tomato pollination
Are insects necessary to pollinate tomatoes. Was thinking about
making insect proof cage of plastic window screening to keep them away but was wondering if the bigs are essential for pollination. My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams |
tomato pollination
As I understand it, tomatoes can be pollinated by the wind, so in that
respect you would probably be ok. But I wonder what you would be trying to accomplish with the "insect proof cage"? In my experience, tomatoes are not particularly prone to insect damage. The exception might be tomato hornworms, but they are large and relatively easy to spot and remove. And it seems to me that it would be very difficult to exclude all insects, given that you need access to the plants to prune and pick. There's bound to be a spot where something as small as an insect could gain access, and you might end up trapping more insects than you exclude. It doesn't seem like a very practical or necessary idea. Cheers, Sue Zone 6, Southcentral PA Are insects necessary to pollinate tomatoes. Was thinking about making insect proof cage of plastic window screening to keep them away but was wondering if the bigs are essential for pollination. My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams |
tomato pollination
On Wed, 19 Mar 2003 19:13:28 GMT, "SugarChile"
wrote: As I understand it, tomatoes can be pollinated by the wind, so in that respect you would probably be ok. But I wonder what you would be trying to accomplish with the "insect proof cage"? In my experience, tomatoes are not particularly prone to insect damage. The exception might be tomato hornworms, but they are large and relatively easy to spot and remove. And it seems to me that it would be very difficult to exclude all insects, given that you need access to the plants to prune and pick. There's bound to be a spot where something as small as an insect could gain access, and you might end up trapping more insects than you exclude. It doesn't seem like a very practical or necessary idea. You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms. But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and one Canadian province.) Maybe I've just been lucky. Pat -- CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/ International: http://www.thehungersite.com/ |
tomato pollination
I went for years without seeing one, too, until finally I grew some in a pot
away from the garden and got a few, however the wasps found them first and I left them to produce more of the wasps. susan Pat Meadows wrote: On Wed, 19 Mar 2003 19:13:28 GMT, "SugarChile" wrote: As I understand it, tomatoes can be pollinated by the wind, so in that respect you would probably be ok. But I wonder what you would be trying to accomplish with the "insect proof cage"? In my experience, tomatoes are not particularly prone to insect damage. The exception might be tomato hornworms, but they are large and relatively easy to spot and remove. And it seems to me that it would be very difficult to exclude all insects, given that you need access to the plants to prune and pick. There's bound to be a spot where something as small as an insect could gain access, and you might end up trapping more insects than you exclude. It doesn't seem like a very practical or necessary idea. You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms. But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and one Canadian province.) Maybe I've just been lucky. Pat -- CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/ International: http://www.thehungersite.com/ |
tomato pollination
"Pat Meadows" wrote in message ... You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms. But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and one Canadian province.) Maybe I've just been lucky. Pat I used to see lots of hornworms some 25 years ago when there wasn't much else growing in the neighborhood. Now I sometimes see their frass but seldom see any worms. I believe having lots of large trees and fruiting shrubs in the neighborhood is providing a habitat for birds and they clean up the hornworms and lots of other insect pests. The downside of having lots of birds is that some crops like lettuce in its early stages and tomatoes in their later stages need to be protected from the irds - a bit bothersome but worth it to us. -Olin |
tomato pollination
I think I'm lucky when I *do* see one 8-). I think they are interesting and
cool looking caterpillars, very impressive to come across. I only see one or two every few years, and I gladly sacrifice some tomato foliage and fruit to watch them for a couple of days. With the work of the birds and the wasps, I've never had what I would consider an infestation. Sue Zone 6, Southcentral PA "Pat Meadows" wrote in message You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms. But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and one Canadian province.) Maybe I've just been lucky. Pat |
tomato pollination
Insects are not an absolute for tomato germination but they certainly
help......as does a breeze........as does tapping the plants to "shake' the flowers......in my greenhouse days I resorted to a daily light shake of the plants and had excellent pollination.......in many of the large greenhouses an electric plant vibration system is used for causing pollination...without one of the above pollination will not take place........HW. "Frank" wrote in message ... Are insects necessary to pollinate tomatoes. Was thinking about making insect proof cage of plastic window screening to keep them away but was wondering if the bigs are essential for pollination. My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams |
tomato pollination
Pat Meadows wrote:
You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms. But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and one Canadian province.) Maybe I've just been lucky. Pat I've seen them & killed them. Nasty big green things. Last summer I checked my container-grown tomatoes every day; I did find a few & killed them. We also have bugs here that go to town on tomato leaves & stems. You have been lucky. I remember using a smallish bucket when I had to weed tomatoes as a kid; we hand-picked them & squashed them. Some years we lost quite a few plants even with vigilance. Minteeleaf |
tomato pollination
You know, I keep reading and hearing about tomato hornworms. But I've never actually SEEN one, and I've never seen any other insect-damage to tomatoes either. (I've grown tomatoes for about 25 years, in four different states and one Canadian province.) Maybe I've just been lucky. Pat I don't know about the insect proof cages either. But if you live in the southland there are several insect pests for tomatoes, The most deadly are the tiny little thrips that spread the spotted wilt virus, The tomato fruit worm (same critter as the corn earn worm but it likes to bore into toamtoes just before they get ripe) can also do a lot damage. Hornworms are rare here and so easy to spot that they are not really a consideration. |
tomato pollination
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tomato pollination
Thanks for your responses. Here in middle Georgia hornworms are
serious pests. In spite of their huge size they are difficult to spot because they are the eaxct same color as the tomatoe plants. One nights work by them is almost unmbelievable...looks like a mammal has grazed upon the plant. If I go away from hokme for several days some of plants will have no leaves when I return. There is also a sucking insect that leaves big white spots where they suck on the fruits...eventually causing rot....I suspect , but am not certain, that stinkbugs may be the culprit. Plenty of them around. Frank Thompson On Wed, 19 Mar 2003 05:57:32 -0500, Frank wrote: Are insects necessary to pollinate tomatoes. Was thinking about making insect proof cage of plastic window screening to keep them away but was wondering if the bigs are essential for pollination. My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams |
tomato pollination
On Thu, 20 Mar 2003 06:18:01 -0500, Frank
wrote: Thanks for your responses. Here in middle Georgia hornworms are serious pests. In spite of their huge size they are difficult to spot because they are the eaxct same color as the tomatoe plants. One nights work by them is almost unmbelievable...looks like a mammal has grazed upon the plant. If I go away from hokme for several days some of plants will have no leaves when I return. There is also a sucking insect that leaves big white spots where they suck on the fruits...eventually causing rot....I suspect , but am not certain, that stinkbugs may be the culprit. Plenty of them around. There's a good reason why I prefer northern gardening to more southern gardening. Our main enemy here seems to be cold. It's pretty easy to fight cold. You cover up the plants, or have a cold frame, or WalloWaters, or unheated greenhouse - or any combination of the above. But the more southern places where I gardened had an awful lot of insect/disease problems. Pat -- CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/ International: http://www.thehungersite.com/ |
tomato pollination
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tomato pollination
Aaaaeeeeeeiiii!!! You unutterable fool! Do not mention the Cursed Ones by name!!! (snipped) Pam, I got a good laugh from your post. It seems unreasonable but I have same experience with pink Brandywine and Giant Belgium pulling through when all the others succumb. Either they are resistant to the virus, or they just don't taste good to thrips. |
tomato pollination
Yes, those spots are caused by stinkbugs. In addition to sucking on the
fruit and causing the white spots and eventual rotting, they suck on the leaves and stems and damage them. They also seem to spread disease, or maybe the damage just makes the plants more susceptible. The immature stink bugs are red with black legs and black spots, and congregate in groups on the underside of foliage and fruit. They seem to like eggplant even more than tomatoes. They will also go after sweet peppers if there aren't enough tomatoes and eggplant to go around. I'm in NW Florida, and I had a PLAGUE of stinkbugs last year. They decimated my plants and crop. It was far, far worse than the year before (when I only had light leaf damage and a few damaged fruits). I was hoping that this year would be better, but I have *already* seen immature stinkbugs! I set up my garden with companion plantings to attract beneficial insects. I had lots of great insects, and the local wasp population *mostly* kept the hornworms under control, but none of those beneficial insects seem to eat the stinkbugs. Even the birds avoid them. I guess they taste as bad as they smell. With the numbers I had last year, hand-picking was completely impractical (not to mention that the little buggers can be pretty fast). They laughed at the various soap/oil/garlic/pepper spray concoctions I tried. Pyrethrins barely slowed them down. I will try neem oil this year. I don't mean to irritate the "organic-only" types, but I am at my wits' end. If neem oil doesn't work, I will resort to synthetic pesticides this year so I can get a crop. If anyone has a suggestion (that I haven't already tried), I'm listening. Hoping for better luck with tomatoes this year, Laura NW FL USDA Zone 8b "Frank" wrote in message ... Thanks for your responses. Here in middle Georgia hornworms are serious pests. In spite of their huge size they are difficult to spot because they are the eaxct same color as the tomatoe plants. One nights work by them is almost unmbelievable...looks like a mammal has grazed upon the plant. If I go away from hokme for several days some of plants will have no leaves when I return. There is also a sucking insect that leaves big white spots where they suck on the fruits...eventually causing rot....I suspect , but am not certain, that stinkbugs may be the culprit. Plenty of them around. Frank Thompson On Wed, 19 Mar 2003 05:57:32 -0500, Frank wrote: Are insects necessary to pollinate tomatoes. Was thinking about making insect proof cage of plastic window screening to keep them away but was wondering if the bigs are essential for pollination. My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams My correct e-mail address is gn052 (not gn52) Fake adddress given to avoid spams |
tomato pollination
Laura Stanley said:
[regading stinkbugs] They laughed at the various soap/oil/garlic/pepper spray concoctions I tried. Pyrethrins barely slowed them down. I will try neem oil this year. I don't mean to irritate the "organic-only" types, but I am at my wits' end. If neem oil doesn't work, I will resort to synthetic pesticides this year so I can get a crop. If anyone has a suggestion (that I haven't already tried), I'm listening. Vacuum plants daily (rather than attempt to hand-pick). Sabadilla dust is the 'natural' pesticide that is usually recommended for stink bugs. Nymphs can be killed by soap to which *isopropal alcohol* had been added (won't kill mature bugs). Spray every few days. Learn to identify, hand-pick and destroy egg masses. Clean cultivation (no refuge for the pests). Cruciferous weeds (cress, wild mustard, etc.) in particular can harbor stinkbugs. Trap crop of mustard in the fall (destroy pest and trap crop). -- Pat in Plymouth MI Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced. (attributed to Don Marti) |
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