by Chris R.W.

Created on: March 06, 2010

Tomato rot is caused by a calcium deficiency within the plant.  This can happen for multiple reasons from the start.  The soil you have planted your tomatoes in may simply not have enough calcium in it, or it may make it difficult to absorb the calcium from the soil.  

Ideally, of course, you'd be able to stop tomato rot from even showing up in your tomato plants.  But it's not always just the soil that causes problems within the plant, and often the external factors that cause tomato rot can't be as easily controlled as simply altering the soil to stop the rot.  Both drought and heavy rainfall are a major cause of tomato rot, though they are opposites, both cause stress within the plant and leads to the tomato rot.

If you can't stop the rot from the start, there is a solution.  Bonide's product "Rot Stop" does just this.  The formula is essentially designed to give the tomato plant the additional calcium it needs to grow healthily.  And calcium is all a tomato plant needs to cure its own rot.  All you need to do is apply Rot Stop directly to the plant itself, leaves and fruits included.

Bonide Rot Stop is usually sold in a concentrated form and a premixed form that's ready to be applied to your tomato plant.  The concentrated form needs to me mixed, but more comes in each package, and is a cheaper way to buy this product.

Also, Rot Stop can be used on other vegetables that may be suffering from rot as well.  Though its most common in tomatoes, rot is also common in vegetables like zucchini and some squashes.  Rot Stop can be applied exactly the same to these plants as they would be to tomatoes.

Typically you'll need to apply Rot Stop during periods of change that may be stressful to the plant.  Heavy rainfall or drought is a common factor in rot symptoms, and applying Rot Stop will definitely be effective.  Periods of strong growth in the plant, especially if the leaves or fruits are just growing are another common situation that can result in rot.  Apply Rot Stop at the first signs of rot to ensure your plant will not be severely damaged by the rot, as rot can have a major affect on future growth and production.

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