Fruit set

[brooksville]

It’s been extremely hot and dry this spring. Despite the heat we have been setting a ton of fruit. I e read that tomatoes won’t set fruit when temps reach 90 degrees. The only thing I can figure is that the tomato patch is getting shaded during the hot part of the day, after 5. We have also been watering with drip hoses for 30 minutes during the heat and feeding weekly with TTF. I am hoping that we have one of the best years we have ever had. I hope everybody else is having a good season. Thanks Tville.

John

[xellos99]

Florida University said toms wont set fruit when night temps drop below 55 F.

My toms this year I know set fruit when night temps were between 40 - 45 F.

[bower]

I've noticed that the sun from the west is what drives the heat above the comfort zone. Shade after 5 pm is a nice trick for a hot climate.
My peppers here OTOH really like a west window the best.

[Whwoz]

Never had a problem with fruit set here last summer even with temperatures getting upto 110F. Plants were grown in grey sand over silt, watered every or every second evening with pools of water lying between the lands for hours afterwards.

[edweather]

We've been hot this spring too. in the 90s almost every day, and upper 90s several days. My fruit set has been good too. The only difference I can think of, the humidity hasn't been as bad as usual.

[Shrinkrap]

I seem to recall daytime above 85 or 90 F WITH nights above 60 or so. I' m sure I'm off a bit as that combination never happens here, while I continue to struggle with fruit set. I'm thinking I've read humidity also plays a role, but we don't have that either.

But this year has been great so far,in that this week is the first time I can recall May daytime temps are in the 70s .

[b54red]

It is a 100 right now here and it has hit the 100 mark or more everyday for the past two and a half weeks and I am having good fruit set even now. It isn't what it should be for this time of the year but it is fairly good. I have watered nearly every day and feed TTF weekly and have a heavy mulch of cypress under my plants.

Many varieties of tomatoes will set fairly good in these hot dry conditions if they are kept watered, fertilized and kept to a limited number of stems despite what some experts say. There are some varieties however that have a real hard time setting any fruit in this heat but I don't usually grow too many of them. I have been enduring a real drought and have missed all the local rain showers for the last couple of months so I don't know when the constant city water will have an affect because that is all they have been getting. I am just starting to see some ripening from my earliest fruit set which happened before the drought set in and so my lowest clusters are well loaded with fruit but higher up the set is much lighter. I have new plants only about two feet tall and they are setting a few also but it has been tough on them. We really need a good rain and soon.

Bill

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by xellos99

Florida University said toms wont set fruit when night temps drop below 55 F.

My toms this year I know set fruit when night temps were between 40 - 45 F.

Florida University made a blanket statement about fruit set.
You would think these highly educated people would know better than that or they just used one variety to make such a silly unscientific statement.
Probably a commercial hybrid one to boot.
Which would be like saying all dogs bite because one dog bit someone while the other 100 dogs weren't tested.
We could call it fruitless research.

[zipcode]

Fruit set in full power at beginning of the season will be a different thing to fruit set in middle of summer with many growing fruits and reduced nutrients going to flowers. Humidity and night temps also play a big role.

[slugworth]

I purposely bought the phoenix variety for that reason.
But if you read the fine print on the label it says it won't set fruit if over 90 degrees.
so wasted trip baby- plus it's a determinate type to boot.,