Getting Plants to set fruit.

[semi_lucid]

I Have 100+ tomato plants that have grown to large size plants, but fruit set has been disastrously poor.

I live near Amarillo, Texas, and the drought and heat have been brutal this summer.

I'm still hoping to make some fall tomatoes if the freezing weather holds off a bit later than usual. I'm hoping I might keep the plants going into early to mid November if I cover them with plastic at night.

Is there anything I can do to get them to set some fruit?

My peppers have done fairly well despite the heat.

John

[ScottinAtlanta]

I am a newbie, so you should discount what I have to say, but I had good success with the electric toothbrush pollination approach this summer. It tripled my fruit.

[b54red]

We had an extremely dry summer and fall last year and would go over a month at a time with no rain with temps near or above 100 yet I was still able to get some good fruit set on some varieties. I found that frequent and heavy watering was the main difference. It seems that when the soil gets too dry in hot weather the tomatoes just tend to drop their blooms. It also helps to give them a little additional fertilizer. Keep the number of growth tips limited or you will just end up with a bunch of little bitty toms. I can't emphasize how important heavy watering is to the fruit set until cooler temps arrive.

[ContainerTed]

The high temps will greatly restrict the fruit set on almost all tomato plants. This is not a normal year and all of us have had to accept what mother nature has allowed us to have this time around.

Do your best to keep the plants healthy and when the temps subside, the output will pick up quickly.

[semi_lucid]

Originally Posted by b54red

I can't emphasize how important heavy watering is to the fruit set until cooler temps arrive.

The temps are starting to cool down. Take a look at this weather forecast in the link, I can't believe it, lows in the 50's. Up until now it has been very hot.

http://myhighplains.com/weather

Thanks for your reply's

[b54red]

I got up to a light but steady drizzle that is supposed to last for at least two days. Hallelujah!

[semi_lucid]

I got an 1.25 inches of rain last night, that's as much as I've had all year up until now.

It's cooling off some here, 4000 ft above sea level on the desert high plains. It will be interesting to watch and see if my plants start setting fruit.

I have a few honey bees coming around, and also some smaller bees, small butterfly's and hoverfly's. They all seem to ignore the tomato blossoms and go to the pepper blossoms and other flowers. Maybe I need some bumble bees.

Some people around here believe that you should beat tomato plants and break them down a bit. I guess they mean to simulate a hail storm. Over the years I've had several people tell me to do that, but it sounds like crazyness to me.

John