Improving fruit set in the south

[adewilliams]

The past several of years, I've planted about 40ish tomato plants in containers each year. While my plants have been generally healthy, I feel like I never get the fruit set I really want. I've never had tomato plants loaded down with fruit. I know many factors can influence this. I've tried pruning less and pruning more. I've switched up fertilizers, but nothing seems to change. Looking at my tomato plants this year, it seems to be the same old story. (I should also mention that I've had so much rain that I'm about to build an ark.) Maybe it's just the heat? However, I'm just curious if anyone has any methods they recommend that I try.

[Dak]

Have you tried hand pollinating? (Vibrating toothbrush or tuning fork?)

[Starlight]

Yep, needing an ark down here too.

I'm no expert, but one thing that Lee taught me was when the plants were little and I was transplanting first into 4" pots than 1 gallons and then up was to put my soil in, put a small ring of TT around that soil and then put my seedling in. It seemed to really help the seedlings develop stronger roots and better growth.

I go out early every morning and do the tomato shake. I shake, shake, my plants. I tried an electric toothbursh one year, but ending up destroying more blooms. All depend on the cultivars too. I have some plants loaded, some with only one huge tomato and some that over 9' tall and not the first tomato on and only few blooms.

When we had them couple days of 98F weather, I had almost all the blossoms dry up and fall off. I still out there picking those dead blooms off.

Do you have or have you tried a light weight shade cloth or moving your plants since you in containers to a spot where they only get morning or evening sun? Makes a big difference that little bit of shade.

[Spartanburg123]

Adewilliams- are your blossoms dropping, or are the pollinating but just not setting fruit? I had no blossom drop at all, but the blossoms were very delayed in swelling the fruit. I found that adding Scott's Super Bloom (high in phosphate) dissolved in water to the plants caused the little dormant fruit to start swelling like somebody turned on a light switch! It is known that phosphate helps with flowering, and it may also help with fruit set after pollination. Just my two cents!

[zipcode]

Fruit not dropping but not developing either is caused by overly vegetative growth. Those flowers were already pollinated.

As for setting in heat, the young plants will do it much better, up to third cluster or so. Probably too much work to keep topping and putting out new plants though.
Good fertilizer applied regularly in small amounts should also help. Humidity is also a big factor for poor pollination. Helping them pollinate manually with an electric toothbrush could be a reasonable solution.

[Spartanburg123]

Zip, yep. I probably had too much nitrogen, and the hit of phosphate set them off. Maybe Adewilliams has the same issue....

[carolyn137]

I think the best advice ever given was by Linda Sapp, who owns Tomato Growers Supply in Fort Myers,FL.She gave it both at her website and also in her catalogs.

She said you have to get those plants out and going and setting fruits before the hot humid weather arrives and that b/c, now my words,b/c high sustained heat can destroy the pollen and high sustained humidity can clump the pollen making it useless and if you have both then that's a real BAD problem.

Carolyn

[adewilliams]

Dak, I've hand-pollinated in the past, but haven't had as much time this year. I'll get my electric toothbrush out and see if that helps.

Starlight, I've never tried shade cloth, but I know people swear by it. I just wonder f it would help since it's been so overcast and rainy?

Spartanburg 123, I think my real problem is just not enough flowers in the first place. At least, that's my perception. If I can get them pollinated, they seem to do ok. I just started using TTF to help with this, but we've had so much rain, I think it has been flushed out of the soil pretty quickly.

Carolyn, I think you're right. I start my tomatoes mid February, so they can out around April 15, which is our last expected frost date. Maybe starting a couple weeks earlier wouldn't hurt.

[b54red]

There are several problems with growing in containers here in the deep south.

Number one is the heat and humidity. Mulch your containers with something like cypress mulch to help keep them a bit cooler and reduce evaporation. Never let them dry completely or all your blooms will fall off.

The second problem I found with container plants was that they needed many more regular feedings than in ground plants to stay healthy and productive. I found that Texas Tomato Food greatly increases the amount of fruit set especially in container plants. You need to feed them with it every week for four or five weeks then flush the container with a good soaking of plain water then resume the feeding schedule of course the heavy rains we have been having will eliminate the need for flushing with plain water at least right now.

The third problem is allowing too much new growth and too many stems on the plant.
You do need to limit the number of growth tips by limiting the number of stems you allow and remove most if not all suckers so the plant can put more of its energy into actually setting fruit instead of just blooms.

Another problem that is a constant down here is the threat from both diseases and pests. Keep the plants sprayed regularly with Daconil and alternate with a copper spray. Keep a sharp eye out for stink bugs, whiteflies, aphids, leaf footed bugs and worst of all spider mites and deal with them quickly before they become a major problem.

I grow tomato plants and produce tomatoes all summer long despite the heat but I grow in raised beds which are easier to keep cool and not as prone to the ups and downs of container growing. I am able to produce tomatoes even in the hottest weather but it isn't easy and it is certainly not as rewarding as growing tomatoes in the early part of the season when they need far less attention and care. I think it would be even more difficult in containers because they would be much harder to keep cooler and evenly moist without a lot of work. Another problem with container plants is if you use a mix that doesn't drain well then the container becomes soggy unhealthy. I found that one out the hard way.

To keep it short mulch the heck out of them, feed them TTF and prune them.

Bill

[adewilliams]

Originally Posted by b54red

There are several problems with growing in containers here in the deep south.

Number one is the heat and humidity. Mulch your containers with something like cypress mulch to help keep them a bit cooler and reduce evaporation. Never let them dry completely or all your blooms will fall off.

The second problem I found with container plants was that they needed many more regular feedings than in ground plants to stay healthy and productive. I found that Texas Tomato Food greatly increases the amount of fruit set especially in container plants. You need to feed them with it every week for four or five weeks then flush the container with a good soaking of plain water then resume the feeding schedule of course the heavy rains we have been having will eliminate the need for flushing with plain water at least right now.

The third problem is allowing too much new growth and too many stems on the plant.
You do need to limit the number of growth tips by limiting the number of stems you allow and remove most if not all suckers so the plant can put more of its energy into actually setting fruit instead of just blooms.

Another problem that is a constant down here is the threat from both diseases and pests. Keep the plants sprayed regularly with Daconil and alternate with a copper spray. Keep a sharp eye out for stink bugs, whiteflies, aphids, leaf footed bugs and worst of all spider mites and deal with them quickly before they become a major problem.

I grow tomato plants and produce tomatoes all summer long despite the heat but I grow in raised beds which are easier to keep cool and not as prone to the ups and downs of container growing. I am able to produce tomatoes even in the hottest weather but it isn't easy and it is certainly not as rewarding as growing tomatoes in the early part of the season when they need far less attention and care. I think it would be even more difficult in containers because they would be much harder to keep cooler and evenly moist without a lot of work. Another problem with container plants is if you use a mix that doesn't drain well then the container becomes soggy unhealthy. I found that one out the hard way.

To keep it short mulch the heck out of them, feed them TTF and prune them.

Bill

Thanks, Bill! I'll get to work this week pruning, feeding and mulching.

Ade

[My Foot Smells]

I've never had any success growing a tomato in a container other than a cherry type.

You do not mention your "container." That could be a problem. Size matters. But they also heat up quickly and need frequent watering.

Marsha, down there in FLO, uses the EB's and seems to do well. Has me tempted to give one of those a try one day.

I have gone as far as to using 1/2 a 55 gallon drum that a shot up with a bunch of holes. No where near the in ground #'s.

However, containers do well for a lot of things; just not the big indeterminate toms, in my experience. ymmv

[BigVanVader]

I think the hot soil is the biggest issue with fruit set in containers. If your container is hot to the touch your fruit set will suffer.

[Lasairfion]

I'm not sure why, but Youtube threw up a video suggestion for me last night about tomatoes. I don't think I've ever heard of people spraying apple juice on their tomato blossoms before. I wonder if it works?

Using Apple Juice to Set Blossoms Note according to the video comments he means 'Ethylene' when he says 'Methane'

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by Lasairfion

I'm not sure why, but Youtube threw up a video suggestion for me last night about tomatoes. I don't think I've ever heard of people spraying apple juice on their tomato blossoms before. I wonder if it works?

Using Apple Juice to Set Blossoms Note according to the video comments he means 'Ethylene' when he says 'Methane'

Ha, ha. Maybe if I FART in my tomato patch it will set more fruit.

Haven't heard of squirting with apple juice, maybe the juice attracts bees; but I think all those blossom set products are gimmicks.

if the weather is favorable and you have pollinators and your tomatoes have plenty of flowers, it is as simple as that, imo.

the weather plays a big role.

.....that guy in the vid has too much time on his hands.

[BigVanVader]

Ha, ha. Maybe if I FART in my tomato patch it will set more fruit.

Mine get blasted on the reg, so far my fruit set is great. Anecdotal? Yes, but it feels good and they don't seem to mind.