Electric toothbrush

[Labradors2]

I'm growing some tomato plants in containers (in NC) this winter (4 Red Robins, an Arctic Rose, a Rosella Purple and a yellow cherry). They go outside on warm days which have been few and far between. The rest of the time, they have to be content with the window sill or the floor of our sunroom.

I decided to try my electric toothbrush to help them to pollinate every flower, and it seems to be working remarkably well as I have a lot of fruit on the Red Robins and the yellow cherry. I often cause little clouds of pollen with my bee-like vibrations, so I presume I am catching them at the right time. I'm a convert to the toothbrush method .

What I'd like to know is whether people think it really helps to buzz the tomato flowers in a garden where there are bees and other pollinators.

Linda

[creister]

Linda,

I used a toothbrush in my garden, and could not tell if it made a difference. Usually I just grab the plant at its base and shake real good or shake the whole cage. I also live in a windy area, so that also helps shake/move the plants. Ideally I would shake each plant twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening. Not that it worked out that way but the shaking seemed to increase pollination.

I will also say, I may have not been using the best technique with the toothbrush.

[Worth1]

For the many years I have been here I have yet to see anyone do a scientific experiment to see if it really worked.


If a person were to take 40 tomato plants all of the same variety same soil same everything.

Take 10 and leave them alone.
Take 10 and use the tooth brush.
Take 10 and shake.
Take 10 and thump like I do.
Then record the results.

Then I might buy into it.

Second Tomatoes dont need a pollinator like a bee.
Tomatoes dont need any kind of insect at all.
Plants with separate male and female flowers and non self pollinating fruits and nuts along with the wind do.
Many trees just use the wind.
Many times tomatoes are pollinated before the bloom even opens up.

Worth

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by Worth1

If a person were to take 40 tomato plants all of the same variety same soil same everything.

Yes. I noticed tremendous variation in fruit-setting between the several varieties of high tunnel tomatoes I grew last spring.

Temperature would be another variable that I would be interested in seeing explored in the answer to the original question. If the temp was extreme enough to impact fruit set, then the toothbrush might be extra effective. I think part of the problem with my high tunnel plants was that I let them get too hot on mornings that I slept too late to open the doors early enough.

[NarnianGarden]

Toothbrush! The Braun bee That guaranteed my tomato flowers pollination last summer. I noticed a clear difference after I begun to use 'the electric bumble bee'in all of my plants. Neighbors might have thought I was nuts, but hey, I am a nutcase, so they didn't get me wrong at all.
With an added selection of varieties and more plants, it will be much more work next year... should I buy another electric brush for my mom's plants?! A gentle shake (the recommended way to go) just isn't effective enough to guarantee fruits.

Worth1: It's great your plants seem to do fine on their own... However, I will not do without that step anymore. It seems that to guarantee effective fertilization of all ovaries, there needs to be a visible cloud of pollen - a partial job doesn't cut it for a large variety like Black krim.
With cherries, it doesn't seem to matter, though.

[Labradors2]

Thanks folks!

I've been doing nothing for my outside plants all these years, and quite honestly, I thought the toothbrush crowd was a little nuts. Not any more!

For the inside plants, I used to give them a little tap (and before that, I made a little brush out of dog hair as I hadn't learned that tomatoes were self-pollinating)

I notice with the toothbrush that unless I place it right on the (back of the) flower, it doesn't cause the pollen to be released. In other words, simply placing it on a stem where the are multiple flowers just doesn't have the same effect so I doubt that simply tapping the stem would do much.

Guess I need to do some experimentation this summer!

Linda

[ScottinAtlanta]

I used an electric flosser and found a noticeable difference in fruit setting. I cannot meet the distinguished criteria of Worth for a counterfactual, but, dangit, I saw a difference after giggling the blossoms.

[Labradors2]

Excellent! I bet your tomatoes didn't suffer form gingivitis either.

Linda

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

I used an electric flosser and found a noticeable difference in fruit setting.

[Worth1]

I wonder if a saws all would work.
I have one of them.

Saws all.


Look I'm not cutting you guys down and I dont agree or disagree as to if it works.

I would just like someone to do the experiment.
Then it would be officially legit.
It could be put on a sticky here for all to see along with the methods used for the experiment.

Another criteria the person would have to use the same tooth brush every time and it would have to always be on full charge.
A person could write a paper on it for their degree.
Maybe even a government grant to pay for the greenhouse and raised beds.

Worth

[Lindalana]

hmm, something to think about. Linda, so you just put low humming toothbrush on top of the flower? For how long?

[Labradors2]

Oh very quickly just a quick one-second buzz, and if the flower is ready, you will see a shower of pollen! I buzz all the open flowers once a day.

Linda

Originally Posted by Lindalana

hmm, something to think about. Linda, so you just put low humming toothbrush on top of the flower? For how long?

[Fusion_power]

I highly recommend the vegibee. http://vegibee.com/

It has 5 speeds so you can pick a speed that works for most flowering plants. Tomatoes respond really well to 3 or 4 which is about twice as fast as most electric toothbrushes work. If you are doing some crossing, the vegibee will give success when an electric toothbrush does not work.

[Labradors2]

Wow! The Vegibee looks great. I guess if you're a "real" tomato breeder you can justify spending $40 for one .

Mine is just a $5 used (by me) Walmart special. Unfortunately, I cannot share, as it's now covered in yellow pollen. As I said, it seems to work very well at around 9 am on my inside container tomato plants.

Linda

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

I highly recommend the vegibee. http://vegibee.com/

It has 5 speeds so you can pick a speed that works for most flowering plants. Tomatoes respond really well to 3 or 4 which is about twice as fast as most electric toothbrushes work. If you are doing some crossing, the vegibee will give success when an electric toothbrush does not work.

[creister]

Worth,

That is a great idea. I have a battery power saws all that dosent cut much, maybe that would be a use for it. I think I will try it this year. Just have to remove the blade.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by creister

Worth,

That is a great idea. I have a battery power saws all that dosent cut much, maybe that would be a use for it. I think I will try it this year. Just have to remove the blade.

Actually you could mount the 120 VAC saw to a soilid surface then connect the place where the blade goes in to all of the plants and have it on a timer.

An automatic multiple plant shaker.

Worth