A successful harvest and growth of healthy plants in the garden can be achieved only by observing the recommendations for planting and caring for them. With incorrect actions, vegetables begin to hurt, which entails additional troubles and the undesirable use of "chemistry". How to prevent vertex rot in tomatoes and how to treat it in case of occurrence is described in this article.

What is the top rot of tomatoes

Apex rot is a non-communicable disease, mainly due to the human factor in the mistaken care of tomatoes. Improper agricultural technology and poor soil composition provoke a violation of the water-salt balance and calcium starvation in the fruits.

Most often, top rot affects garden plants that are grown in greenhouses, as well as in open beds in the southern regions. Favorable conditions for its development are high temperatures and dry air.

When the root system does not have the ability to feed the aerial part with moisture, it outflows from the fruits to the leaves; as a result, individual cells die in tomatoes. Crop loss from apical rot can reach 20–30%.

Vertex rot weakened the plant and provoked the development of other diseases caused by fungi and bacteria.

Most often, tomatoes that produce fleshy berries or elongated fruits suffer from vertebral rot.

Did you know? Botany refers the tomato to the Paslenov family, which means that it is a relative of potatoes and tobacco.

Causes of apical rot in tomatoes

Experts identify several reasons why tomatoes suffer from vertebral rot:

• insufficient moisture at high temperatures;
• alternation of waterlogging and moisture deficiencies;
• irregularity of moisture;
• lack of loosening;
• planting in light soil, in which sand predominates;
• poor water permeability of the soil;
• glut or deficiency of calcium in the soil;
• excessive nitrogen content;
• soil salinity;
• uncontrolled fertilizer application.

First signs of defeat

A characteristic symptom of the development of apical rot is the formation of a putrefactive flat or indented brown spot on the top of the fruit - on the opposite side of the stem. The flesh under the skin rots. Rotten tomatoes can fall both ripe and immature.

At first, a small spot grows with time. Dying sites may cover one third of the fetus.

Important! Sick fruits must be promptly removed from the garden and disposed of by burning.

How to save tomatoes from top rot

Each gardener who has encountered this problem will be interested in the question of whether it is possible to save tomatoes from the top rot. In fact, this disease is treatable. To combat it, folk remedies and chemicals are used.

To determine how to treat tomatoes, you should establish the cause and eliminate it. So, if rare and scarce watering led to the development of the ailment, then a moisturizing regime should be established. If there is an excess of nitrogen, it is necessary to stop using fertilizers containing this element.

If it is impossible to get nutrients to the roots due to excessive soil density, deep loosening is necessary. What exactly needs to be fed tomatoes, will depend on the missing elements for them.

Video: How to cure vertebral rot on tomatoes

Common drugs

With a lack of calcium in the soil for the fight against apical rot, the foliar method is applied by the foliar method:

• limestone nitrate (5-10 g per 10 liters of water, twice a week);
• calcium chloride solution (3-4 g per 10 l of water, twice a week);
• universal fertilizers for solanaceous crops (in accordance with the instructions);
• mix “Nutrivant PLUS” with “Fertivant” (25-30 g per 10 l of water);
• a mixture of calcium nitrate and boric acid (10 g and 10 g per 10 l of water).

To prevent complications of the disease in the form of the development of fungal and bacterial infections, spraying with Fitosporin preparations (1 tbsp. Per 1 liter of water, 200 ml per 1 bush), Brexil Sa, Fertivant, Gumifild and others of a similar action.

If concomitant infectious diseases have joined, treatment with copper-containing preparations, for example Bordeaux liquid (100 g quicklime, diluted in a liter of water, mixed with 100 g of copper sulfate, diluted in 9 l of water) will be required.

Before applying chemicals, tomatoes need to be abundantly watered.

Did you know? For many years in Europe and America, tomatoes were considered inedible and even poisonous berries. They were grown for decorative purposes, they decorated gardens, greenhouses.

Folk remedies

From folk remedies, tomatoes are sprayed:

• soda solution (10 g per 10 l of water);
• infusion of wood ash (1 cup per 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 24 hours, mix with 10 liters of water);
• a decoction of oak bark (5 g per 1 liter of water, boil for 10 minutes, dilute 10 liters of water);
• milk of lime (1 g per 10 liters of water).

Is it possible to eat tomatoes with top rot

Affected fruits are forbidden to eat. If you are wondering why tomatoes with top rot cannot be eaten, keep in mind that this can lead to serious poisoning and malfunctioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Sick tomatoes are also not suitable for processing and collecting seeds.

Prevention

In order not to be distracted by the treatment of tomatoes, it is necessary to apply measures to keep the disease out of the beds.

It is important to resort to the following measures to combat top rot on tomatoes:

1. Feeding according to recommendations - they should contain a small amount of phosphates. In total, no more than 4 dressings are required. It is important to make complex fertilizers. Nitrogen-containing additives must be applied sparingly, and only in the phase of active growth.
2. Regular watering - Tomatoes are recommended to be watered 1-2 times in 5-7 days in the evening, after the sun sets over the horizon.
3. Loosening. The soil is loosened after each irrigation and precipitation, so that a crust does not form on its surface and it does not pickle.

   Important! You can find out if tomatoes are watered enough by squeezing a lump of earth in the palm of your hand taken from a depth of 10 cm. A well-molded and disintegrating lump indicates sufficient moisture.

4. Soil mulching. For this procedure, mowed grass, peat, and straw are used. Mulch allows you to retain moisture in the soil and eliminates the need to make frequent loosening and weeding.
5. Planting disease-resistant varieties (the list is provided in a separate section below).
6. Thorough preparation of the soil before planting, including autumn harvesting of plant residues, deep digging, fertilizing.
7. Crop rotation.
8. Bringing soil acidity to 6–6.5 pH. Raising the pH level is done by making compost, lowering it by liming.
9. Seed treatment before planting seedlings 3% solution of potassium permanganate, 1% solution of zinc sulfate, 20% hydrochloric acid.
10. Control that the beds were not thickened and there was a sufficient flow of air to them. Conducting timely stepsoning.
11. Frequent airing when grown in a greenhouse.
12. Planting plants according to the recommended scheme and at a sufficient distance from each other.

Video: Prevention and treatment of vertex rot in tomatoes

Top rot resistant tomato varieties

Breeders have bred a number of varieties that are characterized by resistance to this disease.

Therefore, if the gardener had a sad experience in dealing with an ailment or does not want to face a problem, he needs to choose one of the following varieties for planting:

• Leah
• Alpatieva;
• "Oak";
• "Astrakhan";
• "Volgograd";
• "Pharaoh";
• "Lunar";
• Martha
• "Rotor";
• The Grand Canyon.

Thus, vertex rot is a common disease in tomatoes, which occurs due to the fact that the owner of the garden does not properly or properly care for the plants. Vertex rot of tomatoes is treatable. However, it is important to prevent its development by conducting proper agricultural practices and resorting to preventive measures.