I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.

"Gus" wrote in message ...

I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.

~~~~~~~~
This may sound strange, but I wonder if the blossoms on that plant are not
being pollinated? I grew tomato plants inside my house one winter, and they
produced. However, I had to pollinate them myself. I used a tiny paint
brush and *very gently* touched it to one blossom, then another, etc. I
don't have any idea why bees would miss one plant, but you could try what I
did as an experiment.

MaryL

On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.


It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making leaves,
not fruit.

"MaryL" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>
> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but
> one
> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one
> tomato.
> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>
> ~~~~~~~~
> This may sound strange, but I wonder if the blossoms on that plant are
> not being pollinated? I grew tomato plants inside my house one
> winter, and they produced. However, I had to pollinate them myself.
> I used a tiny paint brush and *very gently* touched it to one blossom,
> then another, etc. I don't have any idea why bees would miss one
> plant, but you could try what I did as an experiment.
>
> MaryL

Thanks. I've thought of doing that but keep thinking surely there will
be some tomatoes on it soon... I will check it tomorrow and if none,
will try that. Odd the plant 3 feet away has fair number of tomatoes,
and the others in the backyard too.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but
>> one
>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one
>> tomato.
>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any
>> tomatoes,
>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>
>
> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making
> leaves, not fruit.


What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.

On Sat, 2 Aug 2014 22:01:05 -0400, "Gus" >
wrote:

>I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.

Is it possible that plant is in position to get much hotter than the
others? Tomatoes can blossom drop if the temps go over 85 during the
day.
Janet US

"Gus" > wrote in message
...
>I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.

Did you put blossom set spray on it? If not, try that. It's also possible
that the plant is different than the others and could be a later fruiting
variety. I don't know about your climate there, but here we often don't get
tomatoes until the end of August. And different varieties produce at
different times. Even if you bought a plant labeled something like "Early
Girl", it could have merely been mislabed or could have really been planted
with some other kind of seed. I've had tomatoes reseeds themselves and
because of how weird tomatoes can be, the plant that comes up could be
something entirely different from what I planted the year before.

"Gus" wrote in message ...

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>
>
> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making leaves,
> not fruit.


What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.

~~~~~~
My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that idea
when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all foliage, I would
suspect too much nitrogen.

MaryL

"Gus" > wrote in message
...
>I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.


Too much nitrogen.



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"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Gus" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>
>
> Too much nitrogen.

Nope. That would stunt blossom growth and give excess foliage.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/effects...nts-43755.html

While it is possible that the plant didn't get pollinated, I still think it
is just a later variety.

On 8/3/2014 12:49 AM, MaryL wrote:
>
>
> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>
>>
>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making
>> leaves, not fruit.
>
>
> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>
> ~~~~~~
> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that
> idea when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all foliage,
> I would suspect too much nitrogen.

I'm following this with interest because I have the same
problem. My largest, most lush tomato plant had plenty of
flowers but no tomatoes. I've seen a couple tiny ones but
that's where it stands.

Finally the cherry tomatoes are coming in and the other
Mortgage Lifter has plenty of still green tomatoes, but the
other Mortgage Lifter is a bust.

nancy

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Gus" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>
>>
>> Too much nitrogen.
>
> Nope. That would stunt blossom growth and give excess foliage.

Which is what he has, Julie. He has a beautiful, bountiful tomato plant but
no tomatoes.



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On 2014-08-03 6:34 AM, Nancy Young wrote:
>
>
> I'm following this with interest because I have the same
> problem. My largest, most lush tomato plant had plenty of
> flowers but no tomatoes. I've seen a couple tiny ones but
> that's where it stands.
>
> Finally the cherry tomatoes are coming in and the other
> Mortgage Lifter has plenty of still green tomatoes, but the
> other Mortgage Lifter is a bust.
>
>

Are they different varieties of tomatoes? I usually get one or two
plants of each of several varieties because they bear fruit at different
times. You end up with a longer tomato season and are not inundated with
the crop all ripening at the same time.

On 8/3/2014 6:42 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2014-08-03 6:34 AM, Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>>
>> I'm following this with interest because I have the same
>> problem. My largest, most lush tomato plant had plenty of
>> flowers but no tomatoes. I've seen a couple tiny ones but
>> that's where it stands.
>>
>> Finally the cherry tomatoes are coming in and the other
>> Mortgage Lifter has plenty of still green tomatoes, but the
>> other Mortgage Lifter is a bust.
>>
>>
>
> Are they different varieties of tomatoes? I usually get one or two
> plants of each of several varieties because they bear fruit at different
> times. You end up with a longer tomato season and are not inundated with
> the crop all ripening at the same time.

I only grew two types, the Mortgage Lifters and the cherry tomatoes.
Maybe next year I will grow three varieties.

I put the cherry and one mortgage lifter in one box garden,
and another mortgage lifter as the only tomato plant in the
other box. Maybe I should have keep like types together.
Also I crowded the cherry and mortgage lifter, don't know what I
was thinking. Still, I did get flowers.

nancy

On 8/3/2014 12:23 AM, Gus wrote:

>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its energy is making
>> leaves, not fruit.
>
>
> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.

It may be too late, but for some reason it did not pollinate. Not sure
hot to do it but it can be done.

On Sun, 03 Aug 2014 08:35:08 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

>On 8/3/2014 12:23 AM, Gus wrote:
>
>>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its energy is making
>>> leaves, not fruit.
>>
>>
>> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
>> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>
>It may be too late, but for some reason it did not pollinate. Not sure
>hot to do it but it can be done.

Get a Tomato Blossom Set spray. Available at Lowes, garden centers,
etc. About $5.
Janet US

"MaryL" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but
>>> one
>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one
>>> tomato.
>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any
>>> tomatoes,
>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>
>>
>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making
>> leaves, not fruit.
>
>
> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It
> has
> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>
> ~~~~~~
> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that
> idea when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all
> foliage, I would suspect too much nitrogen.
>
> MaryL

I'm going to try hand pollinating some. Not had to do before. I have
some Qtips that I'll try using. I'm so ignorant I didn't even know
their are male and female flowers. In the past, I just planted some
plants and they all produced without doing much than watering once in a
while.

http://vegibee.com/index.php/hand-pollination

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> Are they different varieties of tomatoes? I usually get one or two
> plants of each of several varieties because they bear fruit at
> different times. You end up with a longer tomato season and are not
> inundated with the crop all ripening at the same time.

I have two varieties. Beefsteak and Early girl. Can you cross
pollinate the different varieties? Or, is it better/worse to pollinate
from the same plant the male and female flowers?

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> While it is possible that the plant didn't get pollinated, I still
> think it is just a later variety.

But the other beefsteak plants have been producing, for weeks. And they
are not nearly as healthy looking.

MaryL wrote:
>
> This may sound strange, but I wonder if the blossoms on that plant are not
> being pollinated? I grew tomato plants inside my house one winter, and they
> produced. However, I had to pollinate them myself. I used a tiny paint
> brush and *very gently* touched it to one blossom, then another, etc.

I did that with my tomato plants one year too. Reason bees were not
there doing the job is because my balcony got too hot and no bees came
here. I learned the brush pollination technique from a book I read
where a fellow lived on a deserted atoll in the South Pacific for
several years. He brought vegetable seeds with him but there were no
insects there to pollinate.

Great book too. "An Island to Myself" by Tom Neale.

G.

On Sun, 03 Aug 2014 07:07:13 -0400, Nancy Young
> wrote:

> I put the cherry and one mortgage lifter in one box garden,
> and another mortgage lifter as the only tomato plant in the
> other box. Maybe I should have keep like types together.
> Also I crowded the cherry and mortgage lifter, don't know what I
> was thinking. Still, I did get flowers.

There's something about flowers not "setting". Maybe that happened to
you. Looking up mortgage lifer tomatoes just wanting to know if they
were self pollinates... but I found out there several types within the
variety.
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...gagelifter.htm

More importantly, I learned there are determinate and indeterminate
tomatoes. Who knew? I guess commercial growers want the determinate
type and home growers want indeterminate.
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...atotypefaq.htm

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

"Gus" wrote in message ...

"MaryL" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>
>>
>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making leaves,
>> not fruit.
>
>
> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>
> ~~~~~~
> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that idea
> when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all foliage, I would
> suspect too much nitrogen.
>
> MaryL

I'm going to try hand pollinating some. Not had to do before. I have
some Qtips that I'll try using. I'm so ignorant I didn't even know
their are male and female flowers. In the past, I just planted some
plants and they all produced without doing much than watering once in a
while.

http://vegibee.com/index.php/hand-pollination

~~~~~~~~
Be *very* careful if you use a Q-tip. Flowers on tomato plants are very
small and delicate, so it would be easy to damage them. That's why I used a
tiny paintbrush (the smallest I could find--a cheap watercolor brush, as
suggested in the article you cited). It worked very well, and friends were
amazed when they saw tomatoes grown inside my house during the middle of
winter. The plants I used were actually cuttings taken from outdoor plants
when the season was almost over.

MaryL

"MaryL" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>
> "MaryL" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but
>>>> one
>>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one
>>>> tomato.
>>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any
>>>> tomatoes,
>>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>>
>>>
>>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making
>>> leaves, not fruit.
>>
>>
>> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It
>> has
>> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>>
>> ~~~~~~
>> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that
>> idea when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all
>> foliage, I would suspect too much nitrogen.
>>
>> MaryL
>
> I'm going to try hand pollinating some. Not had to do before. I have
> some Qtips that I'll try using. I'm so ignorant I didn't even know
> their are male and female flowers. In the past, I just planted some
> plants and they all produced without doing much than watering once in
> a
> while.
>
> http://vegibee.com/index.php/hand-pollination
>
> ~~~~~~~~
> Be *very* careful if you use a Q-tip. Flowers on tomato plants are
> very small and delicate, so it would be easy to damage them. That's
> why I used a tiny paintbrush (the smallest I could find--a cheap
> watercolor brush, as suggested in the article you cited). It worked
> very well, and friends were amazed when they saw tomatoes grown inside
> my house during the middle of winter. The plants I used were actually
> cuttings taken from outdoor plants when the season was almost over.
>
> MaryL

I'm more confused. All the flowers on the plants look the same. I
don't see any that look female like the article shows. Even on the
other plants that are producing they all have what appears to be a
stamen sticking out of the flower. The flowers all look the same.

On Sun, 03 Aug 2014 09:39:25 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Sun, 03 Aug 2014 07:07:13 -0400, Nancy Young
> wrote:
>
>> I put the cherry and one mortgage lifter in one box garden,
>> and another mortgage lifter as the only tomato plant in the
>> other box. Maybe I should have keep like types together.
>> Also I crowded the cherry and mortgage lifter, don't know what I
>> was thinking. Still, I did get flowers.
>
>There's something about flowers not "setting". Maybe that happened to
>you. Looking up mortgage lifer tomatoes just wanting to know if they
>were self pollinates... but I found out there several types within the
>variety.
>http://organicgardening.about.com/od...gagelifter.htm
>
>More importantly, I learned there are determinate and indeterminate
>tomatoes. Who knew? I guess commercial growers want the determinate
>type and home growers want indeterminate.
>http://organicgardening.about.com/od...atotypefaq.htm

The tags stuck in the pots when you buy tomatoes tell you determinate
or indeterminate. Determinates are handy if you like to can tomatoes.
They also use less space.
Janet US

On Sun, 3 Aug 2014 10:51:24 -0400, "Gus" >
wrote:

>"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>> Are they different varieties of tomatoes? I usually get one or two
>> plants of each of several varieties because they bear fruit at
>> different times. You end up with a longer tomato season and are not
>> inundated with the crop all ripening at the same time.
>
>I have two varieties. Beefsteak and Early girl. Can you cross
>pollinate the different varieties? Or, is it better/worse to pollinate
>from the same plant the male and female flowers?
>
>
>
Early Girl is just as it says -- an early producer. Beefsteak will
not reward you until later in the season because it takes time to
develop the larger fruit. You need to get a middle season tomato. If
you are buying from a good grower the attached tags should tell you
days to maturity. Or, you could look up the variety on the 'Net.
Janet US

On Sun, 3 Aug 2014 10:49:06 -0400, "Gus" >
wrote:

>"MaryL" > wrote in message
...
>>
>>
>> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but
>>>> one
>>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one
>>>> tomato.
>>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any
>>>> tomatoes,
>>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>>
>>>
>>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making
>>> leaves, not fruit.
>>
>>
>> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It
>> has
>> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>>
>> ~~~~~~
>> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that
>> idea when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all
>> foliage, I would suspect too much nitrogen.
>>
>> MaryL
>
>I'm going to try hand pollinating some. Not had to do before. I have
>some Qtips that I'll try using. I'm so ignorant I didn't even know
>their are male and female flowers. In the past, I just planted some
>plants and they all produced without doing much than watering once in a
>while.
>
>http://vegibee.com/index.php/hand-pollination
>
No need to look for male and female blossoms on a tomato plant as each
blossom is both. Usually tomatoes are pollinated easily by wind or
insects. Indoor growers (commercial) train tomatoes up a cord. The
tomatoes are easily assured of pollination by simply jiggling the
cord.
Janet US

On 8/3/2014 12:39 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 03 Aug 2014 07:07:13 -0400, Nancy Young
> > wrote:
>
>> I put the cherry and one mortgage lifter in one box garden,
>> and another mortgage lifter as the only tomato plant in the
>> other box. Maybe I should have keep like types together.
>> Also I crowded the cherry and mortgage lifter, don't know what I
>> was thinking. Still, I did get flowers.
>
> There's something about flowers not "setting". Maybe that happened to
> you. Looking up mortgage lifer tomatoes just wanting to know if they
> were self pollinates... but I found out there several types within the
> variety.

Interesting, thanks!

> More importantly, I learned there are determinate and indeterminate
> tomatoes.

If you want to can tomatoes, you might want the determinate
variety so that they are all ripe at the same time. I don't
can, I just want a tomato or three coming in every day during the
season, so I choose indeterminate.

nancy

"Gus" wrote in message ...

"MaryL" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>
> "MaryL" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>>
>>>
>>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making leaves,
>>> not fruit.
>>
>>
>> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
>> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>>
>> ~~~~~~
>> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that idea
>> when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all foliage, I
>> would suspect too much nitrogen.
>>
>> MaryL
>
> I'm going to try hand pollinating some. Not had to do before. I have
> some Qtips that I'll try using. I'm so ignorant I didn't even know
> their are male and female flowers. In the past, I just planted some
> plants and they all produced without doing much than watering once in a
> while.
>
> http://vegibee.com/index.php/hand-pollination
>
> ~~~~~~~~
> Be *very* careful if you use a Q-tip. Flowers on tomato plants are very
> small and delicate, so it would be easy to damage them. That's why I used
> a tiny paintbrush (the smallest I could find--a cheap watercolor brush, as
> suggested in the article you cited). It worked very well, and friends
> were amazed when they saw tomatoes grown inside my house during the middle
> of winter. The plants I used were actually cuttings taken from outdoor
> plants when the season was almost over.
>
> MaryL

I'm more confused. All the flowers on the plants look the same. I
don't see any that look female like the article shows. Even on the
other plants that are producing they all have what appears to be a
stamen sticking out of the flower. The flowers all look the same.

~~~~~~~~
I was never able to see the difference, either. I just used the tiny
paintbrush and moved *carefully* from flower to flower. I did not try to
trim off any blossoms. It worked well and I got more tomatoes than I could
use.

MaryL

On 8/3/2014 9:49 AM, Gus wrote:
> "MaryL" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>> "Gus" wrote in message ...
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 8/2/2014 10:01 PM, Gus wrote:
>>>> I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>>
>>>
>>> It is biggest and healthiest because all of its enerfy is making
>>> leaves, not fruit.
>>
>>
>> What do you suggest? What Mary said? Cutting back some of it? It has
>> plenty of flowers and has for last couple months.
>>
>> ~~~~~~
>> My first thought was actually what Ed suggested, but I rejected that
>> idea when I noticed that the plant has flowers. If it was all
>> foliage, I would suspect too much nitrogen.
>>
>> MaryL
>
> I'm going to try hand pollinating some. Not had to do before. I have
> some Qtips that I'll try using. I'm so ignorant I didn't even know
> their are male and female flowers. In the past, I just planted some
> plants and they all produced without doing much than watering once in a
> while.
>
> http://vegibee.com/index.php/hand-pollination

Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
tickle each flower, that should not take very long.

Becca

"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "Gus" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>>I have 8 plants and 7 all have had a decent number of tomatoes, but one
>>>> plant has not had any. It is the plant that has grown the best and
>>>> biggest and looks the healthiest. It's actually huge-- over 6 feet
>>>> tall, and filled out well. Has had lots of flowers, but not one tomato.
>>>> It's in the same spot as I had one last year that produced many
>>>> tomatoes. I'm confused why this one plant is not growing any tomatoes,
>>>> and it is the biggest and healthiest of the lot.
>>>
>>>
>>> Too much nitrogen.
>>
>> Nope. That would stunt blossom growth and give excess foliage.
>
> Which is what he has, Julie. He has a beautiful, bountiful tomato plant
> but no tomatoes.

Uh no. He said that it has blossoms. It wouldn't have those with excess
nitrogen.

"Gus" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> While it is possible that the plant didn't get pollinated, I still think
>> it is just a later variety.
>
> But the other beefsteak plants have been producing, for weeks. And they
> are not nearly as healthy looking.

It's possible that plant was mislabled. It happens.

"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>
> Becca

Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
usually in?

On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
wrote:

>"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>>
>> Becca
>
>Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
>usually in?
>
Why mess with hand pollinating? Iffy at best. Try
http://tinyurl.com/ms5rhrc
natural ingredients, unless you like re-inventing the wheel?
Janet US

On 8/4/2014 2:03 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
> On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
> wrote:
>
>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>> Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>> tickle each flower, that should not take very long.

>> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
>> usually in?

A crafts store like Michaels, for one.

> Why mess with hand pollinating? Iffy at best. Try
> http://tinyurl.com/ms5rhrc
> natural ingredients, unless you like re-inventing the wheel?

You know, I bought that stuff and after reading all the
warnings and precautions on the label, it's waiting to go
to hazardous waste.

nancy

On 8/4/2014 1:03 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
> On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
> wrote:
>
>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>> Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>> tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>>>
>>> Becca
>>
>> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
>> usually in?
>>
> Why mess with hand pollinating? Iffy at best. Try
> http://tinyurl.com/ms5rhrc
> natural ingredients, unless you like re-inventing the wheel?
> Janet US

This will keep your blossoms from falling off, but I don't think it will
pollinate them. Our blossoms start falling off when it gets hot.

Becca

"Gus" > wrote in message
...
> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>>
>> Becca
>
> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
> usually in?

Craft store.

"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/4/2014 1:03 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
>> On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>>> Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>>> tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>>>>
>>>> Becca
>>>
>>> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
>>> usually in?
>>>
>> Why mess with hand pollinating? Iffy at best. Try
>> http://tinyurl.com/ms5rhrc
>> natural ingredients, unless you like re-inventing the wheel?
>> Janet US
>
> This will keep your blossoms from falling off, but I don't think it will
> pollinate them. Our blossoms start falling off when it gets hot.

I think that the way that the spray touches will pollinate them.
>

On Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:21:11 -0400, Nancy Young
> wrote:

>On 8/4/2014 2:03 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
>> On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>>> Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>>> tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>
>>> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
>>> usually in?
>
>A crafts store like Michaels, for one.
>
>> Why mess with hand pollinating? Iffy at best. Try
>> http://tinyurl.com/ms5rhrc
>> natural ingredients, unless you like re-inventing the wheel?
>
>You know, I bought that stuff and after reading all the
>warnings and precautions on the label, it's waiting to go
>to hazardous waste.
>
>nancy

Ingredient: Kenitin, calcium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetin

The lawyers wisely included a disclaimer statement to protect their
client.
Your toothpaste tube also bears warnings and precautions.
Janet US

On Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:22:27 -0500, Ema Nymton >
wrote:

>On 8/4/2014 1:03 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
>> On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
>>>> Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
>>>> tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
>>>>
>>>> Becca
>>>
>>> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
>>> usually in?
>>>
>> Why mess with hand pollinating? Iffy at best. Try
>> http://tinyurl.com/ms5rhrc
>> natural ingredients, unless you like re-inventing the wheel?
>> Janet US
>
>This will keep your blossoms from falling off, but I don't think it will
>pollinate them. Our blossoms start falling off when it gets hot.
>
>Becca

I use it exclusively when we have successive 100F days otherwise I
would lose the entire middle of the summer for tomato production. You
need to spray as soon as the blossom looks fully developed. Don't
wait until the blossom is ready to fall off.
Janet US

On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 13:46:48 -0400, "Gus" >
wrote:

> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
> >Forget that Q-Tip and use a feather, any kind of feather. Just quickly
> >tickle each flower, that should not take very long.
> >
> > Becca
>
> Where is a good place to buy a feather? And what department are they
> usually in?
>
You'll find feathers in craft shops, not at the hardware store. In
fact, painters who do wood graining use feathers - so it's not as
unusual to find as you seem to think.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.