Estler's Mortgage Lifter with few seeds

SueCT · August 15, 2017

I just cut up my tomatoes and was surprised to find the two ML tomatoes I had were much meatier than normal, and one actually had very few seeds. Is this weather related? We have had a pretty good amount of rain this year but I haven't watered at all. These are the first two fruit of the year, so I will see what later fruits bring. My concern is that I save seeds from the Estler's Mortgage Lifter in order to keep them going from some seeds Carolyn sent me. Because I have a small garden and also plant hearts and 1 paste each year, I am concerned this might not be a true EML but some kind of cross. Not sure I should save the seeds I removed from these two, especially this one. If it was a cross, all fruit from this plant would show this and not just the early fruits, I assume. What do you think? Can I save these and just label them EML or is it likely no longer true to the original? I have saved the ones I was able to get from this.

[IMG]

IMG_1828 by Susan Albetski, on Flickr[/IMG]

IMG_1829 by Susan Albetski, on Flickr

Labradors2 · August 15, 2017

I'm sure I read somewhere that the first tomatoes of the plant sometimes lack seeds. Annoying for those of us with a lot of bee activity later in the summer! I bet you will find some seeds in your EMl's as the season wears on

Linda

**carolyn137** · August 17, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by SueCT

I just cut up my tomatoes and was surprised to find the two ML tomatoes I had were much meatier than normal, and one actually had very few seeds. Is this weather related? We have had a pretty good amount of rain this year but I haven't watered at all. These are the first two fruit of the year, so I will see what later fruits bring. My concern is that I save seeds from the Estler's Mortgage Lifter in order to keep them going from some seeds Carolyn sent me. Because I have a small garden and also plant hearts and 1 paste each year, I am concerned this might not be a true EML but some kind of cross. Not sure I should save the seeds I removed from these two, especially this one. If it was a cross, all fruit from this plant would show this and not just the early fruits, I assume. What do you think? Can I save these and just label them EML or is it likely no longer true to the original? I have saved the ones I was able to get from this.

[IMG]

IMG_1828 by Susan Albetski, on Flickr[/IMG]

IMG_1829 by Susan Albetski, on Flickr

Yes Sue,my seeds were from Chuck Wyatt who got them from Bob Estler.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...er,_Estler%27s

I offered it in several seed offers after doing my own seed production, and sent some to you since you had requested them, and Fall reports from the seed offers were all good and reflected the traits that were supposed to be present.

So I think it's something else that's giving rise to the lack of seeds in those two fruits. And yes, I'd wait to see what later fruits are like.

You can save seeds if you want to but this sounds to me like something more specific this year.

Is this the first time you are growing plants from the seeds I sent you since I thought I sent them to you several years ago,but would have to check my data book to confirm that.

( If it was a cross, all fruit from this plant would show this and not just the early fruits, I assume. What do you think? Can I save these and just label them EML or is it likely no longer true to the original? I have saved the ones I was able to get from this.)

I have no reason to consider that it is a cross. I wouldn't label them anything at all until you confirm that they are true to the original, which means maybe going back to the seeds I sent you and growing them out next year, or saving seeds from later fruits this year and doing the same for next year.

I just went back up and checked and it looks like you grew only one plant, not good to base data on just one plant IMO,if a cross was involved only by planting out several would you possibly see that, well at least 2 plants.

I never put out one plant ever, unless I was working with seeds that had very low germination % and was darn lucky to get that one plant.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

Carolyn

SueCT · August 17, 2017

Thank you, both. This might very well be environmental. I will watch future fruit this season.

Carolyn, I have grown plants from your seeds for the past 3 years, I think, and saved seeds from the fruit each year. The first year the seeds I saved I did not do well with and got poor germination. The 2nd year I saved a good number of seeds and got good germination, and the 3rd year I planted both yours and the ones I had saved from yours. This year I decided to just plant the seeds I saved from growing out what you sent me. I saw no difference between plants from your original seeds and the seeds I saved last year. I want to only grow from my own seeds when possible so i can save the last of the original seeds you sent me in case I ever need to start over. I would have seeds I knew to be true. I would only use them if the fruits from my seeds no longer seemed to give me true ML fruit or I had some kind of tragedy occur to my seeds.

August 15, 2017	#1
SueCT Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,460	Estler's Mortgage Lifter with few seeds I just cut up my tomatoes and was surprised to find the two ML tomatoes I had were much meatier than normal, and one actually had very few seeds. Is this weather related? We have had a pretty good amount of rain this year but I haven't watered at all. These are the first two fruit of the year, so I will see what later fruits bring. My concern is that I save seeds from the Estler's Mortgage Lifter in order to keep them going from some seeds Carolyn sent me. Because I have a small garden and also plant hearts and 1 paste each year, I am concerned this might not be a true EML but some kind of cross. Not sure I should save the seeds I removed from these two, especially this one. If it was a cross, all fruit from this plant would show this and not just the early fruits, I assume. What do you think? Can I save these and just label them EML or is it likely no longer true to the original? I have saved the ones I was able to get from this. [IMG]IMG_1828 by Susan Albetski, on Flickr[/IMG] IMG_1829 by Susan Albetski, on Flickr

August 15, 2017	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	I'm sure I read somewhere that the first tomatoes of the plant sometimes lack seeds. Annoying for those of us with a lot of bee activity later in the summer! I bet you will find some seeds in your EMl's as the season wears on Linda

August 17, 2017	#4
SueCT Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,460	Thank you, both. This might very well be environmental. I will watch future fruit this season. Carolyn, I have grown plants from your seeds for the past 3 years, I think, and saved seeds from the fruit each year. The first year the seeds I saved I did not do well with and got poor germination. The 2nd year I saved a good number of seeds and got good germination, and the 3rd year I planted both yours and the ones I had saved from yours. This year I decided to just plant the seeds I saved from growing out what you sent me. I saw no difference between plants from your original seeds and the seeds I saved last year. I want to only grow from my own seeds when possible so i can save the last of the original seeds you sent me in case I ever need to start over. I would have seeds I knew to be true. I would only use them if the fruits from my seeds no longer seemed to give me true ML fruit or I had some kind of tragedy occur to my seeds.