Quote Originally Posted by jenn_librarian View Post

LOL! I don't get it either.
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I planted a few "patio" tomato bushes this year,
thought it would be easy since I grew up on a farm.

I was getting tomatoes with black on the bottom.
Reading your post, Phred, now I see it was calcium deficiency.
Hrm. How do you get more calcium into the plant??
Maybe it was the potting soil I used to plant them in??

Dad said it was cause I'm using potting soil,
and it's not "good stuff" like up on the farm.
Here's one of a thousand web pages on "Blossom End Rot".
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3117.html

The other 999 pages all give Home Remedies to fix it.
And there's dozens of "commercial (high-priced) remedies" available.
Donny (my Mater Pharm inna Buckit constructor), suggested adding TUMS
(the antacid) 'cause he read it somewhere.
Consistant and steady watering is very important ... I let last year's Mater
Tree get too dry a few days - that disturbs the calcium flow in the plant.

This year the Buckit got pre-loaded with extra LIME to increase the
calcium reserve available to the fruit.
SO FAR - NO "black bottomed 'Maters"!

/s/ Pharmer Phred