End rot is one of the most common problems I have had, and we have nutrient-rich garden boxes. Even with the best soil, I need to supplement. End rot often happens when plants don’t have enough calcium.
End rot has a few signs. First is simply a “rotting” of the end of the fruit or vegetable, meaning if you look at the opposite end of the fruit from where it attaches to the plant, and that end is black or yellow and mushy and, well, rotting, then you might have a calcium deficiency in your soil.
The other sign is a softening where a vegetable should be firm. For example, I have three zucchini plants and the middle of the three has some zucchinis that are just starting to come in and they have a squishiness to them. That is a similar problem.
This zucchini is squishy in the middle and it has just started growing. It should be firm with a waxy skin. So, I need to add calcium.
The best way to give calcium to plants is to dilute a little but of liquid called Rot Stop or EZ-gro’s Calcium Nítrate fertilizer in a few gallons of water and use the solution to water the plants. I have noticed that I need to start using this at least a week before the plants start to produce and continue at least once per week during production.
Here’s a tomato with the most end rot I remember seeing in my garden. I hope this helps you identify end rot in your own garden so that you can take care of it.
Savillum 