HELP! MY BLACK PRINCE IS GROWING INTO A TREE!!

[alexia.brake]

Hi All,

I have a problem with my plants that are located on my enclosed back porchm they are growing like crazy and have them trellis up to ceiling, yet I have hardly any blooms.

On my Black Prince plant no blooms at all, yet he's growing like a tree.

Besides to much "love", what can I do to jolt it into blooming??

Thanks for the information.

[TZ -OH6]

Maybe not much if you leave them there. Sounds like too much nitrogen fertilizer and too little light (if your enclosed porch is like most that I have seen). Stop fertilizing immediately would be about the only thing I can think of.

[alexia.brake]

TZ,
Thanks for the response.

I have a south facing large window that my three Princes lean against.
This may sound "nuts" but I think my problem is that I am babying them to much (paying to much attention to them) as compared to my outside tomato plants.

Is it possible to pay to much attention to the plants and instead just let them grow on their own? (As I have read others comment that tomato's could be compared weeds in how they grow).

[TZ -OH6]

Babying usually means too much fertilizer, which can turn off flowering to a lesser or greater extent. Bright light will offset that to some extent. A window only gives light from one direction for a relatively short amount of time every day even if it looks very bright.

Next year you might want to try dwarf varieties (2-4 ft tall) for larger fruits or cherry tomatoes (which are better at producing fruit with less light) for your porch.



What kind of fertilizer were you giving the plants?

[bigtuna]

i have 1 black prince i the tomato garden, not growing very big but it was the first one to give fruit, now is loaded with fruit, but still not very tall or bushy, but it does get full sun good luck

[alexia.brake]

TZ,

The only fertilzer I have been using is Miracle-Gro for Tomatoes and to be honest I have not been very consisent on using it. (I've only used it about twice this season).......

And yes I agree that next year I am going to grow all of my tomatoes outside, (with treilis support) as I have notice more fruit production with my "outsides" than with my ones inside..........

ps

However, I have had no problems with tomatoe worms and suchm as I have been keeping a very watchful I on all of my plants

[TZ -OH6]

Are the vines thick and leafy or thin with open space between the leaves?

[alexia.brake]

TZ
Sorry for the delay in responding back. Anyway to your question, the vines are thick and leafy.

I am beginning to notice a couple of tiny flowers buds to beginning to come into their own. I was thinking though as large as this plant is growing I would have expecedted more flower buds, but than again maybe this type of plant just takes longer to produce the product.

Otherwise, I have no complaints with my plants.

[TZ -OH6]

Thick and leafy means that the fertilizer did its job when you used it. Low fertilizer and low light would have made for a scrawny but tall plant.

[lilturtle]

Look at the numbers on the fertilizers you use..those numbers are for specific things....they promote growth, greenery and flowering....what you need is a fertilizer that has a high number for the flowering and fruiting season.

[TZ -OH6]

The Miracle-Gro for Tomatoes has a good NPK ratio for normal growing conditions, but it is pretty strong (18:18:21) so it is easy to overdo it. At the same time it is pretty easy to ration it out and only give it when you get worried that your plant isn't growing (i.e. give it when the plant is hungry). A starving plant will tend to bloom better than one with a full belly.

[lilturtle]

Yes that is true..many plants will bloom as a way of survival as a way to preserve itself.

[alexia.brake]

I've only used fertilizers twice this season. My intentions are good but I always end up forgetting. And from the looks of my plants, I don't think they need any.

In the meantime, I continue to trellis up the vines and let them grow as they will