Mac-7
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Tomato plants not blooming

I am in Dallas Texas and growing Brandywine tomatoes from seed for the first time.

The plants are 18" to 24" tall but none have produced a single bloom.

Is this normal?

My cherry tomatoes are producing ripe fruit already.

pizzarrhea
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Do they look healthy?

Mac-7
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Yes, they look very healthy.

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engineeredgarden
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They will, just give 'em time....

EG

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rainbowgardener
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EG is probably right. However, I would have expected some blossoms by the time they are 2' tall.

Some things to think about? Are you fertilizing? With what? High nitrogen fertilizers tend to force lots of foliage growth at the expense of flowering/fruiting. If you are using chemical ferts look for tomato tone or something that is like 5 -10-10 or even more weighted on the PK end. Best for tomatoes is just lots of compost and good rich organic soil.

Are they getting at least 6 hrs a day of direct sun?

Are they getting consistent watering, but not waterlogged?

What are the temps like where you are? Daytime temps above 90 and night time temps above 75 tend to inhibit flowering / fruiting (especially the fruiting part).

Tell us more about the conditions....

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engineeredgarden
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I agree, rainbowgardener - too much nitrogen would certainly keep the plant from forming flowers/fruit. That's why I use fertilizer with an NPK value of less than 5 until first fruitset.

EG

Mac-7
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Temps in Dallas have been normal and over 90 degree days and nights in the 70’s.

I have not applied fertilizer yet but the soil has a lot of horse manure and other organic matter such as coffee grounds.

But I'm not totally organic.

I'll hit the plants with synthetic fertilizer if I think they need it.

Sunlight varies since the plants are in more than one spot in the gardens around my house.

But direct sunlight for all is above 9 hours a day.

Green beans, cucumbers, hot peppers, squash, melons, radishes, corn and egg plants in the same soil are doing fine.

Maybe I'm just impatient.

The Brandywines look healthy.

But 15 plants without one bloom seems a little strange

tedln
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Mac,

I'm also growing Brandywine about 60 miles North of Dallas. I have five plants which I also grew from seed. Mine are about 36" tall. I planted them the first week of April. I was hoping for a good harvest on the Brandywines because they are supposedly the best tasting of all heirlooms.

The Brandywines are notorious for producing few blooms and even fewer fruits in the hot climates. Of my five plants, only two have set blooms and I have a total of about five nice green tomatoes on. I really don't expect much more than that now. Our temps are simply to hot for the Brandywines. While there are a few hot climate tomatoes, most stop setting fruit when the daytime temps reach the 90's and the night time lows are above 70 degrees. The night time lows are more important than the daytime highs.

I don't know about where you live in Dallas, but our spring north of Dallas has been unseasonably hot resulting in reduced blooming and fruit setting.

I am growing ten heirloom varieties and two hybrid varieties and they are all reacting to the heat by not setting fruit as well as they did last year. I'm hoping for a short cool spell before the real late June, early July summer heat sets in.

Ted

Mac-7
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Tedlin,

If you're right (and I suspect you may be) then I won't get any tomatoes untill the end of the summer.

Thanks for the information.

tedln
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I think we should create a zone map for Brandywine tomatoes. It's funny, but if you read enough comments on different forums, some say they have a huge harvest of Brandywine while others are like you and me with meager blooming and meager fruiting. If you pay attention to the location of the folks posting the comments, you will quickly see the cooler summer climates produce well while the hotter climates don't. If you can get them in the ground early enough in the spring and if they are large enough when planted, we can grow them successfully. Mine bloomed early and then stopped. I will have about five tomatoes if nothing bad happens to them. I will at least get to see what all the fuss is about regarding taste. If I grow them again next year, they will be planted in early March and then protected from late frosts.

I am still germinating some other heirlooms which I will plant about every four weeks into late July. I did almost the same thing last year and was able to harvest a lot of tomatoes from late July until the first frost in November. We were still eating garden tomatoes at Christmas.

I suggest you keep watching your Brandywines. You may have a micro climate which allows them to bloom late. I will let mine grow and late in the season, I will cut some suckers and root them and see if the Brandwines will produce as a cool fall tomato.

Good luck.

Ted

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gixxerific
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Yes like the others said give them time. Ad like Ted said brandywine are notorious for have little fruit but very good fruit. I planted mine mid march I believe and they went through a rough time but are just now setting flower.

So be patient. Again like Ted said mine are about 36 inches or so. this is my first year with them so we shall see. But don't expect a cash crop out of them from what I have heard. But what you get should be awesome.

Good luck

Dono

Good to hear they do well in cooler climates though. It is hot here but mine get a little shade early morning and late afternoon.

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engineeredgarden
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Hmm...my brandywine plants have lots of flowers on them, and I have the same climate as Dallas.

EG

tedln
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engineeredgarden wrote:Hmm...my brandywine plants have lots of flowers on them, and I have the same climate as Dallas.

EG
I'm glad to hear your Brandywines are doing well, but the fact that people are in the same climate zone doesn't mean everyone in that zone has the same climate in any given season. Apparantly Mac and I have experienced different spring weather (he said his Dallas temps are fairly normal while mine have been abnormally hot) and we are only sixty miles apart. Keep us updated on your Brandywines. I would like to know how many of your blooms result in fruit. I hope you have a bountiful crop of Brandywines this year.

Ted

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engineeredgarden
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Ted - I will. Only a few blooms have fallen off, and I have the first fruitset on 1 of 2 plants. It's been raining like crazy here, and I just noticed some possible foliage problems today. Tomorrow evening the lower branches will be removed, and copper fungicide will be applied. I hope they do reasonably well this year, but still have at least 17 more varieties in the garden.

EG

tedln
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I've also read a lot of reports that the Brandywines are less resistant to many common diseases than other heirlooms. My plants started out as beautiful plants but slowly the leaves on most branches close to the ground began to turn yellow. I simply clip the entire branch off and hope for the best. If the plant doesn't have resistance to some diseases, I'm not going to waste my time trying to control the disease.

We all also need to remember that the name "Brandywine" has become slightly generic. I'm aware of the Brandywine Red, Brandywine Pink, Brandywine Sudduth strain, and then some claim potato leaf varieties while others claim regular leaf varieties. One seed vendor even claims to have a Brandywine with black fruit. We may each be growing totally different varieties with different traits for climate preference and disease resistance.

Ted

Mac-7
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Other experts such as Howard Garrett the Dirt Doctor agree with those here about tomatoes not setting fruit when temps are over 92.

But that has not been my experience with the cherry tomatoes that I usually grow.

And my cherry tomatoes are doing OK this year also.

However the Brandywine tomatoes are a different plant so we will see.

I chose the Brandywine because everyone said it tasted good and being an indeterminate I was expecting to harvest fruit all summer long and well into the fall.

OK, maybe not too much during the real dog days of mid July and August.

My plants are healthy so I'm not going to give up on them.

tedln
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Yep, Cherry tomatoes are kinda like the energizer bunny. They just keep going, and going, and going.

Ted

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engineeredgarden
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Ted - I came home today to lots of lower leaves with brown splotches on them, so you're definitely right about the disease resistance. All of the affected branches were removed, and the plants were soaked with copper fungicide. Wish me luck!

EG

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Too late I know for this year but it may help next year if you hold off planting your toms in their cropping place until they have produced the first truss.
Many commercial growers leave the plants in their growing pots until then so that the root system does not get too strong before a fruit truss is produced.

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rainbowgardener
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JONA ... can you explain a little more? This doesn't make sense to me. Why wouldn't you want a strong root system? That's why we bury the plant deeper when it's planted than it was in the pot. It roots along the stem and helps give it a stronger root system. And for all of us non-commercial growers, when we are doing that, the plant has not yet started flowering.

JONA878
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rainbowgardener wrote:JONA ... can you explain a little more? This doesn't make sense to me. Why wouldn't you want a strong root system? That's why we bury the plant deeper when it's planted than it was in the pot. It roots along the stem and helps give it a stronger root system. And for all of us non-commercial growers, when we are doing that, the plant has not yet started flowering.
Hi RG.
Many growers found that often when plants were planted into good soils early on, they developed a very vigorous root system and as a result the head of the plant became very strong and leafy.
They looked superb...but...they were also either reluctant to produce truss or they grew higher than was wished before initiating first truss...something that is a real pain in the confins of limited head-room.
As usual its the balance between top and root.

Nowadays most commercials are in hydroponics and the nutriant balance is monitered electronically in a fashion that can never be done in open soils.

I still use the old method of planting at first flower and then feeding with Pott Nitrate and Ammonium Nitrate mix.
Old fashioned maybe ..but it does give a a chance to alter the feed ratios quickly according to growth and stage.

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tedln wrote:Yep, Cherry tomatoes are kinda like the energizer bunny. They just keep going, and going, and going.

Ted
I was thinking about putting a cherry tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket somewhere. I'm not sure if it's too late, but I may give it a try anyway. If they are good producers, then it's worth a shot. I don't have any small tomatos this year.

And FWIW, the Brandywine you gave me is just now starting to flower. It's about 4' tall and only the tops are flowering. There were a few small flowers on some lower branches, but they dropped off. I'm hoping the new tops do better. A few of my lower branches are yellow-ish as well. I pulled some off, but looks like I need to get the rest tonight. Otherwise, the plant looks really healthy.

MAC-7, I'm in Dallas, near White Rock Lake, and my plants are not fruiting too much either. I think I over fertilized them a bit at planting so I'm keeping them well watered and hoping for the best later in the season. Other than no fruit the plants are large and very healthy so I'm trying to be patient. I seem to be getting more flowers the last week or so.

tedln
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Hey jmoore,

Don't give up on the tomato plants. Mine have started blooming and setting fruit again. I can't believe they are doing it with highs around 102. Even my Brandywines have set a few more fruit. I don't know what is going on with the tomatoes this year. They don't bloom much or set fruit when the weather is perfect, but they do bloom and set fruit when it is so hot they are supposed to be dieing.

Ted

jmoore
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tedln wrote:Hey jmoore,

Don't give up on the tomato plants. Mine have started blooming and setting fruit again. I can't believe they are doing it with highs around 102. Even my Brandywines have set a few more fruit. I don't know what is going on with the tomatoes this year. They don't bloom much or set fruit when the weather is perfect, but they do bloom and set fruit when it is so hot they are supposed to be dieing.

Ted
Seems like a lot of people around are having a weird tomato season so far. Lots of "I'm not getting fruit yet" type stuff. I was thinking I was in the minority with me over fertilizing a bit, but maybe not so much. Either way, as long as the plants are healthy, I'll keep tending to them. I had cukes and green beans take forever to fruit last year, but when they did, it was on. I'm thinking the tomatos will be the same this year. I check every single flower every day hoping for fruit, but so far, not much luck. I've got 8 tom's on one plant that's supposed to be a Roma, but isn't. The other three got nothing. They will come though, but it's frustrating to have such nice foliage and no fruit. And I'm getting impatient with the waiting. :(

Off topic a bit, but the German Queen I have is MASSIVE. It's at least 6' tall and probably 2' taller than the others in the bed.

tedln
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My tomatoes are blooming and setting fruit in the vicinity of 100 degrees F. I don't know why but here is a photo of one of my Prudens Purple tomatoes near the bottom of a vine. It is from a bloom set back in early April. Look above and to the left and you can see a tomato that has set in the last few days. You may have to click the photo to enlarge it enough to see the tiny new tomato.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2010%20Garden/06-09-10/IMG_2268.jpg[/img]

This is a photo of one of my cucumbers. This year I ordered some Sweet Success variety cucumber seeds and planted them. I grew them many years ago and then could not find seed for them. It is called the Cadillac of Cucumbers. The fruit is about fourteen inches long and has no bitterness.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2010%20Garden/06-09-10/IMG_2273.jpg[/img]

Ted

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jmoore wrote:
tedln wrote:Yep, Cherry tomatoes are kinda like the energizer bunny. They just keep going, and going, and going.

Ted

MAC-7, I'm in Dallas, near White Rock Lake, and my plants are not fruiting too much either. I think I over fertilized them a bit at planting so I'm keeping them well watered and hoping for the best later in the season. Other than no fruit the plants are large and very healthy so I'm trying to be patient. I seem to be getting more flowers the last week or so.
My plants are growing and look very healthy.

And just like others in this area I'm starting to see flowers on my plants.

But I have yet to find my first Brandywine tomato much less taste one.

jmoore
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Mac-7 wrote:
jmoore wrote:
tedln wrote:Yep, Cherry tomatoes are kinda like the energizer bunny. They just keep going, and going, and going.

Ted

MAC-7, I'm in Dallas, near White Rock Lake, and my plants are not fruiting too much either. I think I over fertilized them a bit at planting so I'm keeping them well watered and hoping for the best later in the season. Other than no fruit the plants are large and very healthy so I'm trying to be patient. I seem to be getting more flowers the last week or so.
My plants are growing and look very healthy.

And just like others in this area I'm starting to see flowers on my plants.

But I have yet to find my first Brandywine tomato much less taste one.
Something weird is definitely going on with the tom's this year. Lots of people with no fruit :evil:

I noticed a couple of new fruits in the last few days though. They are all on the same plant that already has tom's, but I'm not complaining. Hopefully the cooler temps and rain this week move things along a bit.

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Now I am seeing plenty of flowers but still no tomatoes.

And I don't think it is only the Brandywine tomatoes that have a problem.

My cucumber plants are 4 feet tall with lots of flowers but no cucumbers.

This is not normal. By this time I would usually be picking ripe fruit.

The same goes for my yellow squash, Zucchini, Cantalopes, and jalapino's.

This is very odd.

By this time of the year I am usually picking fruit on all of those plants and this year I'm getting nothing.

tedln
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Mac,

It has been a really weird year for gardens in the North Texas area. I got mine planted early enough that I am getting fruit from blooms that set in early spring, but almost nothing from blooms that should have set in late may. The early heat was simply to intense too early. My plants are acting the way they normally act in mid July. My cucumber plants have already grown over the top of the trellis and all of the lower leaves have turned yellow and dried. The growing tips of the plants are still setting a few fruit. I have already planted new cucumber seed between each plant that is growing and they are just starting to vine up the trellis. I will soon plant some new tomato plants grown from cuttings. The weather man said last night we have a fifteen day forecast of near and over 100 degree temps ahead with almost no prospect of rain. Gardens simply don't do well in those conditions. I just finished building a new 4' X 8' bed and have planted Swiss chard in it. It will germinate, but the seedlings may simply lay over and die when they are exposed to the heat.

Ted

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applestar
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As long as you're getting flowers now, do you guys give your tomato flowers a tap or a shake when you see them? I realize the weather/temp is a big factor here, but it wouldn't hurt to help them out a bit.

jmoore
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applestar wrote:As long as you're getting flowers now, do you guys give your tomato flowers a tap or a shake when you see them? I realize the weather/temp is a big factor here, but it wouldn't hurt to help them out a bit.
I've been doing everything with no luck. I agree with ted. It's just been too hot too early in the season. I'm praying the plants hold on until through the summer so I can get a fall crop. At least I have a few tom's growing on one of my plants.

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So far, things have been going great with my tomatoes. They all are flowering and my early-planted ones already have some fruit on them. Even the brandywines are flowering. Hopefully, things keep going well.

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Have considered/tried using shade cloth/house?

tedln
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applestar,

Yes, I tap them or shake them. In most cases though, the blooms and the bloom buds just dry up and drop off the plant when it is this hot. They don't even get a chance to set if pollinated.

Ted

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rainbowgardener
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applestar wrote:Have considered/tried using shade cloth/house?
yeah we here in Ohio as g5 noted are having a very different season.

But if I were in TX, I would be trying the shade cloth, because it seems like not only could you filter the light, but then you could wet the shade cloth down and it should provide a little bit of evaporative cooling.

garden5
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rainbowgardener wrote:
applestar wrote:Have considered/tried using shade cloth/house?
yeah we here in Ohio as g5 noted are having a very different season.

But if I were in TX, I would be trying the shade cloth, because it seems like not only could you filter the light, but then you could wet the shade cloth down and it should provide a little bit of evaporative cooling.
Yeah, when it get really hot, tomato production reduces so the plants can focus on survival.

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tedln wrote:Mac,

It has been a really weird year for gardens in the North Texas area. I got mine planted early enough that I am getting fruit from blooms that set in early spring, but almost nothing from blooms that should have set in late may. The early heat was simply to intense too early. My plants are acting the way they normally act in mid July. My cucumber plants have already grown over the top of the trellis and all of the lower leaves have turned yellow and dried. The growing tips of the plants are still setting a few fruit. I have already planted new cucumber seed between each plant that is growing and they are just starting to vine up the trellis. I will soon plant some new tomato plants grown from cuttings. The weather man said last night we have a fifteen day forecast of near and over 100 degree temps ahead with almost no prospect of rain. Gardens simply don't do well in those conditions. I just finished building a new 4' X 8' bed and have planted Swiss chard in it. It will germinate, but the seedlings may simply lay over and die when they are exposed to the heat.

Ted
Even my cucumbers are not fruiting.

I have plenty of leaves and plenty of flowers but not a single cucumber this year and they are about 5 feet tall.

It's very strange becuase cucumbers are very easy to grow.

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I grew 4 brandywines last year and 4 beefeaters. Up here in Michigan, it was cold and wet, but I had a really good harvest of brandywines. I think they even beat my beefeaters out.

Mac-7
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You know, every year I till the soil and add soil amendments as recommended.

I plant seeds in late winter under lights, nurture them into seedlings and in due time transplant them into my garden.

When they grow into healthy plants and produce fruit and vegetables to eat I feel kind of proud of myself as if I were the main reason for my success.

But it is years like this when I realize that I know practically nothing about natures secrets and probably shouldn't be offering advice to anyone else on the subject of gardening.

Does anyone want to buy a used genious cap at a good price?

jmoore
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This cracks me up. I feel exactly the same. This is only my second year with a garden and people are always asking me for advice. I tell them what I know but I always feel like a little bit of a fraud.

The way I'm starting to look at my garden is the way I look at hunting. I do my best to prepare a good environment for life to grow and thrive in, and sometimes it works out the way I want it to, sometimes it doesn't. It makes it all that much better when it works out.

Keep your tom's alive and they will get there eventually. EVERYONE I've talked to in TX is having a weird year. Nothing is fruiting like it should be. It's gotta be the heat.
Mac-7 wrote:You know, every year I till the soil and add soil amendments as recommended.

I plant seeds in late winter under lights, nurture them into seedlings and in due time transplant them into my garden.

When they grow into healthy plants and produce fruit and vegetables to eat I feel kind of proud of myself as if I were the main reason for my success.

But it is years like this when I realize that I know practically nothing about natures secrets and probably shouldn't be offering advice to anyone else on the subject of gardening.

Does anyone want to buy a used genious cap at a good price?



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