Blossom Drop on some beefsteaks

[BlackestKrim]

I have about 20 tomatoes planted, and all are doing fine except 3- my Brandywine, Marvel Stripe, and Prudent's Purple. While all the others are setting heavy green fruit, these have produced comparatively few flowers. Those flowers eventually withered and fell off, the stem around them browned. No fruit has set. This has occured for a couple months.

I have other medium-to-largish tomatoes that are doing fine (black krim, nyagos, cluster grande, black sea man) and cherries are doing excellent. All share same water, soil, and fertilizer treatments.

Any ideas why this happens, and what to do?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by BlackestKrim

I have about 20 tomatoes planted, and all are doing fine except 3- my Brandywine, Marvel Stripe, and Prudent's Purple. While all the others are setting heavy green fruit, these have produced comparatively few flowers. Those flowers eventually withered and fell off, the stem around them browned. No fruit has set. This has occured for a couple months.

I have other medium-to-largish tomatoes that are doing fine (black krim, nyagos, cluster grande, black sea man) and cherries are doing excellent. All share same water, soil, and fertilizer treatments.

Any ideas why this happens, and what to do?

One suggestion is that different varieties have pollen that's more or less different with respect to denaturation by high prolonged heat making it non-viable as well as pollen that is more susceptible to clumping in high humidity making it much less effective.

I know that most of my south TX tomato friends sowed seed back in late December/early january and would have had plants out for quite a while now and I'm sure that some of our TX folks here at Tville can speak more to your weather than I can and the impact on pollenation at this time of the year.

[creister]

If you can figure out a rhyme or reason to that, write a book and sell it. You will make much $$$.

Every year I have different varieties that this happens too. I have not yet figured a pattern too it all. I do believe that many of the large yellow/orange types don't like my climate. I have never had much success with the following: KBX, Aunt Gerties Gold, Brandywine Yellow, or Yoders German Yellow. They drop blossoms faster than you can blink, or so it seems.

One thing that I think was happening this year, ground moisture levels reached a point where the root zone was barely in the moisture zone. I watered deeply, and it seems more blossoms started to appear, and not drop so readily.

[creister]

I forgot to mention Prudens Purple. I grew it for a few years in a row when I first started growing tomatos. I will say, it never seemed to produce a lot of fruit, maybe about 7-8 on avg. I stopped growing it in order to try other large tasty pinks. I may try it again next year though.

[b54red]

I agree with creister, every year I have one or two that just won't set no mater what the tomatoes around it are doing. This year it is Delicious which has been blooming since early April and dropping the blooms while the plants around it set some fruit. It seems that this is more a problem with the larger varieties in my experience. My Prudens Purple set a bunch of fruit this year and then got sick, so I don't know if I'll be tasting them or not.

[BlackestKrim]

I would have thought it was the weather here in TX but they've been doing this since March when it was mild.

Can anyone recommend any large beefsteaks with excellent taste that are not prone to blossom drop in hot states? What do you grow that is typically immune to this?

[creister]

Nothing is completely immune, however, a few consistant beefstakes for me have been Neves Azorean Red, Earl's Faux, Grubs Mystery Green, Toms Yellow Wonder.

I've had some real good years from Aunt Ginny's Purple and Coustralee but not like the others listed above. I must note, Grubs was only one season, but it seemed hardy and had some heat tolerance. Last year Stump of the World produced very well for me, but that is only the 1st year for growing it.

[b54red]

Last year I had really good luck with Marianna's Peace especially later in the summer when most big beefsteaks just seem to quit. This year the big beefsteaks that have set a lot of fruit without much blossom drop are Gregori's Altai, Red Siberian, and Brandy Boy. None of them compare with Jetsetter for fruit set. It almost seems that every flower makes a fruit. Don't know how it will taste but I'm hoping for ok and that would be good enough with its' massive production.

[BlackestKrim]

Just was over watering my sister's tomatoes while she is away from town; her Brandywine and Marvel Stripe tomatoes are setting lots of heavy fruit. (She doesn't have a Prudent's Purple.) Our plants I grew from seed so they are from the same source. Thus climate is unlikely to be the only cause.

I am wondering if it has something to do with the soil nutrients. That or the watering. We both water regularly with soaker hose + timer, so I am leaning towards soil.

I wonder if there has been any experimentation on the relation between blossom drop and soil nutrients? Perhaps this merits an experiment next year. I will go ahead and test the soil and my sister's- I have an adequate testing kit.


Will definately try MP next year, and a couple of the others mentioned. Are there any varieties that are notoriously prone to blossom drop?

[amideutch]

Some links on Blossom Drop. Ami

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=h...Conditions.pdf

http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/Tomato/blossom.htm

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=h...able_guide.pdf

[creister]

I looked in one of the gardening books I have, and one cause of blossom drop was trace mineral deficiancy.

[BlackestKrim]

Do those tomato blossom sprays work at all? My grandfather swears by them, but I have no idea how they work and am somewhat skeptical.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by BlackestKrim

Just was over watering my sister's tomatoes while she is away from town; her Brandywine and Marvel Stripe tomatoes are setting lots of heavy fruit.

When was your planting date? When was her planting date? Even a week can make a difference in a hot climate.

When you say "setting" do you mean she's mostly got tiny tomatoes just now starting to form (dime to pea sized), or larger than that?

[veggie babe]

My experience is very limited but I am learning from you guys. Some but not all of my tomatoes are having blossom drop. After reading Ami's links I know the humidity has been very high, I think the watering has been o.k. I did foliar feeding this morning and general TLC, hopefull that will help. The plants look great, green lush and healthy. I am taking a wait and see attitude at this point, certainly not as good a year as last year.

Neva

[dhrtx]

It seems that some varieties have more tendency to drop than others. I had one variety that dropped blossoms until I decided it would not set anything, then proceeded to be quite productive when I thought the best temps were past. There were four of these plants at opposite corners of the tomato patch. It may be just part of the equation of which varieties thrive in your particular location.