Wondering why the tomatoes don't bloom....

[luvsdirt]

Does anyone know why my tomatoes won't bloom? The plants are big and healthy looking - just no flowering. The cherry tomatoes are blooming and setting fruit, though....Our weather is HOT - most days 100+ now and NO RAIN to speak of for weeks...We water from our well so we do have abundant water. Could they possibly be staying too wet?
:tools

 

[hoodat]

Two possibilities come to mind. You may be using a fertilizer that is too high in nitrogen and low in phosphate and potash. The nitrogen will encourage a lot of green growth but the potash and phosphate are needed for blossoms and fruit to form.
100 degree temperature can kill the pollen and keep fruit from forming but they should still flower; just not set fruit. Sometimes you can stimulate flower formation by letting the plants get a bit dry to stress them. Tomatos respond to stress by flowering and trying to set fruit when things get tough. Don't let them stay dry too long or you might stunt them. Just long enough to droop a bit for a day or so. Once you kick start them into flowering they will probably continue on their own without further stressing.

 

[luvsdirt]

Thank you Hoodat, I will try that...it sure may be that they have been staying a bit too wet. :tools

 

[trunkman]

One of my tomato plants are doing just the opposite, it's setting lots of flowers but not bearing fruit, the plant is 4 feet tall with all kinds of blossoms, I've even tried taking a Q-tip and cross pollinating with other plants, still nothing... :/

 

[HunkieDorie23]

This is going to be a weird year because mine are looking great and starting to set fruit from the first blooms which never happens to me. I got my garden in late because of all the rain and my amish paste have fruit. I may have tomatoes by the 4th of July. My cherries haven't even started to bloom yet. Gonna be weird.

I agree with Hoodat... too much nitrogen.

 

[digitS']

. . . 100 degree temperature can kill the pollen and keep fruit from forming but they should still flower . .

. . . not bearing fruit, the plant is 4 feet tall with all kinds of blossoms . . .

I looked at what the Weather Service has recorded for South Carolina in the way of temperatures: 90F+ every day for over 2 weeks in Columbia! The Alabama Cooperative Extension System says that 72 overnight will result in blossom drop without fruit set even if daytime temperature are not in the 90's. But gosh, South Carolina has some really hot gardening weather right now!

Steve