16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Nice black krim. They might make our list for next year. As a fan of dark tomatoes, my Cherokee Purples should be along at any moment. My Stupice isn't black, but has had me in tomatoes since last month. Not one has made it to the table.......just snatching them off outside, and that's as far as they get.
Could be either but whenever I find whole blossoms snipped off the stems I think of thrips first.
I know birds will snip leaves during nest building times but don't know why they'd just go for a bloom. Mice of course will eat anything but the blooms would be hard to reach above ground level. So my first assumption is always insects of some kind.
This, of course, assuming it isn't just plain old Blossom Drop.
Dave
There is a good FAQ here that explains all about Blossom Drop and the role of air temps, the effects they have on pollen and why fruit set is difficult if not impossible.
Late planting would have only contributed to the problem.
Fortunately you have a very long growing season so it is mostly a matter of keeping the plants alive and healthy until the weather breaks.
In some cases rigging some shade cloth over the plants to reduce the sun during the hottest part of the day may help. It is good for about 6-8 degrees difference and can allow some fruit set IF the night time temperatures will cooperate. If they remain high however there is little that can be done and we all just learn to live with it and plant out early to beat the heat.
Next year you'll have better luck with the much earlier planting times you all have.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom Drop FAQ
I listen to Don Shor's program out of Davis CA. The temps there in the spring and summer start at 85 and just go up. He mentions how certain tomatoes will not produce at all, and lists what works. You may want search his podcasts to find shows where he mentions what works in hot weather. Yes some tomatoes will produce in hot weather. You can use your computer to listen or any mp3 player.
Here is a link that might be useful: Davis Garden show
This post was edited by Drew51 on Tue, Jul 23, 13 at 8:47
Black Zebra is a small, salad size tomato.
I'm in NJ as well and am just starting to see some ripening on the larger types where I was fortunate to have to fruit set early on. It all depends on when the fruit set on your plants. Between the rain and then the heat I had a lot of blossom drop and some of my plants only have smaller fruit as well like you.
Now that nobody is answering, I think that it is a plant's habit, mostly I see in SMALL FRUITED tomatoes. On others which have much smaller clusters, it is not that severe. Even within the SMALL FRUITED ones, there seems to be marked difference. ONE thing is obvious to me, that a tomato plant cannot simultaneously support 50 fruits(or more). But it is somehow very greedy to produce a lot, even cannot support. They do not believe in Planned Parenthood. lol.
seysonn - you are confusing F1 and F2 generations (much less F3) as well as mixing up hybrids and what are often called "stabilized hybrids" (began as a hybrid variety and after 100's of generations now breeds true - mostly).
When you buy a reputable hybrid variety to grow it is labeled an F1, a first generation seed. When they need more F1 seeds to sell they go back and hand cross the parent stock again. They don't sell F2 seed and call it F1. So yes, when Joe gardener saves his own seeds they are now F2 seeds and may not breed true.
Totally different things and explained in accurate detail in many of the links Carolyn provided.
Dave
Thank you all for your responses. I've read through the majority of links provided and learned quite a lot. I did a search and found another article, "Hybrid Seed Production of a Tomato" (link below). This article states "Both parents should be pure, being self-pollinated for more than 6 generations (this is called inbreeding). Parents are selected for their desirable traits (high yields, disease resistance, fruit quality, earliness, etc."
Does the self-pollination for more than 6 generations result in a genetically identical variety? So that when crossed with another "pure" variety, it can be relied upon to produce a different variety 100% of the time??? Trying to reconcile probability. Guess I need to go back and review my genetics book from many years ago.
I AM starting to realize the years and hard work that go into hybridizing a new variety. I think I will gladly pay the increased price if I choose to grow a hybrid tomato
(think Sungold).
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/mukeshkarnwal-1732869-hybrid-seed-production-tomato/
This post was edited by amerique2 on Tue, Jul 23, 13 at 2:57
I had them last year on my ficus like crazy and for me the best n easiest was water, soap and oil spray. Making sure it gets under the leaves. This year before spring rains, I cut down the ficus leaves and so far it's not as bad as last year at all.
Thanks for the comments folks!
I was wondering if I should pick them, in light of people saying that there's no point in leaving them on the vine to ripen as they will ripen just as well on my kitchen counter. (This was something I learned here). I was going to leave them just a little longer, but then I spotted a bunny INSIDE my raised veggie garden with a little fence to keep the dogs out! Buns ran off when he saw me and had no problem squeezing under the green plastic fencing on the other side... I think I'd better grab those maters while I still can!
Linda
I personally like to spray copper or make a tea with 1 gallon of water to 1 cup of organic corn meal (let sit overnight until it has a sweet smell, then spray). Neem oil sprays are good too. That is, of course, to spray after removing all of the infected foliage with clean scissors:-)
Apparently it IS a tomato hornworm. Not a very scientific name! Here's an explanation with pictures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca_sexta
Linda
And when did you plant them out? In your zone early planting is required to beat the heat and get fruit set. Once the temps are consistently above 95 you'll only get Blossom Drop.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom Drop FAQ
Sure they can cross (a relatively low percentage of crossing - 5-8%) but it only affects the seeds not the fruit so no, you aren't growing Ramapo fruit on the 4th of July plant. Since you wouldn't save the seeds from them anyway it is no problem.
Some who have thought that was what was happening in the past later discovered inter-twined branches instead. :-)
Dave
Thanks again Dave,
I was thinking that but unsure plus the "4th" seeds were from a generic label so who knows what they are. I will check to see if the branches are intertwined. Very possible since they are right next to each other.
- Mr Beno