Tomato ain't producing fruit!
 

Hi all,

I hope some one here can help. I have a tomato plant (Japanese Triple
Black) and it's been putting out flowers...but after a couple weeks
the flowers shrivel up and die instead of producing fruit. I thought
tomatoes were self pollinating. No? What should I do to induce it to
produce fruit? The plant is very healthy otherwise. I've been giving
it 1-5-5 organic fert and kelp in small doses.

Thanks,

Layne

I've had that problem in the past. It was usually related to the
weather being too cool & wet.... If you're ANYWHERE in western North
America, that has been the trend this season. I'm not farmilliar with
the specific variety... Did you buy it as a seedling or start from
seed? What has your local weather been like?

Cheers
Mathew

Not surprising in this summer heat wave.

Tomatoes need cool nights in order to set fruit.

If the night temperature is too high, the flowers will spontaneously abort
no matter what you do.


"Layne" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I hope some one here can help. I have a tomato plant (Japanese Triple
Black) and it's been putting out flowers...but after a couple weeks
the flowers shrivel up and die instead of producing fruit. I thought
tomatoes were self pollinating. No? What should I do to induce it to
produce fruit? The plant is very healthy otherwise. I've been giving
it 1-5-5 organic fert and kelp in small doses.

Thanks,

Layne

What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the plant keeps
making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish, plenty of nice
hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet tall (really).
Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning some branches away
helps. Myth?

"Cereus-validus......." wrote in message
...
Not surprising in this summer heat wave.

Tomatoes need cool nights in order to set fruit.

If the night temperature is too high, the flowers will spontaneously abort
no matter what you do.


"Layne" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I hope some one here can help. I have a tomato plant (Japanese Triple
Black) and it's been putting out flowers...but after a couple weeks
the flowers shrivel up and die instead of producing fruit. I thought
tomatoes were self pollinating. No? What should I do to induce it to
produce fruit? The plant is very healthy otherwise. I've been giving
it 1-5-5 organic fert and kelp in small doses.

Thanks,

Layne

No myth.... Prune heavily, especially those shoots that come out
between the main branch & the leaf @ a 45 degree angle. Sounds like
your cherry tom is 'indeterminate' which means it will flower till it
dies. By pruning new flowering shoots, you help the allready set fruit
to ripen faster.

Cheers
Mathew

Thanks, Mathew. In prior years, it didn't matter because I also planted
early varieties. But I had limited space this year. Meanwhile, I have tons
of basil, and no tomatoes. The orgy must begin, but it requires tomatoes to
complete the equation. :-)

Did you know you could put pesto on everything, including cereal? :-)

"Mathew in the Mountains" wrote in message
ups.com...
No myth.... Prune heavily, especially those shoots that come out
between the main branch & the leaf @ a 45 degree angle. Sounds like
your cherry tom is 'indeterminate' which means it will flower till it
dies. By pruning new flowering shoots, you help the allready set fruit
to ripen faster.

Cheers
Mathew

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish, plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)

"Dan J.S." wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish, plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)


Annoying people, as always, and sometimes asking good questions. :-)

Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish, plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)


I'm attempting to show people how little I know about anything, is it
working?

Pesto on cereal?!? LOL.

Seriously, have you tried freezing pesto?

Someone on this group (sorry, I forgot who posted it) suggested making it up
*without* the Parmesan cheese, then spooning it into ice cube trays. Once
frozen, pop the cubes out and put them into a freezer bag or freezer storage
container. Easy to remove the amount you want, add Parmesan cheese once it
thaws.

I tried it this year for the first time, and although I still have fresh
basil, I tried some of the frozen pesto two days ago to see how it was. It
was just like fresh - bright green and everything! Granted it's only been
frozen for a month or so, but I am very encouraged.

In fact, I think I am going to go give my basil plants another "haircut"
today because my ice cube trays are looking lonely...

Laura

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Mathew. In prior years, it didn't matter because I also planted
early varieties. But I had limited space this year. Meanwhile, I have tons
of basil, and no tomatoes. The orgy must begin, but it requires tomatoes
to complete the equation. :-)

Did you know you could put pesto on everything, including cereal? :-)

"Mathew in the Mountains" wrote in message
ups.com...
No myth.... Prune heavily, especially those shoots that come out
between the main branch & the leaf @ a 45 degree angle. Sounds like
your cherry tom is 'indeterminate' which means it will flower till it
dies. By pruning new flowering shoots, you help the allready set fruit
to ripen faster.

Cheers
Mathew

"Laura" wrote in message
...
Pesto on cereal?!? LOL.

Seriously, have you tried freezing pesto?

Someone on this group (sorry, I forgot who posted it) suggested making it
up *without* the Parmesan cheese, then spooning it into ice cube trays.
Once frozen, pop the cubes out and put them into a freezer bag or freezer
storage container. Easy to remove the amount you want, add Parmesan cheese
once it thaws.

Right. The cheese loses taste and gets gooey when it defrosts. Try a good
Romano, too, and walnuts instead of pine nuts, for a little variety.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish,
plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)


I'm attempting to show people how little I know about anything, is it
working?


Actually you show that you know a lot about a lot!

Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish,
plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)


I'm attempting to show people how little I know about anything, is it
working?


Actually you show that you know a lot about a lot!


I know how to shoot dogs.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the
plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish,
plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet
tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning
some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)


I'm attempting to show people how little I know about anything, is it
working?


Actually you show that you know a lot about a lot!


I know how to shoot dogs.


Dogs? really? glad you are on the side of the gun owners!

Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Dan J.S. wrote:


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
What if you have 8 trillion cherry tomatoes, all green, and the
plant
keeps making more but not ripening any? Upstate NY, zone 5-6-ish,
plenty
of nice hot weather, good rain twice a week, plants caged, 7 feet
tall
(really). Nice, fertile soil, pH=6.2 last week. I've heard pruning
some
branches away helps. Myth?

Doug! What are you doing in this newsgroup!! Small world!! :)


I'm attempting to show people how little I know about anything, is it
working?


Actually you show that you know a lot about a lot!


I know how to shoot dogs.


Dogs? really? glad you are on the side of the gun owners!


You only need to have a dog dig up your lettuce seedlings once, in order
to
see that they have no place in a civilized society. Fortunately, we have
an
old law in this town which says that any animal can be "liquidated" if
it's
destroying food crops. I've only had to print this law, ask to have a
cop
meet me at the offending owner's house, and read them the law, in order
to
stop offenders. It's worked wonderfully (so far).