Any variety tolerant to Blossom Drop

cecilsgarden1958 · August 5, 2013

I suffered major blossom drop from heat and humidity, but a guy I work with says he is loaded with big boys, a variety I didn't plant. Are there any varieties more tolerant to blossom drop?

tlintx · August 5, 2013

I found Red Pear and Juliet were pretty good in the heat. But my heat and humidity are pretty severe. If you're reading around, the term I see most often is "heat set".

Worth1 · August 5, 2013

Cecil it is very likely your workmate planted his earlier or had a slightly different growing climate to grow in.

I can tell you that some of the ones I have planted did so much better than others and they were of a slightly smaller type.

They where determinate or early types.
As for heat tolerance, no they just put out fruit sooner.

Red Rocket and Kimberly are fantastic tomatoes to grow down here.

As I have said many times I have given up on many verities I love.
Just not going to put all of that time into one big plant and one or two tomatoes.

Contrary to popular belief we do not have a long growing season in this part of Texas.

On top of that the conditions change from year to year.

Worth

b54red · August 5, 2013

I am experiencing very good fruit set with Pruden's Purple this summer despite the heat and humidity. I find that many of the black tomatoes like Indian Stripe, Spudakee, Cherokee Purple and JD's Special C Tex do fairly good at setting fruit despite high temps. Kosovo and Franks Large Red are setting well in the heat also this year. Lumpy Red is another that has always set well in the heat. Big Beef is also a good one during the hot weather with the added benefit of being more disease tolerant. It seems to me that some varieties are just better at setting fruit in the heat but you can never be sure until the hot weather arrives.

When it is really hot and dry the most important thing is to give the plants more than enough water. A little less than they need and the blossoms will fall off in hot weather at a terrible rate. A little boost of liquid fertilizer is also helpful during the stressful times caused by very hot weather. Some partial shade during the hottest time of the day is also helpful. No matter what steps you take the fruit set during the hot summer weather will never be what it is in the more moderate spring and fall.

Bill

Redbaron · August 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by cecilsgarden1958

I suffered major blossom drop from heat and humidity, but a guy I work with says he is loaded with big boys, a variety I didn't plant. Are there any varieties more tolerant to blossom drop?

My Sioux and The Miracle BPF set pretty good in this Oklahoma heat. And Sungold of course. But there are factors besides varieties or cultivars behind blossom drop. If you mix in a whole jungle of companion plants known to improve production in tomatoes, it helps a lot.

camochef · August 6, 2013

Once temps get into the 90's and triple digits most blossoms are going to drop off. I've found that potato leafed plants do a little better than regular leaf plants, probably due to more shade from the larger leaves.
I grow all my tomatoes in homemade cages made from cattle fencing, This keeps the plant together more than many other methods and therefore produces more shade also. It also allows for convenient shaking of the plant to aid in pollination of the blossoms. I try to shake my plants at least twice/day, usually mid morning and mid afternoon, but it wouldn't hurt to add an early evening shake also.

This allows the blossoms to self pollinate easier, thus preventing them from dropping off. I also water more during such times (around the base of the plant), and fertilize once/week with 9-12-12. Most of my plants are Pink Brandywine and Brandywine crosses with rather large blossoms and this seems to work for me.

So far this year, which is running very late here, I've been picking only ripe Pink Brandywines, (Cowlick's), and yesterday got my first two Dana's Dusky Rose. This morning's walk through showed two Amazon Chocolate ready to be clipped also.
Everything else is loaded with huge green tomatoes just starting to change color. The lower areas of each plant are simply clusters of large tomatoes and the tops are that way also, but the centers are a little light as I didn't get out to shake the plants as often as I would have liked.
Wishing you much good luck and lots of enjoyment!
Camo

August 5, 2013	#1
cecilsgarden1958 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: swPA Posts: 629	Any variety tolerant to Blossom Drop I suffered major blossom drop from heat and humidity, but a guy I work with says he is loaded with big boys, a variety I didn't plant. Are there any varieties more tolerant to blossom drop? __________________ Hybrids Rule, Heirlooms Drool!

August 5, 2013	#2
tlintx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: SeTx Posts: 881	I found Red Pear and Juliet were pretty good in the heat. But my heat and humidity are pretty severe. If you're reading around, the term I see most often is "heat set".

August 5, 2013	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Cecil it is very likely your workmate planted his earlier or had a slightly different growing climate to grow in. I can tell you that some of the ones I have planted did so much better than others and they were of a slightly smaller type. They where determinate or early types. As for heat tolerance, no they just put out fruit sooner. Red Rocket and Kimberly are fantastic tomatoes to grow down here. As I have said many times I have given up on many verities I love. Just not going to put all of that time into one big plant and one or two tomatoes. Contrary to popular belief we do not have a long growing season in this part of Texas. On top of that the conditions change from year to year. Worth

August 5, 2013	#4
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I am experiencing very good fruit set with Pruden's Purple this summer despite the heat and humidity. I find that many of the black tomatoes like Indian Stripe, Spudakee, Cherokee Purple and JD's Special C Tex do fairly good at setting fruit despite high temps. Kosovo and Franks Large Red are setting well in the heat also this year. Lumpy Red is another that has always set well in the heat. Big Beef is also a good one during the hot weather with the added benefit of being more disease tolerant. It seems to me that some varieties are just better at setting fruit in the heat but you can never be sure until the hot weather arrives. When it is really hot and dry the most important thing is to give the plants more than enough water. A little less than they need and the blossoms will fall off in hot weather at a terrible rate. A little boost of liquid fertilizer is also helpful during the stressful times caused by very hot weather. Some partial shade during the hottest time of the day is also helpful. No matter what steps you take the fruit set during the hot summer weather will never be what it is in the more moderate spring and fall. Bill

August 6, 2013	#6
camochef Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 707	Once temps get into the 90's and triple digits most blossoms are going to drop off. I've found that potato leafed plants do a little better than regular leaf plants, probably due to more shade from the larger leaves. I grow all my tomatoes in homemade cages made from cattle fencing, This keeps the plant together more than many other methods and therefore produces more shade also. It also allows for convenient shaking of the plant to aid in pollination of the blossoms. I try to shake my plants at least twice/day, usually mid morning and mid afternoon, but it wouldn't hurt to add an early evening shake also. This allows the blossoms to self pollinate easier, thus preventing them from dropping off. I also water more during such times (around the base of the plant), and fertilize once/week with 9-12-12. Most of my plants are Pink Brandywine and Brandywine crosses with rather large blossoms and this seems to work for me. So far this year, which is running very late here, I've been picking only ripe Pink Brandywines, (Cowlick's), and yesterday got my first two Dana's Dusky Rose. This morning's walk through showed two Amazon Chocolate ready to be clipped also. Everything else is loaded with huge green tomatoes just starting to change color. The lower areas of each plant are simply clusters of large tomatoes and the tops are that way also, but the centers are a little light as I didn't get out to shake the plants as often as I would have liked. Wishing you much good luck and lots of enjoyment! Camo