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Tomato's losing flowers and other Q's

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by milwaukee on July 10, 2006 01:42 PM
Hey folks- It's been a looong time since I last posted, but I could use some help. I planted some cherry tomatoes and they are (or have) dropping their flowers how could this be?

Lots of tomato plants in my yard this year, some in containers (5 gallon buckets) and some in boxed planters. My wife keeps telling me her grandfather used to prune his tomato plants and then they would grow quite tall and produce massive amounts of fruit. Any idea of what she means?
Thanks everyone, I appreciate your help.
by Longy on July 10, 2006 11:40 PM
Tomato fruit sets at certain nighttime temps, so if it's really hot or cold at night they won't set fruit and the blossoms will drop off.

Pruning tomatoes means removing the laterals. That's the shoots that come out of the stem between the leaf and stem. If you don't prune, the plant will naturally bush up. If you do prune, you can run one single shoot and it will grow much taller. You get larger but fewer fruit if you prune. Some people do it and some don't. It's a personal choice.

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The secret is the soil.
by johnCT on July 11, 2006 02:25 AM
Blossom drop is the result of pollination failure. It is usually environmental.

Pruning doesn't result in any more fruit than not pruning. It is a personal choice, but makes tying plants to stakes easier.

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John - Zone 6

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