Ugh! Peppers with blossom-end rot

Q. The other day my peppers were fine, but when I was in the garden today my peppers were turning black on the ends. What’s going on?

Mike from North Lima

A. We’ve reviewed this condition a few times this year, but it merits more discussion. From tomatoes to peppers, this is a serious condition because of what it does to your fruit.

Your peppers have blossom-end rot. As you noticed, affected fruit will have a tan to black discoloration toward the end of the fruit, but sometimes on the sides of peppers, and it can be soft.

Tomatoes tend to get a hard bottom that turns dark brown to black, and the spot is leathery and not soft. The discolored areas on both fruits are often a site where fungi and bacteria can enter the fruit, causing more decay as a secondary infection.

Despite its appearance, blossom-end rot is not a disease but a physiologic problem associated with low levels of calcium in the fruit. Rapidly developing fruit need a higher amount of calcium for normal growth. If an adequate amount of calcium is not available, blossom-end rot develops.

Blossom-end rot occurs as a result of several cultural or environmental factors that affect a plant’s ability to take in calcium. But, it’s even more complicated than that biologically. Fluctuations in soil moisture, heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizer, and injury to roots can all predispose plants to blossom-end rot.

Blossom-end rot can be minimized by maintaining a uniform supply of moisture through regular watering and using mulch to mitigate soil-moisture loss. The mulch is really important.

Vegetables developing fruit need about an inch and a half of water per week.

Additionally, if you haven’t had your garden soil tested within the last two years, consider having a soil test. Soil tests will tell you if you need to add nutrients or change the soil’s pH level.

Many gardeners try to apply calcium to the soil to fix this problem. This never works. Our soils in the Mahoning Valley are rarely low in calcium.

Plain and simple, blossom-end rot is a water issue. In years like this, where rain is inconsistent and insufficient, you must have a watering system and schedule to provide consistent moisture.

For a detailed discussion of blossom-end rot for more notes on why many treatments do not work, go to http://go.osu.edu/endrot.

Today’s answer is provided by David Sprague, OSU Extension master gardener volunteer, and Eric Barrett.