Big healthy looking tomato plants but no fruit!

[Licorice Tattoo]

I know this has been posted about before but I am looking for some more opinions on the subject. I've got two Big Boy tomato plants that I bought when they were about an inch tall and I planted them in big pots. They have grown into big sturdy plants, but I have no tomatoes, not even a small one yet. The flowers turn brown and fall off. Can someone give me some ideas?? I was looking forward to homegrown tomatoes this summer. I live in St. Louis, MO, and its been nice and sunny and warm, and I know they've gotten enough water. I also am pretty sure I am not overwatering because I had to adjust my watering since the soil was drying out.

Thanks!

[cloud dreamer]

Blossom Drop! (Cool name for a irritating problem :)

The problem is usually a result of some sort of stress.

What kind of fertilizer have you been using and how often?

What kind of soil do you have in the pots?

Are they outdoors?

Have there been temperature extremes between night and day?

Has the night temps gone below 55F?

Has it been overly humid or overly dry?

Is there anything you can think of that may have interfered with pollination?

Any insect damage?

Have you removed any part of the plant (aside from young suckers)?

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Far East.

[D.Reid]

Blossum Drop. It's a common malady. I know there is a liquid that can be sprayed on your plants but I forgot what it is at the moment. It's a nutrient deficancy. I'l research and let you know what I find. In the meantime see your local garden center. They will likely know what it is. Dave...Down in Florida

>

[stevendchapman]

1. The only thing I've been using in the way of fertilizer is Miracle Grow Tomato food, once a week, mixed per the directions on the box.

1. Soil...........Well first I planted them in Miracle Grow Garden Soil, then I read on the back about a week later not ot use with pots! I thought I could get away with it but I replanted a few weeks later in Miracle Grow Potting Soil to be on the safe side.

2. They are outside and they get sun almost all day long

1. It has been pretty hot and dry here in st. louis 90+. At night probably only drops to 80 degrees.

5.See 4

1. See 4

2. I've been flicking the blossoms to encourage pollination

1. No insect damage that I can see

2. I haven't removed any part of the plant, even suckers.

All this said, my mom is growing tomatoes just fine in pots at her house, which is also in St. louis.

Thanks!

[stevendchapman]

Dave, thanks for the response. Please let me know if you find out what that is. I called a nursery and the lady I talked to didn't know.

[cloud dreamer]

Okay...the only thing I can see is that you might be over-fertilizing them. Too much nitrogen in particular can cause blossom drop. Cut back on the feedings to once every two weeks (even two and half or three weeks).

This is the other possibility. Blossom drop can be caused by any stressor. The potting soil is the stuff for containers cause the regular stuff would be too compact. It's possible that they were affected by the transplantation. If this is the case, subsequent flowering should be okay.

Another thought too...with the weekly fertilization and the (rich) Miracle Gro potting soil...it could simply be too much of a good thing. Cutting back on the feeding is definitely a necessity.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Far East.

[Penelope Periwinkle]

I think he might have confused Blossom Drop with Blossom End Rot. There is a product for the later, but not the former.

Penelope

[Forrest W. Appleton]

[General Schvantzkoph]

I've got 3 dozen tomato plants in my garden and they don't have any signs of tomatoes yet. The plants are big and healthy looking and they have flowers but no sign of fruit. I put them in in early June so I'm hoping it's just a matter of time. I'm in New England, we've had an incredible amount of rain this year. Is there any hope that I'm going to get anything?

[General Schvantzkoph]

Several different varieties, Early Girls, Big Boys, and a couple of others.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I'm near Albany, NY. We had the same weird spring with a *very* hot/wet May, and a super-soaker of a June. Though in New England you probably got even more rain than we did- we got 9-10 inches. Not good blossom setting weather.

I gave up on Early Girl this year. [never seemed that early-- and the fruits were always real small with little flavor] For my early tomato I planted Scotia. My 6 Scotia plants have a few dozen tomatoes- several slightly larger than golf balls.

Beefmaster has a couple tiny tomatoes, nothing on the Roma or San Marzaan -- and oddly, I think, nothing showing on the Sweet 100s. Celebrity and Brandywine have blossoms but no fruit yet.

The season is young.

Jim

[TQ]

I/ve had much better luck (better size; flavor) with EGs as a late season crop. I/m getting ready to set EG plants this weekend. They/ll start coming in around mid-September.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

That sounded like such a good idea that I was thinking about where I would get some seed. Then I remembered that in my part of the world, Zone 5-6 in NY, I'm still picking lots of indeterminates in mid Sept-- and wondering when a hard freeze will kill them all. [Average killing frost is Sept 15 here-- but I was still picking tomatoes on Oct 4th in

1987 when we got an early 6 inches of snow.]

I've gotten a second crop of peas, and a second of beans-- but I'll leave a second crop of Tomatoes to you folks below the Mason-Dixon.

Jim

[Sue]

I'm in the San Joaquin Valley, CA and my Sweet 100s have been very prolific. I have two plants and have been getting bowls of tomatoes for about two weeks. I planted on April 22. Delicious!

I'm starting to harvest from my 3 Celebrities. I also have 3 of some Beef Steak variety that are looking really good. There must be at least 100 green tomatoes in various stages on these 6 plants. The last couple of years I had horrible luck with the tomatoes - blossom drop just like the OP. This year I moved my garden about 8 blocks away to my gentleman friend's nice raised bed. We had an excellent spring into early summer with not the usual high heat which I'm thinking probably was a significant factor in the blossom drop business in the past. I'm itching to get enough tomatoes all at once to start canning. Hopefully I'll have enough bell peppers of my own to use in the stewed tomatoes. Sue

[General Schvantzkoph]

I'm starting to get tomatoes, they are still small and green but they are there. I was getting worried but it looks like I'll end up with a bunch of tomatoes by the middle of next month.