Sorry, but another tomato question

Although I've a good crop of tomatoes about to ripen in the greenhouse, I've noticed this year that quite a number of flowers haven't actually set fruit - sometimes this is just one or two flowers on a truss or (particularly at the bottom of the plant) the whole 'potential' truss. I've not had this happen before, is it just down to the weather, the plants (3 Moneymaker, 3 Gardener's Delight - all equally affected) or me?

 

Hi. I too have had this problem in the past. What I do is to go around giving the flowers a tickle with a brush to transfer the pollen. This is probably overkill as others have said they just give the plants a gentle tap/shake to get the pollen moving. As I understand it, this problem CAN be caused by a dry atmosphere, so damping down the floor of the greenhouse will probably help too. Hope this helps.
Cheers...freddy.

 

Thanks freddy. I did do the shaking and the paint brushing, but I guess it's the dry atmosphere what's dun for 'em. I leave cans of water about in the greenhouse and water the Leca granules on the potting bench each morning but, being at work all day there's not much else I can do ..... except give up work maybe?

 

It could be underwatering as well. June was very hot and dry just when the fruits were setting, so lack of watering at that crucial time could cause them to abort.

 

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I'm more inclined to say its due to over feeding, if its only on the lower trusses.

The plant is growing like the clappers when the bottom fruit flowers open.
If there is very rapid growth the plant might abort the first truss at the expense of growth.

I've never actually understood the humid atmosphere approach to tom fruit setting.

In most plants the best time of day to pollinate is mid dayish when its warm and dry, the pollen is free, a humid greenhouse will not allow the pollen to flow, as well as a dry one.

I know its always said that toms should be sprayed with water to distribute the pollen, but a good tap of the flowers on a hot sunny day is of more use, in my mind.

 

Thanks for all your replies, I'm putting it down to 'just one of those things'.

All the plants were treated in exactly the same way - watered, usually every day (I have a moisture 'prodder' to help tell me with the soil's moisture level); I've kept 3 full watering cans in the greenhouse for humidity; on days when warm or hot weather was predicted, I've opened the door, top window, lower vent and also have an automatic vent; cool nights and I've shut the greenhouse up; there was/is coolglass applied on the outside and none of the plants were fed until a truss did set. The lowest potential trusses were the worst affected, but some of the flowers on the upper trusses are also affected. As I explained earlier, I've tapped and 'tickled' with a paintbrush but like pete, I too don't understand how humid conditions can make pollination more likely. I'm no expert, but I seem to remember being taught that pollen is a slightly tacky substance so surely damp conditions would hinder rather than help, pollination?

Still, there's always next year!

 

Any bees around where you live?
I plant sweet peas on the corner of the greenhouse and the bees always find their way in, some afternoons was just too noisy to go in there . They not 100% necessery for toms but eventually it is the bees job to pollinate! Luckily we have plenty around where I live, and no problem with setting at all, even with our watering and feeding shedule being a mess , not talking about opening and closing the greenhouse

 

Sorry to be a pain, but you don't think that the tapping and tickling with a brush might have been too much by any chance? I don't bother with hand pollination, just tying them in and pulling off the side shoots daily disturbs them enough. Ventilation helps, and a light breeze through the greenhouse shakes them up a bit as well.
On hot days I dampen down the floor of the greenhouse to lower the temperature a bit.

 

That's certainly something to think about Blackthorn - I resorted to it when general 'housekeeping' didn't seem to be doing the trick.

Right or wrong, I think my problem is that I've 'over' cared for them this year, probably because last year was a complete disaster - blight, leaf mould, blossom end rot you name it, I had it. Earlier this year I resorted to one of those candle type fumigants and a great deal of Jeyes fluid, so much so that Mr. F'smum reckoned, with the wind in the right direction, he could smell our Kentish greenhouse from the middle of Vauxhall bridge (although I'm inclined to think it was probably just a flushing out of the sewer beneath the Albert Embankment)!