Tomatoes - speeding up flowering?

[TracyP]

I think I sowed my tom seedlings too late (13 April), mainly in 8/9 cm peat pots. They are doing ok about 6 inches generally but I really want to plant them - is there any way to speed it up so that I can get that first flower and then get them planted?

I have fed them with general veg fertiliser a couple of times

thanks!

[squashysu]

hi tracey

have you thought about potting them bigger so that they have more room, mine are in a greenhouse and in no time they have grown and flowered, is it too cold for them at the mo outside?

also i thought they didnt need food until the flowers or fruit are coming (i am only new to this, so someone else with more knowledge will come along soon)

i think the key is to be patient they will soon be giving you lovely toms.

SS

[Alice]

Tracy, the best way to get your tomatoes to come into flower is to keep them in quite small pots. As soon as you see the flower buds pot them on and feed them. Experts will be along.

[Pootle]

Yes - keeping the pots smaller until they're on the verge of flowering will force the issue...plants under stress will generally flower in an effort to save themselves, whereas giving them more space will encourage them to put on more growth and a bigger root system. So I generally wait until the first flower buds are developing before planting in their final position.

You don't need to feed until the flowers are open or you have fruit, then its a matter of steady watering to avoid splitting the fruit (ie: don't let them get too dry and then deluge them with water.) It is a bit of a balancing act - too much water tends to produce flabbier fruit with less flavour!

And to make sure you get plenty of fruit, mist the flowers in the evening to encourage fruit set.

Hope that helps - I'm no expert but these tips seem to work for me!

[TracyP]

Fantastic, thanks. I'll try to be patient too!