Tomato flowers

[noidea]

Hullo.

I have several huge plants now, all thriving really on the windowsill but although they are flowering they are drying up and nothing is coming of them at all.

I have started spraying them regularly but other than that, is there anything else I can do?

Many thanks

C

[Digger-07]

If you are not getting little toms forming then the flowers are not being fertilized. Try using a small paintbrush and polinating each flower by brushing pollen from one flower to another, you will need to do this gently and at least a couple of times each day to ensure that the pollen "takes".

Spraying will help as well but the brushing will transfer pollen from one to another.

Outdoors or in the greenhouse there are always insects and air movement to do the job for you.

Hope this helps.

[Cutecumber]

Can you explain what is happening in more detail?

Does the yellow flower fall off, or the whole flower head including the calyx?

If it's just the flower, it can appear that there is nothing there, but if you look closely in the middle of the calyx, there will be a tiny pin-head of a fruit.

If the whole head has come off, then that's not good.

Are you monitoring temperatures? If it gets too hot, pollen becomes unviable.

Oh, and I should add that you can just shake the plants (gently) - that helps pollen distribution.

[noidea]

Well the flowers are little buds, then they start to open up and are still quite long rather than bursting open as I would imagine flowers would... then they start to dry up. To be honest, I don't think they have opened enough to do anything in the way of helping them polinate.

I have started keeping the blind down a bit (it's kind of see through and white) so that they are still ina sunny room but shaded, as I boiled them one day a week or so ago.

I have also upped how much water I was giving them as I tried the method of letting them stand in a tray and they took in way more than I think I have been giving them.

Thanks

C

[noidea]

Oh also should say that the largest plant which is a Roma had approx 8 wee trusses when I noticed (oops) so I pinched off the growing tip as someone had said to do that.

Not sure if it was the right thing though!

C

[Cutecumber]

The flowers don't open up - you are expecting something that doesn't happen.

Do you still have the bit where the flower came from - that's what I want to know!

As for "stopping" the plant, that's ok - it's up to you to decide how many trusses of fruits it can ripen during the season. Outdoors they normally advise four or five. More indoors.

Oh, can I check - you know that a truss is a set of flowers, yes? Not a set of leaves.

[noidea]

Ahhhhhhhh!!!! So the flowers aren't going to open up hugely! I am with you now!

I actually had a closer look again, and where the wee dried flowers have fallen off, there is still the bit that looks like what you get at the top of a tomato, and right in the middle is a very very small green ball... is that the tomato then?

I feel so utterly thick now...

I had sussed the trusses were the wee sets of flowers... I think i need to go on a course or something! LOL

Thanks so much!

C

[Earthbabe]

Sounds like things are going ok. Don't forget to feed. Either a specific tomato feed or a seaweed based feed would be favourite.

[Flummery]

You've got baby toms! Yayyy!! Easy, isn't it? What was all that worrying about?

[KayJay]

I gently shake my tom plants regularly and always get good results.
You do get covered in pollen though.

Kay Jay

[Cutecumber]

I knew it! You've got tomatoes

It's very rare for tomatoes to fail and usually, if this happens, the whole flower, including the calyx, falls off. I get this at the end of the summer on very large tomato plants, sometimes - they kind of self-determine the number of fruits when they run out of food, I think.

I'm glad to have helped on your path to tomato-enlightenment!

Are you alright with the number of trusses thing?

[JennieAtkinson]

Enjoy the babies! - well not eat them just yet.

[Cutecumber]

Oh yes, gosh! Don't try and eat them yet!


*sniggers*


Sorry! just jesting with you!

[noidea]

I think I spoke too soon.

Now lots of the flowers are snapping off that the calyx??? is that the word?

Not sure what to do now... no change on the tiny toms either but I am not sure how long that takes....

C

[Cutecumber]

Don't worry.

Are they still inside?

Get them outside if you can, I think that might help. Keep them moist but not wet. Flower setting problems can be related to a lack of water.

It will take a good couple of months from flowering for the fruit to swell and ripen (small varieties, that is).

Have you got some liquid tomato food? Now would be a good time to start feeding.