Tomato blossoms drying up - why?

ScottinAtlanta · May 27, 2021

Folks, A neighbor has her blossoms drying up like the pic. What causes that?

slugworth · May 29, 2021

Temps too hot?

zipcode · May 29, 2021

That fruit branch is very weak, the nutrients are just not going to it. Why this happens exactly is hard to tell, I had it early in the season or when the fruit load is too high, the plant decided it has better places to allocate the resources to.

Gardeneer · May 30, 2021

I second ' high temps.
My location has almost same climate as atlanta. Lately we we had tems up to high 90s. So the flowers dont get polinated. Of course there are exception depending on the varieties.

b54red · June 8, 2021

I don't think it is high temps alone but a lack of water or uneven water supply. I know it is just as hot or hotter down here and the only plants that have done that for me this year are a few that I didn't water well enough during the heat. We have had a lot of wind along with the high temps and if the plant didn't develop enough of a root system it may not be able to get enough water up the plant. I try not to water my newly set out plants until they are wilting fairly badly in order to force them to develop more roots early. One year I watered and fertilized my plants too heavily early on and when the high temps hit no amount of watering could make up for the lack of roots. I found this out by digging up a couple of them that were struggling only to find their roots had hardly grown at all because they were being over fed and watered. Once they get two feet tall and start blooming them I try to keep them well watered in hot weather and will start feeding tme a little TTF every two weeks until they get four to five feet tall then I start feeding them the full dose every 7 to 10 days and watering them when the moisture level under the mulch drops.

Another culprit that is often overlooked is spider mites. They will totally ruin fruit set by sucking the juice right out of the bloom and you will seldom see them until a week or two after the blooms have dried and left you with a tiny dead looking tomatoe where the bloom was. This usually happens to me at least once or twice every year and I look for those dried out slightly withered looking clusters to warn me of impending spider mite destruction.

Bill

May 30, 2021	#4
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	I second ' high temps. My location has almost same climate as atlanta. Lately we we had tems up to high 90s. So the flowers dont get polinated. Of course there are exception depending on the varieties. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

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May 29, 2021	#2
slugworth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: connecticut,usa Posts: 1,152	Temps too hot?

May 29, 2021	#3
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	That fruit branch is very weak, the nutrients are just not going to it. Why this happens exactly is hard to tell, I had it early in the season or when the fruit load is too high, the plant decided it has better places to allocate the resources to.

June 8, 2021	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I don't think it is high temps alone but a lack of water or uneven water supply. I know it is just as hot or hotter down here and the only plants that have done that for me this year are a few that I didn't water well enough during the heat. We have had a lot of wind along with the high temps and if the plant didn't develop enough of a root system it may not be able to get enough water up the plant. I try not to water my newly set out plants until they are wilting fairly badly in order to force them to develop more roots early. One year I watered and fertilized my plants too heavily early on and when the high temps hit no amount of watering could make up for the lack of roots. I found this out by digging up a couple of them that were struggling only to find their roots had hardly grown at all because they were being over fed and watered. Once they get two feet tall and start blooming them I try to keep them well watered in hot weather and will start feeding tme a little TTF every two weeks until they get four to five feet tall then I start feeding them the full dose every 7 to 10 days and watering them when the moisture level under the mulch drops. Another culprit that is often overlooked is spider mites. They will totally ruin fruit set by sucking the juice right out of the bloom and you will seldom see them until a week or two after the blooms have dried and left you with a tiny dead looking tomatoe where the bloom was. This usually happens to me at least once or twice every year and I look for those dried out slightly withered looking clusters to warn me of impending spider mite destruction. Bill