Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Growing Vegetables

Blossom-End Rot on Tomatoes and Peppers: Mid-Season Fix

Black bottom rot on ripening fruit = blossom-end rot from calcium uptake failure due to uneven watering. Mid-season correction works.

Immediate Actions

Water deeply 1-2x/week (never shallow daily)
Spray 1 tbsp Epsom salts/gallon — Mg improves Ca uptake
Mulch heavily with straw/dried grass
Apply tomato/pepper fertilizer (Miracle-Gro makes one)

Good News

Problem self-corrects after first/second fruit sets. Early fruit affected; later fruit clean. Prevention: annual soil calcium (eggshells, lime) + consistent deep watering.

Growing Vegetables: Blossom-End Rot in Square Foot Tomatoes; Pruning Tomatoes and Peppers in EarthBox Containers; Thin-Walled Peppers and Tomato Cross-Pollination Facts; Preventing Blossom End Rot on Peppers with Epsom Salts; Blossom-End Rot on Tomatoes: Classic Calcium/Water Fix; Blossom-End Rot on Tomatoes: Causes, Prevention, and Calcium Management; Pepper Plants Wilting with Brown Spots: Root Nematodes Suspected; Tomatoes Falling Off Before Ripening: Water and Calcium Management; Peppers and Tomatoes: Compatible Companions in the Nightshade Family; Complete Guide to Blossom‑End Rot: Prevention, Treatment, and Soil Health

Garden Articles

Black Spots on Tomatoes: Copper Fungicide for Black Spot

Over-Fertilized Squash and Tomatoes? How to Recover from Nutrient Burn

Blossom-End Rot on Container Tomatoes: Calcium and Water Fixes

Troubleshooting Potted Jalapeño and Serrano Peppers in South Florida

Black Spots on Green Tomatoes: Weather and Watering

Purple/Black Pepper Leaves: Hybrid Trait, Not Disease

Tomato Transplant Shock in Cold, Wet Weather

Plants

Bitter Pit in Granny Smith Apples: Calcium Deficiency Solutions

Caterpillars on Overwintered Peppers: Neem Oil Beats Soap for Active Feeders

Black Spot on Roses: Prevention Beats Cure Every Time

Ivy with Black Spots and Yellow Leaves: Likely Scale Insects

Sudden Tomato Wilt with Blossom-End Rot: Early Season Fix

Black Streaks on Pepper Stems: Pests, Disease, or Normal?

Greenhouse Tomato Fungus: Copper Fungicide Solution