newbie question. .plenty of flowers but only a few. ..

00approved · June 24, 2015

hello all,

I am New to growing tomatoes and have a question.
I am growing in 5 gal buckets on my deck I get tons of light and
plants are huge.,, I have TONS of flowers but only a few tomatoes
growing....I am using a quality organic soil and been feeding fish fertilizer and
Fox farm big bloom...help! please

Jdubst13 · June 29, 2015

Chance are flowers are not getting pollinated. If you don't have a lot of bee's around you can hand pollinate by gently flicking them or the best way is to use an electric toothbrush directly on the flower.

-John

KarenO · June 29, 2015

temperature and humidity play a big part in fruit set, High humidity and temps above 85 will interfere with pollination.
If the blooms are not dropping off, just be patient, they may have set.
KarenO

b54red · June 29, 2015

One problem may be too many growth tips. Lots of stems will result in lots of blooms on most of the suckers and stems but usually I get very little fruit set when I allow too many stems to grow. I rarely let a plant have more than three or four stems. Another thing that will cause blooms to drop without pollinating is if the plants get too dry. The stress from that seems to cause a lot of blooms to just drop off. This is something I see during times when I am trying to lessen the water intake of my tomatoes to get better tasting fruit that is at the ripening stage. When I cut back severely on the watering to benefit the flavor I get a lot of blossom drop from blooms further up the plant. Of course extreme heat and humidity will lessen fruit set also.

I have found that weekly feedings of TTF helps my fruit set even in the hottest weather. Mulching the tops of the pots with a heavy mulch to keep the soil a little cooler and the moisture level more stable will also help.

Bill

SharonRossy · June 29, 2015

I would also add to resist the temptation to over fertilize. Growing in containers is tricky and you will get lots of foliage and flowers but maybe not fruit. Like Karen said, be patient, many of those flowers will set fruit.
Sharon

June 24, 2015	#1
00approved Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1	newbie question. .plenty of flowers but only a few. .. hello all, I am New to growing tomatoes and have a question. I am growing in 5 gal buckets on my deck I get tons of light and plants are huge.,, I have TONS of flowers but only a few tomatoes growing....I am using a quality organic soil and been feeding fish fertilizer and Fox farm big bloom...help! please

June 29, 2015	#2
Jdubst13 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: San Diego Posts: 27	Chance are flowers are not getting pollinated. If you don't have a lot of bee's around you can hand pollinate by gently flicking them or the best way is to use an electric toothbrush directly on the flower. -John

June 29, 2015	#3
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	temperature and humidity play a big part in fruit set, High humidity and temps above 85 will interfere with pollination. If the blooms are not dropping off, just be patient, they may have set. KarenO

June 29, 2015	#4
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	One problem may be too many growth tips. Lots of stems will result in lots of blooms on most of the suckers and stems but usually I get very little fruit set when I allow too many stems to grow. I rarely let a plant have more than three or four stems. Another thing that will cause blooms to drop without pollinating is if the plants get too dry. The stress from that seems to cause a lot of blooms to just drop off. This is something I see during times when I am trying to lessen the water intake of my tomatoes to get better tasting fruit that is at the ripening stage. When I cut back severely on the watering to benefit the flavor I get a lot of blossom drop from blooms further up the plant. Of course extreme heat and humidity will lessen fruit set also. I have found that weekly feedings of TTF helps my fruit set even in the hottest weather. Mulching the tops of the pots with a heavy mulch to keep the soil a little cooler and the moisture level more stable will also help. Bill

June 29, 2015	#5
SharonRossy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,140	I would also add to resist the temptation to over fertilize. Growing in containers is tricky and you will get lots of foliage and flowers but maybe not fruit. Like Karen said, be patient, many of those flowers will set fruit. Sharon