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Florida Gardening

Tomato blossom drop

13 years ago

I'm begining to get a little. I researched it on the web and the answers (or opinions) are not very helpful:

1. It's too hot.

2. It's too cold.

3. It's too dry.

4. It's too wet.

5. Too much fertilizer.

6. Not enough fertilizer.

7. Not enough bees.

8. It's just something that tomatoes do.

Anyone out there care to share their take on this condition?

Papa Jim

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Comments (13)

amberroses
13 years ago
It's not too hot yet because mine are still setting and you are north of me. I don't know what's going on with your tomatoes. Maybe post a description of how they are doing and how you are caring for them?
apapjim
Original Author
13 years ago
Hey Amber. Thanks for the reply. The plants are in 8 to 10 gallon containers with Al's 5-1-1- mix. Scattered sun in the morning, full sun from noon on. It's been close to 90 here a few days and they show some wilt by nightfall but bounce back overnight. I plunge my hand into the mix about 3 inches. If it feels moist down there I don't water. When it begins to feel dry I give each plant a gallon with a teaspoon of Foliage Pro. I would estimate that this results in watering about every third day. About a half dozen Early Wonder blooms have set and the largest tomato is the about the size of a marble. The plants have a lot of blossoms and I've only noticed three of four drops so it's not a major concern--yet!

Papa Jim
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Humidity plays a big part also. I read some research done on peppers and tomatoes where they compared results where growing temps were similar but the humidity levels varied. The results showed that tomatoes set better in low humidity areas than in high humidity area if the temps were comparable. That the chile types do better in low humidity and high temps while sweet peppers produce better in areas with higher humidities and more moderate temps. But the higher humidity made the most difference. Here our humidity is usually very low. Often in the single digits and teens. This helps a great deal. I will see fruit set when growers I know 100-120 miles east of me who have higher humidity won't be seeing any. I usually get some fruit set as long as the nights here get down into the low 70's or uppper 60's. My fruit set really drops on everything but the cherries and small fruited varieties anytime the lows are in the upper 70's or higher. Fortunately we have been seeing lows in the lower 70's and upper 60's even with the extreme heat we're having. There are a few things I do that I feel helps. If I see that the weather forecasters are forecasting highs in the upper 80's to the low 90's 7-10 days out. I spray with a blooming/rooting foliar feed. Another thing I do is shake them late every evening and again before I leave for work of a morning. Best to shake very early. I'm leaving around 5 CDT so shake just before I leave. Try to shake before 7 on weekends. The early morning hours when it is the coolest is also when the winds are usually the calmest. I was doing some top dressing to some of the earlier plants this morning and saw some little greenies that have set recently. I spray with a blooming rooting foliar feed when I transplant and for about the first month afterwards also. This develops a good root system. I like the middle (P) number to be very high and the N number to be fairly low. I'm also using an organic liquid bloom set this year. It is from Fox Farms and so far I've liked the results of their products. Jay
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Carolyn can it not be tobacco or nicotine related without being TMV? Are you a specialist in the field? ***** Taz, that's a double negative but if you're asking if tobacco products can be the cause of disease with tomatoes without TMV possibly appearing,then the answer is no, I know of no documented disease caused just by smoking products. TMV was originally insected transmitted until TMV tolerant tobacco was grown commercially in the US when now it's different and mechanical transmission is what happens in most cases and especially in commercial greenhouses. I hope one of those two answers is appropriate to your question. Am I a specialist? You can read some of my background at my page. Do I have a Ph.D in plant infectious diseases, no I don't. But I was raised on a farm where we had acres of tomatoes, will be 71 in June, have grown about 2500 hundred varieties myself, have a good understanind of infectious diseases in humans, which I taught, as well as vegetables and fruits, worked with the Cornell Coop Ext in two different counties, have done lots of teaching of Master Gardeners as well as field days re diseases, have been posting online about tomato infectious diseases since 1989 and have done clinics on IDing tomato diseases here and there. And have wrote a book about Heirloom Tomatoes, after being asked to do so. I've been retired since 1999 , from teaching, b'c of mobility problems, severed four quads in 2004, have two new hips and still have to use a walker, and still continue to grow stuff in much less numbers, all my gardening done by someone else. And being retired I have the time to read/post at four online message sites that I chose and as a Moderator at two of them. So it's up to you to decide if I have a good undertanding of tomato diseases and diagnosis of many of them. No one person, even a tomato pathologist, knows it all, but I usually have enough information to help folks looking for answers online to the best of my ability and I don't know ALL the answers either. Carolyn, being also honest but not rude as you posted above.And who also finds this site is sometimes contentious , as do many others, which is why in 2006 many of us moved to a different site but I usually drop in here from time to time anyway as do a few others who also moved elsewhere.
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I do not expect to save the plants that have lost their blossoms but I am hoping that the new Big Boys I planted will not suffer as much. It isn't a question of "saving the plants". The plants will be fine just as is. They just won't set fruit. Same goes for any others planted at the wrong time. This just isn't tomato growing season in Florida according to other Florida growers. As explained in the FAQ linked above, heat and high humidity make the pollen tacky and infertile. So the blossoms fall off. Plants may thrive but they won't produce fruit. Check in with all the folks over on the Florida Gardening forum for information on the proper planting times for your location. You are lucky in that you have 2 growing seasons while many of us only have one. Dave
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What about tomato blossom drop? **** it's a possibility in the zone mentioned at this time of the year but I'd expect to see withered blossoms first that hadn't been pollenized due too either too high or too low or too high humidity before I'd see the whole blossom drop at the joint. Maybe I misread the situation when the word "nipped" was used above b'c I didn't see that word as suggesting that the blossoms were withered and falling off at the joint right above them, rather, that they were being nibbled or nipped at. Carolyn
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
Too much nitrogen?

If the foliage is super green & lush & tender, that's a sign of high nitrogen.

I think variety should be on that list, as well as viral infection. Tomato Yellows will prevent fruit from setting & some varieties just do not produce as much as others - esp. indeterminates in containers which may be too small for their root systems (personal experience there).
amberroses
13 years ago
Ah, this is a case of "overworrious!" Three or four blooms dropping is not a big deal. The plant is just adjusting how many fruits it can handle. In nature not every seed sets, not every bloom becomes a flower, etc... As long as you are happy with the number of fruits that have set and the number of new blooms, don't worry about the loss of a couple blooms.
loufloralcityz9
13 years ago
Papa Jim,
Try adding Greensand to your potting mix.
Texas Greensand is an excellent source of All-Natural Iron & trace minerals. This is a slow release garden soil additive, and is a naturally occurring mineral mined from deposits in Texas. Because of it's unique structure, It loosens clay soils while enriching sandy soils, it also helps all soils with water retention, while keeping them better aerated (when used as directed). Great for alkaline soils where trace minerals are often tied up and unavailable.
Total Nitrogen(N).........................0.0%
Available Phosphate (P2O5)..........1.00%
Soluble Potash (K2O)...................5.00%
Iron (FE) minimum.....................10.70%
Sulfur(S)......................................0.05%
Magnesium(Mg)...........................1.80%

Lou
tomncath
13 years ago
Minor blossom drop, but I'd be concerned about the fertilizer too. 5ml of Foliage Pro with each watering is a bit much me thinks....

Tom
apapjim
Original Author
13 years ago
What a support group! I think I'll start by cutting my Foliage Pro back to once a week rather than every watering. I wish I could meet all you mentors at Silvia's brunch but we're going to be out of town.

Papa Jim
User
13 years ago
"this is a case of "overworrious!"

I agree completely, tomatoes and peppers commonly drop blossoms especially early blossoms for reasons known only to them.
whgille
13 years ago
Hi Papa Jim

I was going to take a pictures of my tomatoes but it is raining.:-( When using fertilizers or sprays for disease or bugs I always use very diluted amounts, I would rather put too little than too much.
Growing tomatoes in our weather it is not the easiest thing to do, they get diseased, bugs, too hot, too humid, too cold.
That is the main reason that I plant different varieties, at least some will be productive.
When I went to Echo I heard a little bit of the info on the bees and they were saying that sometimes they are gone and they don't know the reason. Try to shake the pollen when the plant is dry, sometimes that helps with the flowers.
When the weather is nice again, I will take some pictures, I have few fruiting already, not ripe yet.

Silvia
loufloralcityz9
13 years ago
I have noticed this spring that so far I haven't seen any honey bees at all on my orchard tree blooms.
Only the few self pollinating trees I have here are making any fruit.

Lou
amberroses
13 years ago
All the bees are in my yard. They love borage! I think they are ignoring the citrus and veggies though.
saldut
13 years ago
I have lots of bees, they love the roses... and my cherry-type 'maters are full of blossoms and setting fruit....sally
Ecopal
13 years ago
A few years ago I tried growing tomatoes in south florida and it was a huge disaster. All the blossoms fell and the plant itself was eaten by horn worms. I never figured out exactly what happened. Was it the soil, bugs, heat or humidity? Keep in minde this was florida in the summertime. This time around its looking good. All my container tomatoes are doing well but the flowers are still closed. My topsy turvy blossoms have droped after only three days. I freaked becouse I thought I flicked them too hard. But now I can see that small tomatoes are starting to form so I have high hopes.

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