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Fertilising tomato plants

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  • #1

    Fertilising tomato plants

    My first every tomato plants are finally growing flowers :-) Two of my plants are in the same pot (which maybe isn't the best idea, but they're too big now to do anything about that). One of them is smaller than the other and the flowers are rather obscured by all the foliage so I'm concerned that pollinators may not notice the flowers. I'll be keeping an eye on the wildlife to see if I see things buzzing around, but I'm wondering whether it's worth fertilising them by hand. What's the best way to do this? (Touching a brush between flowers?).

    On a related note, when should the fertilisation process happen? The plant in question has two sets of flowers, the majority of which are not fully open yet. How long would I expect from fertilisation to fruit setting?

    TIA

    Chris
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  • #2
    First of all, how big is the pot they are in and how far apart are the stems?

    Are they in the house or greenhouse?

    What type of tomato are they?

    How tall are the plants?

    With answers to those, it will be easier to advise further. However, the fertilisation seems (to my experience) to occur fairly easily once there are a few flowers open, insects will find the flowers, don't worry about that. Takes a few days for the flower to fully open and then wither. Once it has withered and dropped off, you will see a weeny tomato - really tiny - right up in the greenery which covered the flower bud (sorry, have forgotten the proper name for it).
    Happy Gardening,
    Shirley

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    • #3
      I don't think you need to worry - tomatoes are (usually) self-pollinating. Insects may get involved, but it is not essential.

      Each tomato flower contains the pollen (on anthers) and the receptor (the stigma). With these bits close together it's a good bet that they will be fertilised without intervention.

      Problems usually arise not through a lack of insects, but too high temperatures (which can kill the pollen) and lack of air circulation. Sometimes, if the plant is in a particularly bad way, the pollen may not be viable in itself, but I believe this is pretty rare.

      Remember, tomatoes don't need to be grown at the same high temperatures as more tender crops like peppers, chillis, aubergines and melons, hence you can grow them quite well outdoors. Trying to keep them too warm may cause more problems that we realise.

      I hope that helps steady your nerves.

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      • #4
        I tap the stems of my tomatoes daily when I do my mid-morning inspection of the greenhouse. They will fertilise themselves, they don't need insects, just something to loosen the pollen. If you watch, you can actually see the pollen falling off the flowers.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by rustylady View Post
          I tap the stems of my tomatoes daily when I do my mid-morning inspection of the greenhouse. They will fertilise themselves, they don't need insects, just something to loosen the pollen. If you watch, you can actually see the pollen falling off the flowers.
          Yes That's what the green house farmer do here Rust lady. Close to where I live there are lots of green houses (for tomatoes, courgette, cucumber,paprikas,...roses cultivations ). each spring ( for only 1 day, actually only 4 hours or so ) they are open for public visiting and testing their produce for free. I have been there, they actually let the wind fertilize their tom, if it has no wind , they use big fan and some time manually by shaking the plant . They applied the same methode for paprikas too .

          Momol
          I grow, I pick, I eat ...

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          • #6
            well I'll be... I thought paprika was some sort of artificial flavour loved over in Germany where aaaaaaaaallllllll the crisps (almost)are paprika

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            • #7
              Stacey, I might be incorrect, but I think paprikas as referred to by Momol are what we term sweet peppers (been a while since I last shopped in Holland). I think the paprika as used in German flavoured crisps might be the dried,ground up seeds of those but I am not sure.
              Happy Gardening,
              Shirley

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