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Question fertilizing plants
Hi,
I have a hybrid tomato genotype that I need fruits and seeds from; however it is currently not flowering, and looks rather "sad." I intend to add some fertilizer (it gets a weekly regime of fertilizer in small doses); however, I read somewhere that Bloom Boost (don't know which brand exactly) is supposed to promote flowering - which I can then hand-pollinate to obtain seeds, so as to not lose this genotype. Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Mohamed Yakub |
#2
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Question fertilizing plants
In article ,
Mohamed wrote: Hi, I have a hybrid tomato genotype that I need fruits and seeds from; however it is currently not flowering, and looks rather "sad." I intend to add some fertilizer (it gets a weekly regime of fertilizer in small doses); however, I read somewhere that Bloom Boost (don't know which brand exactly) is supposed to promote flowering - which I can then hand-pollinate to obtain seeds, so as to not lose this genotype. Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Are you trying to grow this plant indoors? If so, it may not be getting enough light. In that case, fertilizers won't help. If you move it outdoors, be sure to expose it to full sun gradually, or the leaves will burn. Most tomato cultivars will produce a cluster of blooms after they produce a set number of leaves, which is different for different cultivars. If the plant gets too stringy from lack of light, note that tomatoes root from cuttings very easily, so you can cut it up and make more plants. Self-pollinating tomatoes is very easy -- it just takes a little wind or vibration to get pollen to fall on the stigma. For greenhouse crops, it used to be standard practice to go down the row and hit each stake with a stick once a day. If you're growing the plant outdoors, you may want to cover the entire truss with cheesecloth or rowcover material before any flowers open to prevent any cross pollination. |
#3
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Question fertilizing plants
In article ,
Mohamed wrote: Hi, I have a hybrid tomato genotype that I need fruits and seeds from; however it is currently not flowering, and looks rather "sad." I intend to add some fertilizer (it gets a weekly regime of fertilizer in small doses); however, I read somewhere that Bloom Boost (don't know which brand exactly) is supposed to promote flowering - which I can then hand-pollinate to obtain seeds, so as to not lose this genotype. Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Mohamed Yakub Tomatoes need 6-8 hr. of direct sunlight daily. If you are growing it inside, it will be tall and thin as it is reaching for the sun. If you are growing this inside, you should invest in a grow light. Nitrogen will encourage vegetative growth in plants, not flowers and fruit. What you need is bone meal (P) and wood ash (K), or an organic 0-10-10. The middle number (P) is the most important for flowering. Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth, and Kent Whealy http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-T...deners/dp/1882 424581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271968573&sr=1-1 p. 155-156 Tomatoes are inbreeding plants. Most modern tomato varieties have totally retracted styles. Such flower structure severely limits (and may totally preclude) any crossing between these varieties. Three groups of tomato varieties have been found to have protruding styles, however: currant tomatoes, L. pimpinellifolium; all of the potato-leaved varieties of L. lycopersicum', and any fruit formed from double blossoms on beefsteak types of L. lycopersicum. Potato leaved tomatoes have rampant vines and smooth-edged leaves that resemble the leaves of a potato plant. Although not all tomato varieties have been examined. most modern varieties available commercially will not cross with one another due to their retracted styles. Seed savers should therefore have no problem with cross-pollination when growing one currant tomato (or one potato-leaved variety) and any number of modern varieties with styles that are covered by their anther tubes. Caging can be used to prevent crossing when more than one variety of L. pimpinellifolium or more than one potato-leaved variety of L. lycopersicum are grown in close proximity. Double blossoms, commonly seen in amongst the early flowers of beefsteak tomatoes, often have exposed stigmas, making them more prone to insect cross-pollination. Seeds should not be saved from double fruits for this reason. ---- Lightly brushing the plant with your hand several times a day, is more than sufficient, and it will make the plant stronger. Now comes the problem. You say that this is a hybrid plant? F1? The seeds that come from hybrids most likely won't give you a plant like they came from. I've seen it happen with Juliet tomatoes, but it is rare. They won't reproduce to form. I'll look back in to see if you have other questions. Otherwise, you may want to come over to rec.gardens.edible for varying opinions. -- - Billy "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html |
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