Peppers turning black/rotting on bottom before they turn color

[ctplanter]

I have somewhat small peppers that are green, only a few earlier in the season turned red and orange like they were supposed to.  However, these seem to have stayed green for a while.  I thought that they needed more time to mature.  However, I'm noticing black rotten spots on the bottom of the peppers.  What is it?  Am I better off harvesting all the peppers now and hoping they turn color? 

I picked the three with the black spots and cut the rotten parts away.  The rest of the pepper seemed fine even though they hadn't turned color.  I ate them.  They tasted ok but not as flavorful as the ones that turned color.  Was it fine to eat the non-rotten parts or is there some sort of pervasive disease that is not visible right away?

Thanks!

[mjb8743]

They have BER. Yes, it's safe to eat the non-affected parts.

[ctplanter]

Do I have to do something to the soil to get rid of it for next year?  Of if I follow the normal Earthbox instructions should I be fine.

How can I prevent this from happening next year?  Are there early signs of BER or should I be adding extra dolomite or calcium nitrate (which I found in a BER search) early on in the season as a precautionary measure?  Are dolomite and calcium nitrate pretty much the same?  I think this happened to my tomatoes on a previous crop a while back.

Thanks!

[ctplanter]

The remaining peppers look OK.  They are pretty small and also there are more flowers growing on the pepper plants.  It took them a while to reflourish after I had taken out the squash plants.  The pepper plants don't seem to be consuming a ton of water so I think they might survive my vacation.  Should I run out and buy something to stop the BER or is it too late?   I'm guessing the peppers will still grow until mid October?  What exactly should I buy and is there a particular brand you would recommend.  I'd likely go to the Home Depot.

Thank you!

[cushman350]

From FAQ on the Earthbox website, Link to that site.

What can I do to prevent black spots on the bottom of my tomatoes?
The black on the bottom of your tomatoes is called Blossom End Rot (BER). It is caused by a lack of calcium and other ingredients in the growing media. Adding 1 pound of Dolomite to the growing media before planting (as in the instructions) can help prevent BER from forming. In the event BER still presents itself, mix ¼ cup of hydrated lime or pickling lime with one gallon of water and add it to the reservoir the next time you fill your EarthBox with water. Do this only once and pick off the affected tomatoes. This may also occur with other “seeded” vegetables, such as peppers.

Same goes for peppers here.

[ErnieHodge]

It took them a while to reflourish after I had taken out the squash plants.

Does this mean you had squash and pepper plants in the same EB?

[ctplanter]

Yes, I know it was heretical but I wanted to experiment.  I got some negative feedback about the mix after I had purchased the plants but didn't have time to return them.  It was squash and zucchini to be exact and I subsequently read that the zucchini? was more like a tomato plant and should have only two in a box.  My thinking was that the squash matured a lot faster than the pepper and the pepper would have a chance to catch up.  However, it took another week or so from my estimated date for them to be ready to harvest.  I arranged them in a way to allow the pepper to grow out of the side to escape the squash leaves.  I think the squash would have done well, had I known earlier that I should have hand pollinated as we had a lack of bees.  I also didn't have time to hand pollinate them in a timely manner.  That said, the squash/zucchini that we did get was delicious.

The peppers did suffer and it took them a while to regain their strength.  The first batch were really small and not that plentiful.  I had almost given up on them but noticed renewed strength maybe two weeks ago. And unfortunately, they're tipped way over to the side in part because of the former squash plants, but also because of a storm and I haven't had time to prop them up and re-install a stake (I have 2 year old twins) 

Cushman - thanks for the advice. I think I have some dolomite on hand so I might try using that with water and putting it into the reservoir vs. buying all new ingredients.  Is there any reason why you use the water vs. removing the cover and putting them into the dirt?   Does it absorb faster?  Since my peppers are all on one side, it would be easy to lift the cover and put the dolomite directly into the dirt.

Thanks

[mjb8743]

Cushman - thanks for the advice. I think I have some dolomite on hand so I might try using that with water and putting it into the reservoir vs. buying all new ingredients.  Is there any reason why you use the water vs. removing the cover and putting them into the dirt?   Does it absorb faster?  Since my peppers are all on one side, it would be easy to lift the cover and put the dolomite directly into the dirt.

No,no... Do not mix the dolomite with water and put in the reservoir. Dolomite is NOT water soluble (it will just sink to the bottom and be flushed out eventually)... it must be mixed into the soil and can take many weeks/months to become available to the plants. Please don't confuse dolomite with fast acting hydrated lime, which IS water soluble. The two are not interchangeable.

To treat existing BER, mix 1/4 cup of HYDRATED (or PICKLING) lime into 1 gallon of water and pour it into the reservoir. Do NOT pour it around the base of the plants, as it's still too concentrated to use directly on the plants. In the reservoir, it gets further diluted to a safe level.

Also, don't expect immediate results. It takes time for the calcium to be absorbed, and will only affect new flowers just forming fruits. Any existing tiny fruits won't benefit.

Mickie

[ctplanter]

OK!  Thanks for the clarification.  I checked the cabinet and I did have hydrated lime pellets.  They seemed to dissolve and I poured that in.  There was a bit of sledge so I just planted that a few inches deep into the Earth box.  (I used a separate small container for mixing as I also use the same watering can to fill my kids water table.)  It was quite easy to do so I added a boost to my tomato plants, even though I'm planning to harvest those Tues.  Only a few of them are having slight BER.

That's a shame that the snack will only affect the new fruit.  I think next year, I'll put a little more dolomite or hydrated lime than recommended and/or give my boxes a mid-summer snack.  Now that I think about it, I did have this problem before.  My hydrated lime is a few years old and maybe less potent now.

One more question (more out of curiosity than need,) if you can indulge me. Does picking BER fruit stop the rot from spreading but yet allows the fruit time to ripen?  Or should one just leave it on the vine to ripen more and pick when ready to eat it (but soon so the BER doesn't spread much)  On the one hand, maybe if the growing process is stopped, the fruit won't need as much calcium so the rotting could stop.  On the other hand, if it needs the calcium, no matter what, then it could get more from the Earthbox, then from sitting on the shelf.

THANK YOU!

[mjb8743]

You really are confused...

BER doesn't spread. It's not a disease. It's a nutritional issue that sets in just as the flower gets pollinated and begins the process of making a tomato, pepper, or other fruit. It can't be cured. Once an individual fruit develops BER, nothing can be done. It's sort of like conception... that's the critical moment that BER can happen. Since flowering and fruiting (conception) doesn't happen all at once on a plant, some flowers can have the condition while others have not been affected.

Dolomite is the long-term lime & magnesium application that builds up in the mix year after year. Incidents of BER usually fade away over time.

Hydrated lime is the quick solution to stop BER when it has shown itself. It can only be used one time, and is NOT to be used as a preventative. Think of it as emergency first aid.

The 'snack' (calcium nitrate) is a fertilizer supplement.... like a weekly vitamin pill. It is applied 1 teaspoon per week in the reservoir. It may help preventing or lessening BER.

All of these can affect PH, and if used carelessly in excess, can really mess up the nutritional balance of the mix. Imbalances can prevent the plants from uptaking the nutrients they need.

In spite of everything, some plant varieties are just prone to BER, extreme weather conditions can contribute, and unknown factors all combined can make your best efforts useless... BER just happens.

It's better to just remove the BER fruits so the plant can devote its energies to developing healthy fruits. You can cut off the bad part and eat the rest.

Mickie

[movrshakr]

My BER tomatoes know how to grow so that you do not see the BER until picked.  Annoying.