Question for those who don't bag blossoms

tam91 · May 20, 2011

I've finally got all my tomato plants in (pant pant) and am thinking in advance about some that I want to try to save seed from. I'll probably try bagging the blossoms, but I'm wondering about other possibilities. If you don't bag blossoms to save seed, what do you do?

Nothing - just figure the odds are good
Plant multiple plants, and save seed from the plant in the middle
Try to figure out when bees aren't very active
????

dice · May 21, 2011

Nothing. My cross-pollenation rates from bees, etc, are low,
below 5%.

The plant in the middle is not that likely to eliminate bee-made
crosses. I have stood and watched a bee (the large black and
yellow bumblebees that sometimes build nests in the soil here)
arrive at the end of a row, descend on a flower cluster on
the last plant in the row about 4' off the ground, buzz all of
the open flowers in the cluster, then move onto the next plant
at the same height from the ground, and do the same thing.
It ignored flower clusters with open flowers below that height
and above that height (even though there were some). It worked
right on down the whole row, buzzing flower clusters on each
plant in turn at 4' off the ground. (Apparently that was its "best
chance of success" height at that time of year or something.)

If that bee showed up in a row of your plants, it would have
pollen on its belly from every plant in the row by the time it
arrived at the last plant.

(My solution was not to save seed from any fruit from those
clusters at that height in that row.)

mcsee · May 21, 2011

I guess you have to weigh up growing a plant for the whole season, only to find out that very seed you sowed carried a cross and what you were hoping for isn't going to happen. It takes very little effort to bag a few trusses and if it's a variety you really want, then you have to decide early what you want to do.

But don't let me put you off what you plan to do.

**Lee** · May 21, 2011

Bagging is a great, fairly easy, and inexpensive way to ensure pure seed.
That being said, I'm not doing it now because there are no bees visiting the few
open tomato flowers.
Without the bees, my chances of cross pollinated seed are still 0%.

Lee

mcsee · May 21, 2011

Bagging isn't all that well practiced here in Australia, I do it, but I don't know anyone else here that does it to the same extent I do. I guess it's a personal choice thing.

tam91 · May 21, 2011

I probably will try bagging. I agree, it would be a bummer to grow a plant a whole season, then find it's a cross.

I just know some people don't, and I was just curious what they do.

travis · May 21, 2011

Chance cross pollination has given me several interesting and worthy tomato lines to work out.

Tormato · May 21, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

Bagging is a great, fairly easy, and inexpensive way to ensure pure seed.
That being said, I'm not doing it now because there are no bees visiting the few
open tomato flowers.
Without the bees, my chances of cross pollinated seed are still 0%.

Lee

0%?

Got ants?

T

rmat

**Lee** · May 21, 2011

Yep, 0%.

And Yep, we have ants. But the ones around here aren't into pollinating.

Lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tormato

0%?

Got ants?

T

rmat

TZ-OH6 · May 22, 2011

I bag, but I also save unbagged seed from the first fruits of the season because when I did seedling tests I found that the first fruits of the season had from 0%-5% crossing while the mid season fruits had about 20%. The bee population is lower in the spring and so is the tomato flower number so the bees are off visiting a more abundant food supply. Mid season the tomato flowers are the prime source of food for them.

barkeater · May 22, 2011

TZ, Even bagging I think it is better to do it early too. I've tried bagging in mid summer but get a lot of blossom drop then because of the heat, and the bags probably don't help either.

TZ-OH6 · May 22, 2011

Yes, I get better results bagging early in the season, but am often a little late getting started, or short on bags so that the first truss flowers before I get to it. I'm happy if I get the second trusses bagged. After that fruit set in the bags is poor. Same for crossing tomatoes...best done early in the season.

WVTomatoMan · May 23, 2011

I don't bag. I've only had a couple of accidental crosses in 20+ years. I try NOT to save seed from fruit that set when the sweat bees were active.

Randy

May 20, 2011	#1
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	Question for those who don't bag blossoms I've finally got all my tomato plants in (pant pant) and am thinking in advance about some that I want to try to save seed from. I'll probably try bagging the blossoms, but I'm wondering about other possibilities. If you don't bag blossoms to save seed, what do you do? Nothing - just figure the odds are good Plant multiple plants, and save seed from the plant in the middle Try to figure out when bees aren't very active ???? __________________ Tracy

May 21, 2011	#2
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Nothing. My cross-pollenation rates from bees, etc, are low, below 5%. The plant in the middle is not that likely to eliminate bee-made crosses. I have stood and watched a bee (the large black and yellow bumblebees that sometimes build nests in the soil here) arrive at the end of a row, descend on a flower cluster on the last plant in the row about 4' off the ground, buzz all of the open flowers in the cluster, then move onto the next plant at the same height from the ground, and do the same thing. It ignored flower clusters with open flowers below that height and above that height (even though there were some). It worked right on down the whole row, buzzing flower clusters on each plant in turn at 4' off the ground. (Apparently that was its "best chance of success" height at that time of year or something.) If that bee showed up in a row of your plants, it would have pollen on its belly from every plant in the row by the time it arrived at the last plant. (My solution was not to save seed from any fruit from those clusters at that height in that row.) __________________ -- alias

May 21, 2011	#4
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	Bagging is a great, fairly easy, and inexpensive way to ensure pure seed. That being said, I'm not doing it now because there are no bees visiting the few open tomato flowers. Without the bees, my chances of cross pollinated seed are still 0%. Lee __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.

May 21, 2011	#6
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	I probably will try bagging. I agree, it would be a bummer to grow a plant a whole season, then find it's a cross. I just know some people don't, and I was just curious what they do. __________________ Tracy

May 22, 2011	#11
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	TZ, Even bagging I think it is better to do it early too. I've tried bagging in mid summer but get a lot of blossom drop then because of the heat, and the bags probably don't help either. __________________ barkeater

May 21, 2011	#3
mcsee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Victoria. Australia Posts: 543	I guess you have to weigh up growing a plant for the whole season, only to find out that very seed you sowed carried a cross and what you were hoping for isn't going to happen. It takes very little effort to bag a few trusses and if it's a variety you really want, then you have to decide early what you want to do. But don't let me put you off what you plan to do.

May 21, 2011	#7
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	Chance cross pollination has given me several interesting and worthy tomato lines to work out.

May 22, 2011	#10
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 848	I bag, but I also save unbagged seed from the first fruits of the season because when I did seedling tests I found that the first fruits of the season had from 0%-5% crossing while the mid season fruits had about 20%. The bee population is lower in the spring and so is the tomato flower number so the bees are off visiting a more abundant food supply. Mid season the tomato flowers are the prime source of food for them.

May 23, 2011	#13
WVTomatoMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: West Virginia - Zone 6 Posts: 594	I don't bag. I've only had a couple of accidental crosses in 20+ years. I try NOT to save seed from fruit that set when the sweat bees were active. Randy