How To Avoid Blossom Drop

Posted on May 11, 2011 by

Someone recently wrote in with a tomato problem that I’m sure many people have experienced, including me! The question was:

“Last year I had plenty of flowers on my tomatoes but a lot of them withered and dropped off without producing much fruit. Where did I go wrong?”

The answer is:
It’s called Blossom Drop – when flowers fail to set and are aborted by their plant.

This happens for a number of reasons but mainly because air humidity is too damp or very dry and the pollen is unable to do its job.

Mist plants and tap them gently – that helps. Also, you can use the vibration from an electric tooth brush or shaver against the flowers which acts a bit like a bumble bee. Bees are often used by professional growers to help pollinate tomato plants and other fruit.

Sometimes if a plant becomes stressed it also aborts its flowers.

Blossom Drop can be most frustrating when it happen on a tall variety and a whole truss fails to set.

Posted in Blossom Drop, Tomato Growing Problems | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How To Remove Tomato Side Shoots

Posted on May 10, 2011 by

If you are new to growing tomatoes, one thing that sometimes causes  confusion is, how to remove tomato side shoots.

These are the shoots or suckers that grow out between the vertical stem of a tall tomato plant and the leaf branches.

Here’s a video that explains how best to remove them.

If you use a blade such as a knife or scissors to remove them, it is possible to transfer disease from plant to plant. So pinching them out is the safest method.

What Happens If They Are Left To Grow?
If side shoots are not removed, the plant’s growing energy will be directed outwards into the side shoots.

Each of these shoots will form a further truss and the plant will become more of a bush in shape.

Sometimes, this is how people grow their tomato plants – their tall varieties, but you need to be in an area where there is a long season (warm climate area) for this to work and for the tomatoes to develop fully.

Also, some varieties won’t respond to this kind of treatment and will produce side shoots that take a long time to develop flowers and fruit.

Overall, it is best to remove side shoots from tall varieties unless you are experienced otherwise.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tomato Ebooks

Posted on May 8, 2011 by

With such a wealth of information on the internet today, are tomato ebooks worth the extra money?

Quite a number of tomato growing ebooks that have appeared on the internet over the past few years and as interest grows in home-grown produce, the ebooks continue to grow in number.

Juicy – Organic
Tomato growing ebooks are mostly advertised from a taste perspective “Juicy” being the most used word. This is often followed by the organic or chemical-free value of growing tomatoes successfully at home, be it on the patio, in the garden or greenhouse.

Detail
Almost all of the ebooks I’ve seen give good advice – some in more detail than others – but the main thing is that a source of information offers good value for money and not just a re-written version of the back of a seed packet!

Short or Long Seasons
Furthermore, does the ebook cover the information needed if you are growing tomatoes in different areas around the world – some very cool with short seasons and some regions that are very hot and require a more specialised approach.

Help When Needed
I guess the most important aspect of a tomato ebook is to get the would-be tomato grower off to a good start using good sound methods and help those who are more experienced who have problems with when plants become unhealthy in some way.

This is the most comprehensive tomato ebook I’ve seen. It can also be bought as a hardcover version – a real book that’s novel!

It carries a lot more detail than most other ebooks on offer with a good amount of information on tomato problems and avoiding these problems before they start. Includes a lot of pictures that are very helpful and comes with the reassurance that the writers of this ebook are very knowledgeable and know their stuff!

Most suitable for all levels of tomato growing ability although, by a small margin, the most expensive.

.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Posted in Talking Tomatoes, Tomato Growing Tips | Tagged , | 1 Comment