New tomato / flower broken off

Jeff_M · May 10, 2014

Howdy,
I am growing some Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes and they tend to bloom/fruit all in a row along a branch. I notice today many broken off right above where the fruit would grow.

I touched one of the small green tomatoes lightly along a row that was missing several and it just fell off without hardly any pressure.

What is going on? Is an insect cutting them off? Or are they really fragile and high winds are knocking them off?

Sorry pretty new at this but I feel like I am losing a lot of fruit this way

PaulF · May 10, 2014

I think flower drop is fairly common particularly if the plant is under stress like too dry, too hot, too wet, too windy, too....lots of stuff. As conditions stabilize you should see fruits and flowers staying on and ripening.

Jeff_M · May 10, 2014

Well this was little green tomatoes about 1/2 normal size that dropped off, not just the flowers.

Are cherry tomatoes more prone to wind? I have some larger sized and that does not seem to be a problem.

ginger2778 · May 10, 2014

Sweet 100 is notorious for having brittle fruit"stems" that have the fruit break off. At least it happened to mine every time I grew that one. I was always able to get abundant fruit production from it, but go to pick one or even brush against it and it would often break off. I think you will get lots to grow to maturity though.
Suggestion; just in case, look closely at the blossoms and see if you see any insects on them, also look and see if any very small insects are flying around on the plants. There is one called a tomato bug (Engytatus Modesta)that causes the stems and blossoms to become brittle as it feeds by piercing and sucking mouthparts on the stems.

May 10, 2014	#1
Jeff_M Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 13	New tomato / flower broken off Howdy, I am growing some Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes and they tend to bloom/fruit all in a row along a branch. I notice today many broken off right above where the fruit would grow. I touched one of the small green tomatoes lightly along a row that was missing several and it just fell off without hardly any pressure. What is going on? Is an insect cutting them off? Or are they really fragile and high winds are knocking them off? Sorry pretty new at this but I feel like I am losing a lot of fruit this way

May 10, 2014	#2
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	I think flower drop is fairly common particularly if the plant is under stress like too dry, too hot, too wet, too windy, too....lots of stuff. As conditions stabilize you should see fruits and flowers staying on and ripening. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

May 10, 2014	#4
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Sweet 100 is notorious for having brittle fruit"stems" that have the fruit break off. At least it happened to mine every time I grew that one. I was always able to get abundant fruit production from it, but go to pick one or even brush against it and it would often break off. I think you will get lots to grow to maturity though. Suggestion; just in case, look closely at the blossoms and see if you see any insects on them, also look and see if any very small insects are flying around on the plants. There is one called a tomato bug (Engytatus Modesta)that causes the stems and blossoms to become brittle as it feeds by piercing and sucking mouthparts on the stems.