Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have a huge beefsteak tomato plant that does produce a huge unreal fruit now and then. They are EXCELLENT but the problem is the plant has LOTS of flowers but they won't go to fruit. What can I do to make the flowers set to fruit?? I guess the flowers must just fall off now.
Thanks for the help in advance.
Jack

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Well I know that tomatoes are wind pollinated. Are they sheltered too much maybe. I had a bed one year that I would go by and just gently shake the Tomatoe plants as I was walking in the garden. It really helped me. If not that then maybe too much heat. I know that's happened to me also.. I dropped a shade cloth over them and they started producing.. Could also be potassium deficiency. (But not sure how to correct in AP system). Just thought I'd throw those suggestions out there..

BTW my mouth watered when I saw those YUMMY looking tomatoes..

I use my Sonicare toothbrush with an old brush head to pollinate. When I keep on top of it it works a treat. The other option is to keep bees... That one can have it's *complications*.

I wish I could keep bees here. We need them in the area. But too many hives in our area are getting taken over with killer bees.. Our property isn't big enough to keep us away from them if that happened..

Use the toothbrush method of pollination... works like a charm...

Mine are making tomatoes fine inside my green house. I have not seen any bees in it.

You could bury a banana peel in the media next to the tomato and see if that helps. Another option is to use same potassium bicarbonate as a folier spray.

the hydroponics industry uses vibrators to pollinate tomatoes in green houses as there is no insects to do it. that's how they get the truss of ripe tomatoes by pollinating all the flowers at once. the tool they used was battery operated with a aluminium rod that vibrated. an electric toothbrush would do the same thing i guess.

could be a deficiency as charlie says. unless you're in a greenhouse then there is bound to be some pollinisation of flowers. try both a manual polinisation of a few flowers and if that doesn't work then that would look to be a deficiency.

+1 for the electric toothbrush. Best about mid morning when the pollen is loose

Or just use an old worn toothbrush... and brush across each flower...

Come on Rupe, move into the new century

I'm being environmental friendly Mantis... batteries aren't....

I don't know about burying the banana but I guess it would'n't hurt. I"ll try the toothbrush .
How long do you touch the brush to the flower?
It sure would be fun if I increased the load of
"maters" a little. Just one more of these giant "softballs" a week would suffice.
How long will tomato plants live? I do have cuttings from the big plant growing. I'd like to get a clone or 2.
Thanks again you guys.
Jack
I did have a bee hive in my green house for awhile. I'd got it from a swarm. You have to leave the greenhouse open a little so the bees can come and go. It lasted about 2 months. I must have missed getting the queen. They did make a couple new queens that didn't work out and the hive went maki!
I now have a hive in a coconut tree that I have permission to take. I've had a box of frames near it for a few months but so far no bees made it there home. If they don't move in soon I'll cut the tree and take the whole hive.

+1 On shacking plant. You can also softly flick each bunch of flowers

Another thing to think about is check your ph levels and if your in a cold weather area keep it above 60 degrees at night both could interfere.