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Tinybu88les8
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TOMATO BLOSSOM DROP - FLOWERS FALLING FROM TOMATOES

I have flowers...the fall...and nothing....more bloom and more fall. Do they usually start once they reach a certain height?

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rainbowgardener
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I posted this back on 5/12 in response to someone else's question about having tomato blossoms that fall without setting fruit:

Blossom drop is a reaction to stress -- the plant drops the blossoms to focus on survival. The stress can be from a variety of causes-- temperatures too low or too high, humidity too low or too high, too much or too little nitrogen, lack of water (doesn't sound like your problem! ). Early in the season blossom drop often relates to night time temps going below 55. In your situation with the rain, it sounds like high humidity and rain are interfering with pollination. Not to fear, if the weather does dry out then normal pollinating should resume (assuming other problems haven't set in, in the meantime). https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14372

they were having tons of rain. That might not be your problem, but any kind of stress on the plant can do it...

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Tinybu88les8
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I don't have any rain. I'm in southern california. Its been really hot here. I'm watering twice a day and everybody else seems to be okay. I have 2 other tomato plants...they are growing like weeds. No fruit yet though and they are younger plants.

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rainbowgardener
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Like I said it can be any kind of stress that causes the plant to go into survival mode. Too hot can do it also:

"Blossom-Drop" is a condition suffered by tomatoes, peppers, snap beans, and some other fruiting vegetables where the plant blooms but fails to set fruit, the blooms die and fall off. It may be caused by the use of excess nitrogen fertilizers or dry windy conditions, but the most common cause is temperature extremes. Tomatoes, peppers and beans are especially picky about the air temps when it comes time to set fruit. If the night temps fall below 55 or rise above 75 or if the day temps are above 90, the pollen becomes tacky and non-viable. Pollination cannot occur. If the bloom isn't pollinated, the bloom dies and falls off.

If you are having temps over 90 (already!), then I'd think about some shade cloth to keep them a little cooler...

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Greywolf
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YIKES! :shock:

It went above 90 here today - and my plants are only just getting above two feet tall. Humidity in the big river valley (Mississippi) is usually pretty intense as well. Definitely has me wondering, but no trouble so far.

KathyWid
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In addition to all the excellent information above (and good advice such as shading your plants), you can take a few steps to help your tomatoes set fruit, even if temperatures are hot during the day.

Plant flowers and other companion plants around tomatoes to attract insects (pollinators).
Mimic the wind! Gently shake plants to help disburse pollen.
Make sure tomato plants are getting a balanced fertilizer. Once they start producing blossoms, they need phosphorus and potassium to develop fruit (the second two numbers in a fertilizer's 3-number labeler).

Hope this helps!

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funnyguy
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Adding calcium to our tomatoes has helped tremendously with [url=https://organicgardenworks.com/2010/06/09/blossom-end-rot-tomato-plant.aspx]blossom drop and blossom end rot[/url]. Our fruiting plants like squash, eggplant, watermelons, benefited from extra calcium. Too much nitrogen inhibits the uptake of calcium by the plant, so we're careful to not use too much and use slow release fertilizers.

gardengrl3
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Tiny-I am not sure what part of Southern California you live but I live in Long Beach, California. Some areas of California the soil isn't always good-I don't know if you are doing container or in the ground-but if you are watering twice a day that may be too much watering.

keen gardener
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Your tomatoes could be dropping their flowers because they are not fertilised. Try planting blue, yellow or red flowers near by to attract the bees. French lavender is a great plant because it flowers nearly all year and the bees love it in temperate regions. Environmental factors such as strong wind, low temperatures, lack of water interfer with pollination. Giving potash won't fix this problem.
Cheers Keen Gardener Australia

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rainbowgardener
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Tomatoes are self-pollinating, don't need bees or other insect pollinators. If grown indoors, they might need an occasional shake or fan on them to move the pollen a bit, but outdoors nature takes care of it.

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TheWaterbug
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Hmmm. My plants are now 4-5 feet tall, and they've been in the ground since early March. No fruit yet :(

I'm watering 1-2 times/week, and the plants look mostly healthy:

[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/5FtTomatoPlant.jpg[/img]

I haven't fertilized at all, and I didn't put any new amendments in the hole when I planted this year, so excess N probably isn't the cause. This _is_ the same site where I grew tomatoes successfully last year, so it's possible that I've depleted some other nutrients, but the plants are growing pretty well otherwise, so I didn't think they were lacking anything.

One thing that does looks suspicious is _some_ of the leaves are crinkly:

[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/CrinklyLeaves.jpg[/img]

That was about 2 weeks ago, and I increased the watering frequency from 1/week to 2/week since then, but I still have no fruit.

The weather's been in the high 60s to high 70s. No 80s yet, nor anything approaching cold.

I have some 10-10-5 liquid fertilizer that I could apply. Would that help or hurt?

PhillyGardener
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Is anyone else experiencing serious blossom drop this year? I'm on the east coast and we have had heat wave...after heat wave...after heat wave. It's 100 degrees out there today and will be close to it again tomorrow. It seems like at least every other day for the last month, it's been 90 or above. I tore out my tomatoes last weekend because I only had about 10 tomatoes total on 4 plants and the blossoms were dropping off like crazy. I tried adding crushed eggshells about 6 weeks ago, then a tomato-specific fertilizer (light on nitrogen) 2 weeks ago...nothing seemed to work. My peppers are barely flowering at all, and now my sugar baby watermelon is also dropping blossoms. I don't have the option of adding a shade--it's a front yard garden and I don't want the yard to look any crazier than it already does!

The major winner this season: cucumbers! They've been going crazy. Everything else seems stressed no matter what I do.

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rainbowgardener
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Yup... see also

https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47497&highlight=

just not good weather for them

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applestar
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If the stressed plants can stay ahead of pests and diseases, they should resume production after the weather cools down a bit; then keep on producing until frost. I just sprayed my tomatoes and cucurbits with milk and yogurt whey spray.

imafan26
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If you live in an area where the heat gets much above 85 degrees in summer, consider trying some of the heat resistant varieties that still set when the temperatures are in the 90's. You may also have to water a couple of times a day as well. Heatwave II, Arkansas Traveler, Sioux, and super Sioux, are the ones that I know of that are heat tolerant. There are some other ones out there but the trick is to find ones that have the heat tolerance and taste good too. :lol:

Early girl, roma, sweet 100, sungold also do ok unless temperatures are extreme. Sungold is a very sweet cherry. Early girl is one tough tomato, it sets in cold and heat, unfortunately flavor is not one of it's best points. :cry:

CaliforniaGardener
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I too am in southern California and in the heat of summer it is quite difficult for the plants even with a lot of water. The flowers do see to fall. I've found that heavy pruning and cutting off a lot of excess plant helps the tomato out and put more energy towards the blossoms. Also make sure to give your plants a shake so they are pollinated. Your soil may also benefit from more calcium or bone meal. At least if you keep the tomatoes alive through the summer they should start blossoming and making tomatoes in the fall or winter again.

peej42
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Could be that they are not being pollinated, a common problem under glass, the pollen falls at about noon so using a hose and your thumb thoroughly drench the whole plant to help them set. Also helps reduce the temperature if it is too hot, 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit is nice. :)

nosebleed21
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I experienced blossom drop too I ilve in the philippines and its summer and temp reaches 34 degrees celcius I read some water 1-2 times but I'm not sure if I'm watering enough. My tomatoes are in big plastic pots should I let water drain from the pot to ensure its well watered?what is deep watering?currently I moved them some where with a little shade as leaves started to curl too so it only gets sun exposure 50% of the day,did I do the right thing?

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feldon30
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Tomatoes typically will not pollinate if overnight temperatures will not drop below 75°F (24°C) and humidity is over 80%. Also, very high temperatures during the day of 95°F (35°C) can denature the pollen in the flowers. Unless you have a few cool evenings, tomato plants generally will not set fruit in the summer heat.

I am half-joking / half-serious when I say that if I lived in the Philippines, I would air condition my tomato plants for 48 hours twice a month just to give them time to set fruit.

Juliuskitty
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That second picture sure looks like leaf edema. And the poster increased the watering when it was seen.
TheWaterbug wrote:Hmmm. My plants are now 4-5 feet tall, and they've been in the ground since early March. No fruit yet :(

I'm watering 1-2 times/week, and the plants look mostly healthy:

Image

I haven't fertilized at all, and I didn't put any new amendments in the hole when I planted this year, so excess N probably isn't the cause. This _is_ the same site where I grew tomatoes successfully last year, so it's possible that I've depleted some other nutrients, but the plants are growing pretty well otherwise, so I didn't think they were lacking anything.

One thing that does looks suspicious is _some_ of the leaves are crinkly:

Image

That was about 2 weeks ago, and I increased the watering frequency from 1/week to 2/week since then, but I still have no fruit.

The weather's been in the high 60s to high 70s. No 80s yet, nor anything approaching cold.

I have some 10-10-5 liquid fertilizer that I could apply. Would that help or hurt?

imafan26
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If you live in very hot areas, it is best to pick a few heat resistant tomatoes. Like Heatwave II, Solarfire,Creole, Arkansas Traveler, Souix ,Super Souix, Heatmaster, Florida 91 and some of the cherries will do much better in the heat than large tomatoes. Sungold, supersweet 100, sunsugar, and yellow pear.

Most of these tomatoes will set up to 90 degrees and a few of them will set at even higher temperatures.

I have grown HeatwaveII, Celebrity, Creole, sunsugar, sungold, sweet mojo, and supersweet 100 and they did well. Arkansas traveler, Souix, and Solar fire did not do as well. I do want to try Arkansas Traveler and Super Sioux again because they supposedly do grow here. Solar fire grew but is not resistant to other problems like fusarium and nematodes which are prevalent here.

Choose the best tomatoes for your location. Heat resistance is a must for hot areas unless you grow your tomatoes in the off season but you will also need to consider disease resistance as well. Flavor and texture usually take a hit, but some of these tasted pretty good. Sunsugar, sungold, sweet mojo and supersweet 100 are all cherries and very sweet. Sungold was only sweet when it was fully ripe and it was very prone to cracking. Creole is a medium sized tomato, it tastes pretty good, but seeds are not that easy to come by. Celebrity is a commercial variety. It is a good slicer and good producer. It is determinate, it won't win taste tests. HeatwaveII produced when all of the other tomatoes quit, they were better than store tomatoes.

Tomatoes will start to fruit between 70-90 days. They will grow lush if given too much nitrogen fertilizer at the expense of fruiting.

I grew tomatoes in 18 gallon self watering containers and they did very well. The water reservoir kept the vines from wilting in the heat and no BER.

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feldon30
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This is just my personal opinion, but if my choice was growing no tomatoes or growing Celebrity, Solar Fire, Heatwave, Heatmaster, and other "heat setter" types. I just wouldn't grow tomatoes, I'd build an air-conditioned greenhouse, or I'd move.

I realize that Hawai'I doesn't really have a winter or cool season, and so you don't have the luxury of starting "earlier", but in Southern parts of the US, this is a very real option. When I lived in Houston, I planted very large plants (12-14 inches tall) as early as I possibly could (late February), and then protected them from frost. Because the soil temperature stayed high, my plants took off. I was able to grow Brandywine, Stump of the World, and any number of "fussy heirlooms" and got a good harvest. But timing was absolutely crucial.

I do like Arkansas Traveler though. ;)

VeggieGardenGal
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Hi, I am in Southern California (Inland Empire Area) and have been able to successfully grow tomatoes. Last year I watered every third day... not daily. I got a very high yield of fruit. Even when temps got into the high 90s and over 100.

I did experience some splitting later in the season but I figured the cause was the high temps and irregular watering schedule. The split tomatoes were still consumed and used in canning. I actually grew way to many tomatoes than I could handle.

As suggested by other comments... I think it is calcium deficient soil causing the flower drop and the type of tomatoe plant. Otherwise your plants look good to me.

BTW... as suggested Celebrity grow well for me in hot so cal. Plus I fertilize with compost tea twice a month.

Now that a month has past, have your plants produced any fruit?

imafan26
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I have learned a few things growing tomatoes in a wam climate

1. Always get cultivars resistant to the prevalent diseases and virus and pests. For me this means getting tomatoes that are minimum VFFFN. Fungal disease and nematodes are a constant for me.

2. Get heat resistant varieties. The average temperature here is 88 degrees. Mid sixties in the daytime would be the lowest close to the century mark would be the highest. Creole, Arkansas Traveler, Eva Purple Ball, Heatwave II did best. Brandywine also did very well although I had to plant it in a pot and put it on a fungicide program since it lacks the fungal resistance and I did not know how it does against nematodes. It did stop blooming when the temps hit the 90's but started producing again when the temperatures dropped. Cherry tomatoes usually do better in the heat. Red cherry, sungold, and sunsugar did well for me.

You might try Solar Fire and Sunmaster or any of the heat tolerant cultivars developed by Florida. Some of them will still set in the high 90's. I could not grow Solar fire, it lacked the disease resistance.

Even heat resistant tomatoes will sometimes drop flowers when in distress, but will hold on to them longer than most.

3. You may have to water twice a day in mid summer or use self watering containers at least an 18 gallon container with a 5 gallon reservoir. Tomatoes can take up to 4 gallons of water a day. Mulch all around the tomatoes in the ground and even in pots to slow the evaporation from the soil. Put drip irrigation under the mulch.

4. You can keep the tomatoes cool a couple of ways a) Put up some temporary shading. I have a tent frame and cover it with 47% shade cloth. b) If you have a sprinkler mist the area during midday for 5 minutes just to cool things down. c) If you can move the tomatoes to the east side of the house and shade it from the afternoon sun or d) hide the tomatoes. Put taller plants on the south side of the tomatoes. If they are in pots, group smaller potted plants around it or double pot to keep the roots shaded and cool. The other plants around it increases humidity and decreases temperature.

Tomatoes wilting in the middle of the day is normal, it is how plants cope with heat, but they should stand up again at the end of the day.

Blossom end rot is another thing to watch out for but is not a problem with self watering containers and a full reservoir. No additional calcium required. The issue is usually not an absolute calcium deficiency but the plants inability to move calcium within the plant when watering is uneven. The plant steals calcium from the developing fruit to save itself.

imafan26
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Julius, I think you did what I often do. If you give your tomatoes too much nitrogen for too long you get healthy leaves and not much fruit. Hit the plant with some higher phosphorus fertilizer and no nitrogen and back off on the water a little bit to force it to go into survival mode and bloom.

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Gary350
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Blossom drop is caused by low potassium. Plants make lots of blossoms if there is not enough fertilizer in the soil plants can not make many tomatoes so the plants drop the extra blossoms. I put 1 cup of wood ash in an 8" deep hole before planting tomatoes. I never have blossom drop plants often have 40 tomatoes on each plant. Too much nitrogen on tomato plants produces large plants and few tomatoes. I never water garden plants it is not a problem for tomatoes even if there it no rain for a month. After a big rain tomatoes sometimes split from too much water.



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