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tomatoes and eggplant won't set fruit

9 years ago

I moved into an apt with a tiny patio garden that had been used by the previous tenant(s). This is within blocks of the Rio Grande in the desert of South Central NM. The soil is sandy, not caliche.

I dug it up and amended it with some bagged garden soil, peat moss, and then planted tomatoe plants, eggplant, bell pepper, and cucumber, green bean, Nastursium, and various herb seeds, and fertilized the whole shebang. Now, a month and a half later, since the beginning of the monsoon season, the first week of July, the weather has cooled, and the plants have grown by leaps and bounds and have lots of blossoms on them, (it is mid-August), but haven't been setting fruit, except for the bell pepper plant which has several little bells coming on. The Eggplant keeps dropping blossoms.

Another mysterious thing, I've never had issues growing nastursiums or herbs anywhere I've lived, but here, the seeds sprout and then remain minature and don't grow even in fertilzed soil. What could be causing these strange issues.

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Comments (5)

hortster
9 years ago
Not sure about the eggplant, but too much fertilizer can cause tomatoes to grow lots of foliage and not set any of the blooms. Also, high temperatures by themselves can cause tomatoes not to set.

There may also be a soil pH problem - have a soil test done and find out what you might need pH-wise and also you might find micronutrient deficiencies.
Kimmsr
9 years ago
Tomatoes and Eggplants are self pollinating, mostly. What affects that is watering and wind, as well as temperatures. Temperatures that are too high or too low (about 60 to 90 degrees) can prevent fruit set. Plants stressed because of too much or too little water can also fail to set fruit. Many times people will plant these in a protected area with little wind which is necessary to move the plants so the pollen can go from the stamen can reach the pistal . Little or no wind means the grower needs to periodically shake the plant to achieve the same result.
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Do you know how long it takes from the setting of a fruit to edible fruit? This week is supposed to be quite nice (finally) so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping maybe, just maybe, I can get a few eggplants. Dave, sounds like you love them too. I have a Lebanese bunching, a long purple (think that might actually be its name, but not sure), Rosa Bianca, Beatrice, and Nadia. franeli, I may just try that next year. I can easily put the clay pots in the garden area so they are out of my way. Thank you for the idea. Although, this is the first time in eight years of growing eggplants that I haven't had fruit. Thank you all, Ann
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How have you been fertilizing them? They are kind of picky eaters and if you give them too much nitrogen by itself, they won't ever fruit (same with peppers too). If you haven't fertilized them at all, then you're depending on your soil to give them the nutrients they need and it's usually lacking in at least one area. If you give them a little Phosphorous heavy fertilizer, they should start fruiting. I usually give less than the recommended amount, but more frequently.
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It might just be too warm!! Go figure!! My tomatoes were planted in May and because my greenhouse was too warm throughout the summer they are just starting to ripen now. Check this link on Tomato Ripening: http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=91 If you can't open the link, the most important info is this "The optimum temperature for ripening tomatoes is 70 to 75F. When temperatures exceed 85 to 90 F, the ripening process slows significantly or even stops."
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Who told you the 3-days-at-72-degrees bit? There's a lot of bad tomato folklore out there.... AFAIK, the pollen becomes non-viable if daytime lows are 90-95 degrees and nighttime lows are either below 55 or above 75. There is some variation by variety (and cherries will set at higher temperatures). The FAQ says "Fruit set will resume when temperatures moderate." Why are the blooms on my tomato plant dying and falling off? The only high-temperature effect I'm aware of is on the pollen. So the plant should continue to make flowers, and those flowers should set fruit when temperatures are more favorable. [Have you ever experienced a hot summer where tomato plants continued to grow but no longer flowered?] Now, high humidity is another factor: it also makes pollen non-viable. I don't know the figures for overly-high humidity. And on a stressed plant, tiny, developing blossoms will often drop for whatever reason (I assume mostly either inadequate water or the plant has already set as many fruit as it can take care of).
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i also though of hyper fertilization ....

not to mention you planted.. not in spring.. but in mid summer ... many things are planted in spring.. so as to grow a root mass .. to prepare themselves for the heat of summer ...

being out of phase to mother nature MIGHT be an issue ...

contact your local extension office.. and ask about the local soil ... or have a soil test done ...

you seem to have an inclination.. toward thinking plants are children.. and need to be fed ... back in the day.. i harmed more things on this premise.. than i ever did good ...

be very careful about this ... i would never fert seedlings.. thru incorporation .. i would watch the plants.. and give them what they need thru observation ....

ken
DesertGroove
Original Author
9 years ago
All these replies were very helpful. For just one example, I had no idea that eggplant was self pollinating. I do shake the tomato plants daily. I

was happily surprised when I noticed small tomatos forming on the vine now. Perhaps it is indeed the change of hot weahter to cooler weather. Perhaps the eggplant will set fruit as well. I'll give the beautiful blooms a shake to remind them in the morning.

Still baffled why the herbs and nasturtiuns are in minature and haven't grown. I've been dubious about the quality of the soil since moving in here. So...it probably has to do with that.
Kimmsr
9 years ago
A location other then the United States, which is a widely diverse habitat, would be of much help in providing answers to your questions. Go to your member page to change and add information.

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