Tomato plants not setting to fruit - reasons?

usignuolo

I have four tomato plants bought from a nursery. Three are for small plum tomatoes. I transplanted them into large pots of suitable compost. When I bought them, nearly three weeks ago, they were covered in blossoms. They still are with no sign of setting to fruit.

As the same time I bought a separate plant, root graft, which I was assured would produce more fruit faster than a conventional tomato plant. As with other, brought it home, and in this case planted out in small tomato grow bag. It grew vigorously and produced lots of blossoms but again still no sign of any fruit.

They are well-drained, sited in a sunny position, have been watered with tomato fertiliser (not overdoing it) and are in fresh compost new this year. Any suggestions on why they are not fruiting?

Mojisola

If you repotted before the small fruits had formed, the plants probably aborted the first flowers.

usignuolo

You think? In the case of the first three plum tomato plants, I brought them home covered in flowers and left them for a week but they were in very small pots and by then starting to wilt so I had to pot them out. The flowers are still all intact, just no tomatoes.

In the case of the grafted plant, it did not have any flowers when I brought it home, so I repotted it at once in a small grow bag where it has grown vigorously and produced plenty of flowers but they show no sign of setting either....

peachyprice

Maybe they haven't been pollinated.

trollopscarletwoman

peachyprice wrote: »

Maybe they haven't been pollinated.

I was thinking that.

Perhaps gently tap the stems and mist the plants with a sprayer.

Mojisola

usignuolo wrote: »

You think? In the case of the first three plum tomato plants, I brought them home covered in flowers and left them for a week but they were in very small pots and by then starting to wilt so I had to pot them out. The flowers are still all intact, just no tomatoes.

In the case of the grafted plant, it did not have any flowers when I brought it home, so I repotted it at once in a small grow bag where it has grown vigorously and produced plenty of flowers but they show no sign of setting either....

I used to grow tomatoes commercially and we never planted out until the first truss was set. Keeping the plants in the small pots forces them to get going with the fruit - if you plant them out before the first truss is set, they put energy into growing roots and leaves and the fruits don't come until later.

wattapain

Stilla bit early to be worrying about it. I have a few (9) plants out and there are a few trusses - some with 1, but most have 2 flowering trusses - only one actually has teeny fruits at the mo.
Don't worry - they'll get there - they all usually catch up in the end.

trollopscarletwoman

wattapain wrote: »

Stilla bit early to be worrying about it. I have a few (9) plants out and there are a few trusses - some with 1, but most have 2 flowering trusses - only one actually has teeny fruits at the mo.
Don't worry - they'll get there - they all usually catch up in the end.

That's just it.

Only early june.

In my greenhouse I can harvest toms up until October.

Annie1960

I have my first little green tomato showing this morning. The rest are still in the yellow flower stage, but I suspect it's still early and hopefully I will have tomatoes in a couple of weeks.

pambler

I didn't think you were supposed to feed them until the tomatoes had actually formed? I have quite a few little ones on mine now and will start feeding this weekend. They were in flower for quite a long time before I got any though.

You can also try pollinating them with a soft paintbrush.

[Deleted User]

I have 22 tomato plants, 3 in each of two patiogros and the rest outside. All in a growpot on top of half a bucket of compost. I water in the outer ring twice a day at the moment as it is blazing here and I started feeding on 15th june. Each plant has at least 4 rapidly swelling tomatoes. Today I cut 2 or 3 bottom leaves off every plant. I see the 4 th flower truss appearing on most plants and I will soon cut the tops off to stop at 4 trusses maximum, maybe 3 for some. Later when all the tomatoes are large then I will start to cut most leaves off, by then the green stem will also be thick and photosynthesising.

16 plants will produce cherry tomatoes, which I freeze whole. I still have some from last year. The large tomatoes will be eaten as and when and the excess will be sliced and dehydrated. The method I use does give me a large successful crop with almost no green tomatoes at the end of the season and no worries about blight as most cropping will be done by then

Pollination takes place by wind so just a gentle tap on indoor tomato stems will do the job, outdoor ones will get enough breeze