S. Silver
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Tomato plants but only one tomato

I have container tomato plants on my 7th floor apartment balcony. I haven't been diligent in staking them so some of them are kind of creeping on the stone floor. (I know, I gotta take care of that.) But most are upright. Only one tomato is growing. Why not more? Some lower leaves have light brown spots. Should I remove those leaves? I see some blossoms but then they don't develop into fruit. Should I be pollinating them with a qtip? Also -weekly seaweed/fish fertilizer - is that enough? too much? And daily watering - again - ok? Any replies appreciated by this novice. Thanks.

opabinia51
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Okay.... first of all; staking is not absolutely necessary. It's more of an aesthetic thing and the fact that tomatoes growing on the soil are more likely to be in infected by some sort of fungus or bacterium. But, seeing that you live in an apartment building, I don't think you'd have that problem.

The most likely reason why you have a lack of fruit is probably lack of pollinators. In the future you might want to grow some other plants that have a large amount and nectar and scent to attract pollinators. Hand pollination will be your best bet. Just use q tips.

Oh and yes you should remove the dead leaves. Alot of people (not including myself) remove the lower leaves on tomatoe plants right away to as to avoid any fungal infections from soil splash when watering.

A weekly fish/seaweed fertilizer is exactly what the plants like. Just be sure to dilute the fertilizer as per the instructions on the label. I personally alternate each week between fish and seaweed.

The Helpful Gardener
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I like Opa's answer...

S. Silver
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Thanks. Will go back to fertilizing (I had skipped a week because didn't know if I was doing too much. Overwatering - how do you know if it's enough/too much? and I'm growing marigolds and parsley nearby, both of which are doing ok (the carrots died - overcrowding...). Could either of those (or any plant in particular) discourage bees and therefore pollinating?

opabinia51
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Not that I'm aware of. The marigolds should be attracting pollinators such as bees. I checked to see if marigolds or parsley adversely affect tomatoes and they don't seem to have any negative effect.

Overwatering; well, the soil should be damp but not soaking wet. Just keep the soil damp and don't allow it to dry out completely. I have about ten to fifteen tomatoe plants growing in the back on some blacktop and have to water them every second day. The ones out front that are in the direct sunlight need to be watered less often.

Basically just give your plants a good soaking every few days or as needed. But, don't water them if the soil is still wet.

The Helpful Gardener
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Over-fertilizing is a real concern; I have not fertilized once this year, simply mulched with compost, and my 'maters are the envy of the neighborhood. Deep planting, even watering and even a trickle of organic matter and they are going gangbusters (a little too well at this point and I need to crop them back). If you feel you might be overfertilizing you probably are; trust those instincts and think like a plant. :wink:


Scott

S. Silver
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Thanks - I just think it's so great that I can contact experienced gardeners like yourselves and get help. I wish there was a forum like this for every problem I have. (Hey, maybe there is...)

opabinia51
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Ask and ye shall recieve..... :wink: (Some sort of answer) But, seriously, ask any questions that you may be pondering about. Someone here will provide you with an answer.

Cheers and happy gardening.

Kleigh
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Location: AL

I've never tried growing tomatoes and just want to try 1 plant this year. However, somebody told me that I have to plant at least 2 in order to get the tomatoes to grow. I know this is for pollination. However, if my plant is in the middle of flowers, doesn't this work for pollination, or must I do 2 plants?

opabinia51
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Well, no the tomatoes in the middle of a flower bed won't work if you just have one plant because the pollen will be from the flowers and not another tomatoe plant.

Oh, and your friend is incorrect on needing two tomatoe plants. Tomatoes are hermaphrodites (have both sexes) and you don't need two. It is better if you have two plants but, you don't need them.

Anyway, the biology works like this:

Tomatoes have a given number of chromosoms that this number of chomosomes is what makes a tomatoe plant: a tomatoe plant. So, if you have say a daffodil; the daffodil chromosome number will be different than the tomatoe.

Anyway, pollen is what we call a gamete which has half the number of chomosomes as the rest of the cells in the plant. When the egg and pollen fuse, this provides the full Chomosome number of the plant.

If pollen from a daffodil were to fertilize a tomatoe the result would be a number of chromosomes that was neither a tomatoe or a daffodil and the resulting combination would simply die inside the reproctive organs of the tomatoe plant.

So, if you were to plant a tomatoe in the middle of your flower bed, the bees and other insects would eat the nectar from the tomatoe flowers, then move to another tomatoe flower and pollinate the plant that way.

Kleigh
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Thanks so much for the info!

opabinia51
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You are most welcome, have fun with your tomatoes!



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