Tomato Blossoms Fall Off - Knowledgebase Question

balto, MD
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Question by benzo5
July 21, 1998
Why do tomato blossoms dry up and look like they have no fruit ? Should I remove the blossoms or wait to allow more blossoms to bloom? They are the second bloom of the Moutain Beauty Variety with lots of blossoms with about 7-8 large fruits on the plant.


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Answer from NGA
July 21, 1998
Extreme temperature often cause flowers to drop. Daytime temperatures above 85F and nighttime temperatures below 55F degrees can both cause this problem. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that high temps, not low ones, are causing your problems! (It's been in the 90's even here in Vermont!) Generally, as temperatures moderate, new flowers and fruit will form. Tomatoes are self pollinating, so bee activity shouldn't be a factor here, like it is in other poor pollination/fruit drop situations. Generally, a light breeze is all it takes to pollinate the flowers. No need to remove the blossoms--unless you see evidence of disease.

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