Question:
My wife and I planted several tomato plants. This is our first attempt at growing tomatoes. The plants are thriving. They have many flowers, but none seem to be developing any fruit. The blossoms simply pop open, turn brown, and then die. So, what are we doing wrong?Answer:
- The growing season for tomatoes has been atypical this year, as the weather in May and June was below normal.
- You're doing nothing wrong. This is a classic example of Mother Nature and our microclimates.
- For tomatoes to set or form, pollination and fertilization must occur. In many plants, pollination, and fertilization occur simultaneously. This is not the case with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and others; they are two separate events.
- Pollination is the transfer of yellow pollen from the Anther (male) to the Pistil (female). The wind is the chief means of making this happen. On calm days or if you like to help, gently shaking the plants in the afternoon is beneficial.
- After pollination, a pollen tube forms to transport the pollen to another part of the flower, where fertilization occurs. This is when tomatoes start to form. The tomato blossom falls off whether or not fertilization occurs.
- Fertilization fails to happen when the nighttime temperatures are below 55 degrees. The pollen tube does not develop fast enough before the flower drops. So production has been effective.
- The recent July heat spells should have reversed the nighttime trend. Tomatoes should now be forming.
Question:
My friend gave me two cherry trees that were suckers about two feet cut from the main tree's root. I planted them two years ago, and they are now about six feet tall. I got blossoms this year but no fruit. The parent tree produces very well. Will they eventually have fruit? Or should I pull them and replace them with bare root trees from the nursery?Answer:
- Cherries, Plums, Apples, Peaches, Nectarines, and other fruit trees are not grown on their own root. A particular rootstock is selected for each variety.
- Commercially, fruit trees are budded onto a compatible rootstock.
- With Cherries, Mahaleb is used on standard trees, Mazzard on semi-dwarf, and Colt on dwarf trees.
- These rootstocks are better suited for our heavy clay soil. They also produce trees that better anchor themselves. This is critical so they don't blow over during windy periods.
- These rootstocks are started from seed.
- The fruit pits/seeds are never used to reproduce named varieties. The seedlings are very unpredictable from these parents.
- The chance of them producing an edible fruit or one that's comparable to the parent(s) is very slim.
- I wouldn't waste any time cultivating these trees.
- I'd purchase the desired varieties in the upcoming bare root season. Cherries must be cross-pollinated with another type, so you will need two different trees; however, there are self-pollinating varieties.
- The nursery professional at your favorite garden centers can advise you.