so when is it time to give up on certain plants?

checkerkitty · April 26, 2011

Hi everyone! I'm new here and could use some advice. I'm in the San Antonio area and have been having a big problem with blossom drop. It is unseasonably warm here now. Our normal average high is 80 degrees and we've been steadily hitting the 90's already. I started some JDs Special C-Tex Early Black in January. I put out large seedlings, most over 12 inches tall in mid March. The fruit they had on them are already starting to ripen. I have 11 of those plants out plus a mixture of other tomatoes. I have been losing all of my JD's blossoms, from what I can see. I water about once a week using soaker hoses. I used some Rocket Fuel and a little epsom salts in the bottom of each hole. I side dressed once with Tomatone. Most of my plants are a minimum of 4 feet tall. I've also been losing blossoms on the other varieties like Big Beef, Paul Robeson, Berkeley Tie Dye (which only has 2 blooms on it

), and even a little on the Sun Gold. I've been shaking the cages lightly to help the pollen drop.

So, when do you give up? The weather is not going to get any cooler and I'm assuming the weather is the culprit. I'd hate to be a plant butcher but I don't want to water plants that won't produce anything. We're already under water restrictions. I have some supposedly heat-set hybrids planted as an insurance policy: Phoenix, Heatwave II, and Tycoon. My Lemon Boys seem to be setting about 50% of the time. This is the first time I have planted such a large number of tomatoes. I have also never planted this many non-hybrid plants before.

Any suggestions? I'm a little sad over all of this.

Christy

April 26, 2011	#1
checkerkitty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 239	so when is it time to give up on certain plants? Hi everyone! I'm new here and could use some advice. I'm in the San Antonio area and have been having a big problem with blossom drop. It is unseasonably warm here now. Our normal average high is 80 degrees and we've been steadily hitting the 90's already. I started some JDs Special C-Tex Early Black in January. I put out large seedlings, most over 12 inches tall in mid March. The fruit they had on them are already starting to ripen. I have 11 of those plants out plus a mixture of other tomatoes. I have been losing all of my JD's blossoms, from what I can see. I water about once a week using soaker hoses. I used some Rocket Fuel and a little epsom salts in the bottom of each hole. I side dressed once with Tomatone. Most of my plants are a minimum of 4 feet tall. I've also been losing blossoms on the other varieties like Big Beef, Paul Robeson, Berkeley Tie Dye (which only has 2 blooms on it ), and even a little on the Sun Gold. I've been shaking the cages lightly to help the pollen drop. So, when do you give up? The weather is not going to get any cooler and I'm assuming the weather is the culprit. I'd hate to be a plant butcher but I don't want to water plants that won't produce anything. We're already under water restrictions. I have some supposedly heat-set hybrids planted as an insurance policy: Phoenix, Heatwave II, and Tycoon. My Lemon Boys seem to be setting about 50% of the time. This is the first time I have planted such a large number of tomatoes. I have also never planted this many non-hybrid plants before. Any suggestions? I'm a little sad over all of this. Christy