Re: [tomato] Blossom Drop
Ron Hay (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Sun, 04 Jul 1999 15:37:16 -0700
Hello, Margaret,
Last summer, when we had weeks and weeks of 105+, the tomatoes continued to
blossom and to set fruit like crazy. Our soil was not nearly so well-amended as
it is this year, thanks to my lovely wife's valiant efforts with our adobe clay.
This year, in Van Nuys, CA, we really have not had really hot weather yet (La
Nina?), and our vines are groaning under the weight of fruit. We planted three
of each variety: Beefmaster, large cherry tomatoes, Roma, early girl, big girl
and big boy, plus a couple of anonymous and flourishing volunteers.
On the Roma at the front of the row, I lost count with 70 fruit. It looks like
we will be busy canning this year, and eating our healthful largely vegetarian
fare.
Enjoy your garden!
Ron
margaret lauterbach wrote:
> At 04:45 PM 7/4/99 EDT, you wrote:
> >I'm having some trouble with blossom drop on several of my tomatoes. I'm a
> >novice so I haven't a clue what to do. I do have fruit on all the plants
> that
> >are having this problem & we're in the midst of a drought & temps in the
> >90's. I've been watering however. Some are container grown & some in the
> >ground.
> >I remember reading that some of you use epsom salts on your tomatoes, but
> >don't remember if this is one of the situations that call for it..
> >Thanks for your help.
> >Kim
> >
> You have two whammies here, Kim. Tomatoes won't set fruit (blossoms drop
> off) above 95 degrees, and they require deep watering. I once read where
> tomato roots poked about 20 feet down into the soil. It should be obvious
> that sprinkling tomatoes won't get water down that deep. Deep water them
> once a week or once every 4 or 5 days in your heat. If you use mulch to
> conserve soil moisture, you probably can get away with deep watering once a
> week. I used to use an irrigator head, but "level" in my tomato patch
> became an unknown quantity, so I'm soaker hose watering. I know tomato
> roots can only go as deep as about 30 inches here because we have an
> inch-thick hardpan at that depth. I only use Epsom Salts when I first plant
> tomatoes. Others may use it at other times. Margaret L