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Mission Viejo, CA

I've got a huge healthy plant in my garden that won't set a single fruit. The blossoms fail to pollinate and keep dropping off. It set one fruit early one but its over 5' tall now, healthy and green otherwise.

Any suggestions? Can it be turned around or should I pull it? Other plants nearby are doing well in the same flowerbed planted in the same manner.

6/24/2015 11:47:27 AM

Allentown, PA

Kevin,

High temperatures during the summer are a common cause of blossom drop. Tomato blossoms many times drop from the vine without setting fruit when the temperature during the day exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit for several consecutive days.

Extremely dry or humid air can interfere with the pollination of blossoms. Blossoms that are exposed to dry or humid air with a relative humidity below 40 percent or above 70 percent may not fertilize properly. Dry air causes pollen to stick to the stigma of the blossoms while humid air causes pollen to clump. In both cases the pollen can not properly fertilize the blossom, which causes it to dry up and drop from the plant.

You mentioned that the plant is very large and healthy which points to high nitrogen loading.

An over abundance of nitrogen in the particular plant often has thin, elongated stems as opposed to thicker stems that support larger blooms IE mega blooms.

Here's what I would do Kevin; Go and purchase Miracle Grow's 10-52-10. This targeting fertilizer is extremely high in phosphorus but much lower in nitrogen and potassium.

I use this to force my plants to make blooms. Once I have a mega bloom set and a tomato growing I then switch over to a more balanced fertilizer for the remainder of the season.

6/24/2015 4:13:08 PM

Allentown, PA

To answer your main question Keven, yes I would keep the plant and use a high phosphorus fertilizer like the one I had mentioned.

6/24/2015 4:32:54 PM

Mission Viejo, CA

Thanks a ton for the reply. I will give that a try before yanking it out.

6/24/2015 4:59:52 PM

Mission Viejo, CA

My average temps are mid 80's and have been for weeks. This is the plant at the end of the row that gets the most afternoon and late day sun.

I can't beat Chris Dunn if I can't get blossoms set!

6/24/2015 5:12:45 PM

Allentown, PA

Kevein,

The plant is stressed obviously since you are seeing massive blossom drop. Do you have a moisture meter?? It could also be in need of a bit more watering since it receives the most direct sun. The ideal amount of moisture for a tomato plant is where the soil is moist six inches below the surface.

I spent a total of 5.00 dollars on a cheap analog meter with a six inch probe.

6/24/2015 5:31:54 PM

Torrance, Ca.

With my situation this summer, you may get me Kevin!


I won't go down without a fight though and did find these very large pots that can go with me right through the move ;)

6/24/2015 8:24:39 PM

stoughton WI

don't touch blossoms with your hand, I have had them die off because of this. shake the cage is better way of getting maters to pollinate themselves

6/24/2015 11:04:45 PM

Allentown, PA

It would behoove anyone to use a mechanical method in which to promote pollination.

An electric toothbrush is your friend in this case. You can touch a blossom just don't handle it like your grabbing a screwdriver.

Take the toothbrush and lightly touch the back of the bloom. Most likely a single time doing this is not antiquate enough to fully pollinate due to several reasons.

The bloom might not be open fully to the point that pollen would be released.

The first day that you are using the toothbrush on the bloom could be higher in humidity thus causing a clumping of the pollen.

There is not adequate pollen necessary in which to fully pollinate the mega bloom thus causing a partial abort of the bloom to occur.

6/25/2015 6:26:57 AM