One of the most favorite crops in a greenhouse or garden are tomatoes. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. But they, like many other crops, are susceptible to disease. The most common of them is barren flower. This is not even a disease, but a failure in development.
It happens that a whole field of flowering tomato bushes strewn with yellow flowers pleases the gardener, but after flowering there are not as many ovaries as one would like. That is, there were 6-8 flowers per bush, and half as many fruits appeared. It turns out that the ovaries of the tomatoes are falling off. Why is this happening?
Probably all experienced vegetable growers know that a tomato does not require any outside intervention to set fruit. When the pollen ripens, the stamen opens and the pollen spills out and lands on the stigma. Thus, fertilization occurs, that is, the future fetus is formed. This ideal process of tomato fruit generation occurs only under good optimal conditions.
If the tomato ovaries fall off, this means that there are no necessary factors for this particular growth phase.
The main reasons for the fall of the ovaries:
- air temperature below or above optimal values:
- insufficient feeding with mineral fertilizers;
- Air humidity does not meet standards for tomatoes.
Temperature
Tomatoes self-pollinate at air temperatures not lower than 10-15 C° and not higher than 30 C°. Under other conditions, pollination simply does not occur. The flowers fall off, there are no ovaries. For tomatoes, night air temperature is important (no more than 21 C°), because the plant must rest at night.
The greenhouse has the ability to adjust the temperature. To reduce it, you can ventilate the room. To increase, on the contrary, use additional covering material. Before the expected frosts, you can take care of this in advance.
Reason one. Shadow
Tomato seedlings, however, like adult plants, require enough light. Well, everything is simple here: since the leaf is on the sunny side, it participates in the complex processes of photosynthesis, which means the plant needs it and the plant understands that it can stock up on enough nutrients to feed the ovaries.
As soon as you place tomatoes in the shade, say, saving space in the garden, the processes of photosynthesis will slow down or stop altogether, and the plant will sound the alarm - what if it doesn’t have enough food to feed such a large amount of ovary? And he will begin to throw them away one by one, trying to concentrate on what is left.
Humidity
High-quality pollen is produced at air humidity in the range of 40-70%. You can increase the humidity by spraying the tomatoes in the morning and pouring warm water on the passages between the beds.
Mulching the soil will reduce humidity. Do not forget about regular ventilation of the greenhouse.
The ability to maintain temperature and humidity is only possible in a closed room. These techniques are not appropriate in the garden. Therefore, if the ovaries of tomatoes in open ground fall off due to unfavorable weather conditions, then there is a risk of losing some of the future fruits. Man is powerless against nature. You can only help the plant with fertilizers.
How to save the harvest
To save the crop, the cause of wilting and falling off of the ovaries is identified .
Universal recommendations from experienced gardeners:
- add a complex of fertilizers - “Ammofoska”, “Diammofoska”, potassium sulfate are suitable;
- apply traditional methods - fertilize with urea and wood ash;
- ensure complete pollination of flowers - in closed ground this can be done manually, in open ground they attract bees;
- remove excessively growing stepsons and properly form the bush;
- destroy pests using folk remedies or drugs “Decis”, “Inta-vir”.
High-quality fertilizing
Timely supply of nutrients is the key to successful fruit set in tomatoes. This applies to all crops, but tomatoes especially need mineral supplements.
Nitrogen plays an important role in this process, because it takes an active part in the formation of buds. When there is a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the ovaries fall off and the leaves turn yellow.
Not only a lack of nitrogen fertilizers, but also their excess leads to disruptions in plant development. If the soil is oversaturated with nitrogen, then rapid growth of greenery begins, but this causes no more ovaries. Therefore, it is important to maintain proportions.
30 grams is enough for one bush. nitrogen. The first fertilizing is carried out immediately after the tomatoes are transplanted into the ground. A healthy plant can be additionally fertilized only after a few weeks. You should not overuse fertilizer, because... it is absorbed into the soil and is not washed away for a long time. Nitrogen tends to accumulate. Therefore, every extra feeding can lead to shedding of the ovary of tomatoes.
What threatens the fall of cucumber ovaries?
Beginners in gardening often face the problem of cucumber ovaries falling off. Because of this, the harvest is significantly reduced , and in particularly advanced situations it is not enough even for summer salads. After the first unsuccessful experience, novice gardeners give up, believing that it is impossible to grow a lot of tasty and aromatic cucumbers on their plot.
Important! Do not worry if only a small part of the ovaries turn yellow and fall off - this plant is shedding excess load in order to free up resources for the ripening of existing fruits.
Other reasons for the lack of ovaries in tomatoes
Factors causing tomato barrenness can be:
- lack of light (sun or artificial);
- lack of microelements;
- fungal diseases and infections;
- treatment with chemicals against pests.
To disinfect tomatoes, it is better to use safer products based on boric acid, iodine or salt.
Boric acid is a universal fertilizer for tomatoes. Spraying with boron helps the formation of ovaries and improves the taste of the plant. The tomatoes become sweeter. Boric acid helps tomatoes get essential nutrients from the soil.
If the ovaries of tomatoes fall off, the reason may be a lack of potassium and phosphorus. These two microelements are also extremely important during fruit formation. The fertilizer complex not only helps fruit set, but also increases disease resistance, strengthens the root system, and improves the taste of tomatoes. Potassium and phosphorus are fed to tomatoes in early July and then once a month.
Why tomatoes fatten: lush foliage, but you are without tomatoes
If you are having trouble with lots of lush foliage on your tomato plants but no tomatoes, it may be due to poor lighting or watering. In principle, the main signs that tomatoes are fattening are: excessively abundant foliage, many stepsons, thick stems, and curly tops. The flower clusters are weak, the flowers are pale in color, the buds are crumbling. Let's look at the main mistakes.
1. Insufficient light. Lack of adequate light is one of the main reasons for lack of fruit as plants require six to eight hours of full sunlight to flower and then bear fruit. Without this, you will be left with a lot of foliage, albeit spindly or elongated, and a few flowers, but very few tomatoes. Tomato production requires a lot of energy, which the plants receive from the sun. If your tomatoes are not getting enough light, they should be moved.
How many tomato flowers did you find in this photo?
2. Too little water. Tomatoes need a lot of water. Lack of watering leads to poor fruit development. If tomatoes have too little water, the plant may only produce a few flowers and then drop them.
3. Excess nitrogen. Tomatoes need phosphorus to bloom. Even if you have chosen the right fertilizer, consider the application schedule. Add fertilizer at planting time, but then wait to fertilize again until the plants have small fruits. Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer can stimulate frantic leaf growth during the flowering stage.
How to stop fattening of tomatoes:
— stop giving plants nitrogen fertilizers;
- add potassium monophosphate. It will help the plants not to shed their ovaries;
- arrange a “drying”: a week-long drought, then water the tomatoes less often, thereby the plants will not be able to absorb nitrogen. Tomatoes can shed some of their ovaries, so before drying they are recommended to be sprayed with a solution of boric acid or a ovary formation stimulator. The method is suitable if you have climate control in the greenhouse or the summer was not too hot;
- add ash under the tomatoes. It reduces nitrogen activity;
- treat the plants with a solution of superphosphate (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water), it also reduces nitrogen consumption by plants.
- arrange a radical haircut, removing 5-6 leaves. Do not trim the crown of determinate plants!
Prevention measures
Preparing the soil before transplanting seedlings is extremely important. The soil should be loose to better allow heat and air to pass through. Tomatoes love when the soil is enriched with humus and compost, as well as phosphates and potassium. It is advisable to disinfect the soil with an iodine solution.
Tomatoes need proper watering. To have a lot of ovaries, tomatoes need to be watered only in the evening. The water is left to settle for a day, so harmful substances, such as chlorine, evaporate from it. In addition, this time is enough for warming up. Cold water will destroy future fruits.
A mandatory measure to prevent the ovaries from falling off is pinching tomatoes. Excess shoots are removed so that the plant does not waste minerals and moisture on them. Timely removal of stepsons improves fruiting.
Why do tomatoes in a greenhouse lose color?
There may be several reasons why tomatoes do not bloom and the flowers that appear dry out and fall off. That is why, before taking any action, it is important to understand what exactly caused the problem.
Important! Tomatoes, especially at the beginning of flowering, react very poorly to sudden temperature fluctuations during the day and night. The smaller these differences are, the more fruit will set on the plants.
Microclimate disturbance
In order to get a good harvest of tomatoes indoors, it is necessary to maintain optimal conditions in the greenhouse according to 4 important parameters:
- temperature;
- humidity;
- lighting;
- ventilation.
If at least one of the mentioned characteristics does not meet the requirements of nightshade crops, the tomatoes will become sick, drop flowers, produce small fruits that do not develop color well, etc.
Lack or problems with pollination
Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants. This means that each flower can be pollinated by its own pollen. Pollen from neighboring flowers of the same or another plant can also be used for this purpose. When tomatoes grow in open ground, problems with pollination usually do not occur due to the flow of air masses, as well as a whole swarm of insects that fly around the beds and, collecting nectar from flowers, simultaneously transfer pollen from the stamens to the pistil with their paws.
Important! The anthers are deformed and do not crack at the right time if the temperature drops below 13 °C. With an increase in temperature to +30 °C, pollen loses its quality, and when this indicator increases by another 5 °C, it becomes sterile. When air humidity rises to 70% or higher, pollen becomes heavier, sticks together and loses its volatility.
However, in greenhouses, where insects and wind are absent, things become much more complicated. For the pollination process, it is critical that the pollen, which is formed in the so-called anthers, be sufficiently light and volatile, then when the anther cracks, it easily falls off right on the stigma. Many novice farmers do not attach importance to this point, but it is the unfavorable microclimate in the greenhouse that leads to the fact that tomatoes cannot be pollinated.
Poor quality seeds
Some gardeners, having grown a good crop of tomatoes, collect seeds from such fruits and leave them for planting next year, sincerely believing that in this way they not only save on the purchase of seed material, but also provide themselves with a guaranteed high yield. Unfortunately, in reality this is not entirely true.
The causative agents of many dangerous tomato diseases, including fungi, bacteria and viruses, can accumulate not only in the soil and tops of crops removed in the fall, but also in seeds. Even if the plant looked quite healthy outwardly, the pathogen could already be in it. For the disease to begin to manifest, it is necessary that the number of microorganisms in the culture reach a certain amount, but the trouble is that this can happen precisely during the subsequent storage of seeds.
Poor-quality seed material can be obtained even when purchasing it, especially if it was produced from unknown sellers or the product was produced by an unscrupulous manufacturer. Bad seeds often show poor germination, but those seeds that do germinate are usually characterized by reduced viability, which, in particular, can be felt by drying flowers and the absence of ovaries.
Did you know? More than 1,200 different varieties and hybrids of tomatoes are registered in the Russian Federation alone. Nobody counted how many of them there are in the world, especially since through the efforts of breeders this number increases from year to year.
The use of seeds produced by agrotechnical enterprises that value their reputation will help solve the problem. Such a product is not cheap, but it guarantees friendly shoots, healthy plants and a high yield.
Using the wrong variety
Numerous varieties of tomatoes are usually classified according to different criteria, and one of them is the recommended method of cultivation - some varieties of the crop were specially bred for growing in greenhouses, while others are aimed at planting in open ground. Therefore, when choosing a tomato variety or hybrid, you should always focus not only on its yield, keeping quality, taste and other qualities, but also on whether it is suitable for a greenhouse.
It should, however, be borne in mind that the above cannot be taken as dogma. For example, indeterminate varieties that are not resistant to cold are traditionally used for greenhouses, but in the southern regions of Ukraine the soil in an open garden bed warms up much better than in a greenhouse located in the middle zone.
The gardener should also know that, no matter how strange it may sound, many dangerous tomato diseases (such as Alternaria blight, macrosporiosis, cladosporiosis, etc.) more often affect plants planted in greenhouses than those grown in open ground. Therefore, variety resistance to these diseases is a prerequisite when choosing a tomato for a greenhouse.
Did you know? In 2005, Dutch scientists (Wageningen University and Research Center) conducted interesting research. The same tomato hybrid was illuminated in 4 different ways: 12 hours, 15 hours, 18 hours with high intensity and 18 hours with lower intensity. The most impressive harvest, and by a large margin, was obtained from the group of plants that received the most intense light.
Tomatoes without shelter - in open ground
Causes of flower falling
Even if vegetables grow without shelter, the problem of ovaries falling off is no less pressing for them than for their sheltered counterparts. The reasons are similar:
- Temperature changes,
- lack of useful elements,
- improper watering.
Ways to solve the problem
All these problems during cultivation can be solved if you listen to the recommendations of experts, namely:
- Cover the soil with hay, that is, mulch,
- water correctly and in a timely manner (it is not advisable to moisten the soil if the weather is about to deteriorate),
- Spraying future tomato ovaries and bushes with an appropriate solution: stir 2 cups of wood ash in a bucket of water, leave for a day. Or another option: add 1 gram of boric acid to a liter of hot water and stir. Thanks to this spraying, it will be possible to preserve the tomato ovaries,
- proper care of vegetable seedlings.
If you follow all the recommendations, then the question: why the crop loses its ovaries will no longer bother the summer resident and there will be no troubles when growing the vegetable.
Infectious diseases of tomatoes
Not only defects in care and lack of minerals can cause tomato flowers to fall off. Almost all pathogens of infectious diseases of tomatoes can directly or indirectly lead to the fall of the ovaries on the bush.
There are specific symptoms that indicate damage to the plant by one or another pathogen of a bacterial, viral or fungal nature.
Early introduction of a pathogenic parasite leads to a decrease in plant immunity, as well as to the rapid addition of secondary infections.
As a result of damage to tomato tissue, the growth and flowering of the bush is disrupted. Prevention measures include timely detection of signs of the disease, removal of affected bushes and treatment of healthy plants.
Useful tips
In addition to the above activities, there are several secrets to achieve higher tomato yields in greenhouses.
Here are some of them:
- It is better to orient the beds in the greenhouse from east to west, this way the bushes are provided with optimal lighting.
- The soil in the garden bed needs to be mulched. This allows you to better retain moisture in the soil, while preventing the air from becoming waterlogged. You can use hay or grass clippings as mulch.
- It is advisable to water tomatoes using a drip irrigation system, with the drip tubes placed on top of the mulch, and not under it.
- At the moment of intensive root growth, tomato bushes need to be hilled. The moment is chosen when characteristic seals appear in the lower part of the trunk (for the first time) and when the stem in this place acquires a purple tint (for the second time). It is very important to use moist soil for hilling.
- In order for the set fruits to ripen faster, after the ovary has formed, experienced gardeners carefully pinch the top of the bush, and then gradually, over the course of several days, remove almost all the foliage from the tomato, leaving almost one bare trunk and fruit clusters.
- When the tomatoes on the bush reach the desired size, you can help them reach ripeness and turn red faster by stopping or severely limiting watering. Feeding is also not carried out during such a drought.
- Extra early varieties of tomatoes are placed in the corners of the greenhouse. In this case, as the mid-season and late varieties grow, the early bushes can be removed, and they will not shade the main bed.
- After harvesting and removing the bushes from the garden bed, the soil should be carefully loosened, but deep digging, accompanied by mixing of soil layers, should not be carried out.
- Tomato tops collected from the garden should not be thrown away. Tomatoes grow well on their own leftovers. In order to provide them with this opportunity, the tops are cut into small fragments and embedded in the ground at the same time as loosening. Over the winter, much of the residue will rot and create the best organic fertilizer you can think of.
Drying of flowers in tomatoes growing in a greenhouse is a problem that occurs quite often. Despite this, any experienced gardener will confirm that a truly good tomato harvest can only be obtained by growing the crop under film. If you approach the issue responsibly and take into account all the nuances, then the shedding of flowers in tomatoes can easily be avoided, and in this case the achieved result will meet all expectations and even exceed them.
