Residual blossoms - to pluck or not pluck?

[attml]

Just wondering what others do when a blossom has converted into a small tomato and the residual blossom is still attached? Do you pull them or do you just leave them attached? I always try to pluck mine off gently but have always wondered if that is the right thing to do? I guess I have this silly notion that by leaving it on it will cause blemishes on the bottom of the fruit? I am sure I have pulled some tiny tomatos off accidentaly over the years which is always frustrating. Just wondering what others do and was hoping someone could chime in about my blossum paranoia. :-) Thanks!

Mark

[ContainerTed]

If the blossom hasn't dropped off on its own accord after the tomato is set, I'll usually pluck them off. My only concern is that the presence of that organic material might retain moisture and increase the chance of mold or fungus.

If I see one, I usually take it off. However, I don't make a special trip to the garden just to look for hanging blossoms. On the positive side, it does give me another reason to look the plant and fruit over for the long list of maladies and qualities to which they are both susceptible.

Imagine a garden with about 200 Cherry-type tomato plants in full production.
Aaacckk!!!! Now there's a "blossom-pickin' nightmare".

The only negative with leaving them on that I've run into is pictured below. Yellow Pear seems especially prone to this.

I think that first picture was a "girl" tomato in her hula skirt.

Ted

[attml]

Ted,

Thanks for the reply and I love the hula girl! That is crazy looking! Amazing the things nature creates!

I have seen a few where the blossom gets pushed off to one side and creates an almost catfacing type deformity, which after seeing it the first time I guess is what I am trying to avoid. Thanks for sharing the pictures!

I couldn't imagine removal on a bunch of cherries. Fortunately, they don't give me much trouble since they seem to grow quickly. That is a good thing because I am growing Black Cherry, Sungold, Snow White, Camp Joy, Matt's Wild Cherry, Gardner's Delight, Blondkopfchen and an unknown cherry that came from my Brandywine seeds this year? That would be a lot of blossoms to pull!

Mark

[attml]

Anyone? Buehler, Buehler? Anyone?

[cleo88]

I confess I am also a blossom-picker and I have never had a problem with a fruit from doing it. But I don't grow cherries, so this doesn't drive me insane. I have two children for that.

[matereater]

Mark, I pick my blossoms off too when I see them. No scientific proof that it causes deformed toms, but in my opinion it does or can, so I pick when I see them.