardening store. The instructions only mention foliar application. is using this as a drench a waste?

[Mischka]

Originally Posted by Qweniden

As part of multi-pronged attacked against BER I bought some Calcium Chloride solution from a gardening store. The instructions only mention foliar application. is using this as a drench a waste?

As a soil drench or a foliar feed - either way, yes.

I think at one point or another many folks become desperate and think the answer is, “buy something and spray it on the plant”. The fact is, any calcium that is absorbed by the stomata on the leaves cannot translocate (move) to the fruit. Although I'm a big advocate of foliar feeding, in this case it's a big waste of time.

Although BER is caused by a calcium deficiency, there are many possible causes that contribute to it. Thankfully, tomato plants usually overcome the problem as the growing season progresses and later fruits aren't affected. Some varieties are known to be more prone to BER, especially paste types.

Possible causes of Blossom End Rot

• Excessive watering

• Lack of water

• Irregular soil moisture levels caused by irregular watering schedule

• Excessive ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizer which reduces the uptake of calcium

• Planting in soil with a pH not conducive to calcium uptake (below 5.5 or above 8)

• Poorly drained soil

• Too sandy soil

• Transplanting seedlings with compacted roots (gently spreading the roots when transplanting helps the plant establish itself in the soil)

• Excessive potassium in the soil

• Overzealous foliage removal (pruning!)

• Lack of organic mulch. Organic mulch is helpful in moderating soil temperature and moisture fluctuations

• Using black or dark-colored plastic mulch, which raises the soil temperature, depriving roots of moisture

The only real cure for Blossom End Rot is to take preventative measures. Test your soil pH and try to keep the correct balance of potassium, phosphorus and other soil nutrients. Avoiding excessive growth spurts from over-fertilizing with nitrogen helps, too.

[Qweniden]

Thanks Mischka.

"Some varieties are known to be more prone to BER, especially paste types."

Tell me about it!! My Brandywines have been hard hit too.

Two questions:

How does watering too much cause BER?
How does one know if their fertalizer has ammoniacal nitrogen in it?

[ireilly]

I won't pretend to have vast experience with this because I do not.

One thing I do have is hours and hours of looking at lots of literature about BER.

I've attached a PDF that I downloaded from the UMassAmherst Extension website that I could not really find any major fault with, in terms of what I have read elsewhere and what I have read here. I'm sure John Howell, the man's name at the end of the document, has more experience than I. W3 searches mention his name more than once and he seems to have some credulity.

I know some here do use foliar drenches. Who can say they have no effect? This document just says that they are not practical because of the immobility of calcium once bound up as pectin within the middle lamella. Calcium is certainly mobile in apoplastic transport. Perhaps satisfying the foliar calcium demand via drenching helps to channel the incoming calcium to the fruit. I don't know. Our soils and water supplies are all different and we like to reduce this to a simple answer in theory, but it's not so simple in application (doesn't mean we don't anguish over it or feel the need to address it).

It like almost all else is a problem of imperfect information. If we knew the degree of the quantitative parts (of the qualitative issues we are already aware of), we would know what we need. But we are not making cap bolts on a screw machine, we are growing plants in local soil with local water.

Heck, even our water supplies can be a major supply of calcium, since Calcium and, to a lesser extent, Magnesium are what contribute to water hardness (dH).

But I think this PDF is pretty succinct, and nicely laid out for its points to be understood. I hope it helps someone with BER issues.

Oh yes, I should give the URL too.

http://www.umassvegetable.org/soil_c...n_tomatoes.pdf


Walter

[Mischka]

Originally Posted by Qweniden

Thanks Mischka.

"Some varieties are known to be more prone to BER, especially paste types."

Tell me about it!! My Brandywines have been hard hit too.

Two questions:

How does watering too much cause BER?
How does one know if their fertalizer has ammoniacal nitrogen in it?

Two excellent questions.

Although the soil surface may appear dry, the moisture level a few inches down may be correct. If more water is added at this time, then the soil becomes so moist that oxygen is unavailable for root growth and calcium will not be absorbed.

Why, you ask?

Excess soil moisture (combined with a lack of soil oxygen) speeds the formation of deposits called Casparian strips. These form on new root tips that have undergone suberization and water and nutrients cannot pass through these waxy substances.

If you read the label on any fertilizer, it must list the guaranteed analysis. Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3) stimulates calcium uptake, while Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH4) reduces calcium uptake.

Ammoniacal forms of nitrogen include urea, which is released slowly to plant roots depending on soil temperature, microbial action, and concentration of roots. It also has a gradual acidifying effect on the soil. Nitrate forms of nitrogen are immediately available to plant roots but are quickly leached through soil.

Hopefully I didn't get too geek-speak with this explanation. If I have, don't be shy to ask me to clarify myself better LOL!

[Aphid]

I think this is a good example of "feed the soil...ect"
that has been my experience so far with BER, but I'm only speaking from my experience.( now on my 4th year of tomato obsession)

I have also noticed in my garden that some breeds are more tolerant, and/or get over it early on. good drainage and a good mulch layer has made it almost a non issue once I converted to raised beds.

[TZ-OH6]

I have to disagree with Mischka about sprays being useless.

Figure 5c

http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/95/4/571


There are several reasons why spray may not always be effective. It probably works best when applied to the fruit at age 0-2 weeks, and conditions have to be right for translocation through the skin (i.e high humidity).

Although calcium won't be transfered from the leaves to the fruit, the presence in growing leaves/growing tips will create an osmotic counter pressure so that calcium concentrations in the rest of the plant will be higher. The growing leaves are the main sink for calcium (needed for cross linking cell wall material so if they have a direct source, calcium flow from the roots will be slowed.

I wouldn't bother spraying the large mature leaves, but I would spray the flower/fruit trusses and growing tips. I would also consider doing some pruning of large lower leaves when weather conditions promote high water loss from the leaves (hot and dry spells early in the season).

[Timmah!]

Originally Posted by TZ-OH6

http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/95/4/571

Although calcium won't be transfered from the leaves to the fruit, the presence in growing leaves/growing tips will create an osmotic counter pressure so that calcium concentrations in the rest of the plant will be higher.

Originally Posted by ireilly

One thing I do have is hours and hours of looking at lots of literature about BER.

I know some here do use foliar drenches. Who can say they have no effect? This document just says that they are not practical because of the immobility of calcium once bound up as pectin within the middle lamella. Calcium is certainly mobile in apoplastic transport. Perhaps satisfying the foliar calcium demand via drenching helps to channel the incoming calcium to the fruit.

http://www.umassvegetable.org/soil_c...n_tomatoes.pdf

Walter

This was my thinking on the subject too, proposed in a different thread.

[Qweniden]

Thanks for all the input.

I just pulled two one pound BER fruits from a brandywine sudduths in the raised bed. it feels like a stake to the heart, lol!

Im tempted to just grow cherries next year. It seems like there is no room for error with these beefsteaks! I should say though that my beefmaster and carbon have both produced tasty fruits and Im about to harvest a red brandywine soon so its not been a complete disaster but Ive probablly lost 100 tomatoes to BER so far. Its painful.

[amideutch]

Don't you just love the word "Hypothesis". Qweniden, how are you growing your tomatoes, containers or in the ground? If in the ground have you had your soil tested? What amendments have been added to the soil or container aggregate? Have you tested the PH of the soil or aggregate? If you have lost over 100 tomatoes to BER there definitely is something wrong! Ami

[bigbubbacain]

I had two Super Marzano plants that both started producing BER fruits. After I amended the plants with Lime, the rest of the developing fruits grew to be just fine.

[mjc]

Also, BER isn't very selective...ALL the fruits set under the conditions that caused it (if stress induced) are susceptible. So, if there are many plants involved it can definitely be a large number of fruit.

Also, if the first flush is affected and the conditions change, by the time the next bunch of flowers start setting fruit, it may appear that the treatment 'worked'...but the plants would have likely been BER free anyway.

Now, if the BER is occurring on ALL plants, over staggered fruit set times, it is more likely to be a soil problem (unless there is extreme weather involved)...and in depth soil analysis is probably needed. And a 'quick fix' isn't likely to help much for this season's crop...

[Mischka]

I'll agree that foliar feeding with a calcium solution may help as a preventative measure, but it certainly won't reverse BER in developing fruits on plants already affected by it.

I'm speaking from first-hand experience here, having tried it myself quite a few years back. I learned the hard way that it ends up being a waste of time and effort.

This being said, I don't see any harm in foliar feeding calcium after the onset of BER, but anyone doing so shouldn't expect immediate recuperation of their plants. More likely they'll just overcome the condition on their own, with or without any supplemental calcium solution being sprayed.

[Suze]

My somewhat limited experience with these calcium sprays is that you don't want to apply them when the weather is hot, and especially in direct sun.

I sprayed a plant with some of this stuff several years ago, and a couple hours later, all the foliage was wilted. I thoroughly rinsed the plant off and moved into shade for a day or two since it was in a container. Luckily, no permanent damage was done.

Edit/add - no idea if using calcium chloride as a soil drench could have the same effect, but I would proceed cautiously before using it on all your plants. Maybe try it on one plant as a test first to make sure it's not going to cause damage.