What are physiological vegetable problems?

The Relentless Gardener
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     Just what are physiological vegetable problems: the study of the normal functions of living organisms and their parts. Plants are living organisms, and there are varied problems that can happen to their parts.
     Most years, tomatoes and peppers can have blossom-end rot. However, in peppers this is less likely to occur.
    The blossom-end of the tomato is affected. It begins at the bottom of the tomato looking like a green water-soaked appearance. This may not be noticeable at first. Then it becomes brown, sunburned and leathery.
    This condition is both a water problem and calcium deficiency. The environmental conditions are dry periods in the summer or tomatoes planted in heavy, wet clay soils with poor root development. Soils with high soluble salts can predispose the tomatoes to this problem. The best solution is to fertilize with a fertilizer low in nitrogen but high in superphosphate, such as 4-12-4 or 5-20-5.

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