Small Green want LARGE red

whoose · July 10, 2015

So in my green house my toms are 7 feet tall but nothing is getting ripe. Temp is under 90 max about 50 min. I have 40% SHADE. What to do?

PaulF · July 10, 2015

Is the shade like a screen that allows only 60% sun in or are the plants in full sun 60% of the time. Muted, screened or even dappled shade will reduce the number of fruits and delay ripening.

Another thought is whether you are fertilizing with a higher nitrogen content fertilizer. Plants in lower sunlight are in the growth mode and not the reproduction mode. Same way with nitrogen fertilizer. All the energy is into growing foliage and not fruits.

You will eventually get some ripe tomatoes but production will be diminished.

bower · July 11, 2015

You can top the plants if they're getting too tall, that encourages them to put their energy into the fruit business.

Your greenhouse is similar to mine, with sides that give less light or block it. I assume E or W. My plants are always taller than the same varieties grown in other situations here in the same area, and my fruit are usually smaller than the average too. If you really want bigger fruit, pinching off blossoms to have fewer fruits per cluster will also help.

There are some tweaks I've read about, for getting fruits to set ie switching the plant from vegetative toward reproductive mode, but if your fruit are already set I think they don't apply...

Just on my observations, the fruit really pump up when relative humidity is a bit higher and temperature too. The sunny day when my greenhouse is open and cooled by a breeze is not the best day for fruit growth - it can be cloudy or raining and the greenhouse closed up but warm enough - over 70 F - and then the fruit growth is noticeable. AKMark pointed out the 60F night temperature as ideal, and I've noticed that too, the fruit get plumper overnight but not so much if the nights are closer to 50 F.

July 10, 2015	#1
whoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b Posts: 333	Small Green want LARGE red So in my green house my toms are 7 feet tall but nothing is getting ripe. Temp is under 90 max about 50 min. I have 40% SHADE. What to do?

July 10, 2015	#2
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	Is the shade like a screen that allows only 60% sun in or are the plants in full sun 60% of the time. Muted, screened or even dappled shade will reduce the number of fruits and delay ripening. Another thought is whether you are fertilizing with a higher nitrogen content fertilizer. Plants in lower sunlight are in the growth mode and not the reproduction mode. Same way with nitrogen fertilizer. All the energy is into growing foliage and not fruits. You will eventually get some ripe tomatoes but production will be diminished. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

July 11, 2015	#3
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	You can top the plants if they're getting too tall, that encourages them to put their energy into the fruit business. Your greenhouse is similar to mine, with sides that give less light or block it. I assume E or W. My plants are always taller than the same varieties grown in other situations here in the same area, and my fruit are usually smaller than the average too. If you really want bigger fruit, pinching off blossoms to have fewer fruits per cluster will also help. There are some tweaks I've read about, for getting fruits to set ie switching the plant from vegetative toward reproductive mode, but if your fruit are already set I think they don't apply... Just on my observations, the fruit really pump up when relative humidity is a bit higher and temperature too. The sunny day when my greenhouse is open and cooled by a breeze is not the best day for fruit growth - it can be cloudy or raining and the greenhouse closed up but warm enough - over 70 F - and then the fruit growth is noticeable. AKMark pointed out the 60F night temperature as ideal, and I've noticed that too, the fruit get plumper overnight but not so much if the nights are closer to 50 F.