The Ultimate Guide to Pollinate Tomatoes for High Yielding Production

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When growing tomatoes, pollination is a crucial step in ensuring high-yielding production. Without proper pollination, your tomato plants may not produce enough fruit or any at all. In this ultimate guide, we will go through different methods of pollinating tomatoes and explain how you can ensure that your tomato plants are receiving the best care possible.

Importance of Tomato Pollination

Tomato pollination is crucial because it allows the transfer of pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part, thus allowing the plant to produce fruit. If pollination does not occur, the flowers will eventually fall off, and no fruit will be produced.

Different Methods of Pollinating Tomatoes

There are several ways to pollinate tomatoes, including natural bee pollination, hand pollination, wind pollination, and the shake or tap method. It is important to note that each method requires different techniques, and you may need to use a combination of methods.

Bee pollination of tomatoes

Natural Bee Pollinators

Bees are one of the most efficient pollinators of tomato plants. They are attracted to the nectar and pollen of the tomato plant flowers, and as they move from one flower to another, they transfer the pollen necessary for fruit growth.

How to Attract Bees to Your Garden?

To attract bees to your garden, you need to provide them with a desirable environment. This includes growing flowering plants that bees prefer, such as lavender, wildflowers, and herbs. Moreover, avoid using pesticides and insecticides in your garden, which can harm the bees.

Ways to Encourage Bee Pollination

There are several things you can do to encourage bee pollination in your garden. One of the most important steps is to plant your tomatoes close together since bees will visit all nearby flowers. Additionally, choose varieties that produce more flowers since this would provide more opportunities for pollination.

Problems with Bee Pollination

While bee pollination is a natural and efficient way to ensure that your tomato plants bear fruit, there are some problems you may encounter. These include inadequate bee population or presence, unsuitable weather conditions, and lack of variety in flower blooming times.

Hand pollinating tomato plants

Reasons for Hand Pollination

Sometimes, it may be necessary to hand pollinate your tomato plants because of a lack of bees or insufficient pollination. Some tomato cultivars might also benefit from hand pollination, especially if they have small or closed flowers.

Step-by-step guide to Hand Pollination

The process of hand pollination involves transferring pollen from the male flower to the female flower using a brush, cotton swab or your finger. You can easily learn this step-by-step process by researching it online or watching a video.

When to Hand Pollinate Tomatoes?

Hand pollination should be done in the early morning when the flowers are fully open and most receptive to pollination. Avoid doing it during hot or dry weather, as this would not encourage pollination.

Natural pollination methods for tomatoes

Wind Pollination

Although not as reliable as bee pollination, wind pollination also plays a role in pollinating tomato plants. To take advantage of this, avoid sheltering your tomato plants from the wind, and erect barriers that could block high-winds, like strong winds.

Shake or Tap the Tomato Plant Method

This method involves shaking the tomato plant or tapping it gently to help potassium ions move around and stimulate pollen production, which is required for fruit production. Performing this method while standing near the base of the plant, arch over the plant, and give it a gentle shake.

Electric Toothbrush Method of Pollination

If you have an electric toothbrush, you can use it to emulate the vibration caused by bee wings - this method helps raise the pollen release while reducing physical stress for tomato plant flowers.

Pollination is crucial for your tomato production, and different pollination methods require different techniques. Make sure you are taking advantage of all pollination opportunities available for your tomatoes' growth.

FAQ

How many times do you need to pollinate a tomato plant?

Tomatoes require only one round of successful pollination as their flowers usually produce enough pollen grains to fertilize themselves.

What can I use to hand pollinate my tomato plants?

You can use a brush, cotton swab, or just your finger when hand pollinating your tomato plants.

Do I need bees in my garden for tomato plants?

While it is not necessary to have bees in your garden, having them will help increase the likelihood of successful pollination for your tomato plants.

Can I cross-pollinate my tomatoes with another tomato variety?

Yes, tomatoes can be cross-pollinated, but it requires a specific technique that requires destructing each flower's reproductive parts and transfer desired pollen to remaining parts. Cross-pollination may produce new varieties with better physical characteristics.

Why did my tomatoes not set fruit even after pollination?

Tomatoes may not set fruit for several reasons, including low temperatures which results in slow pollination, inadequate amounts of sunlight and/or the wrong level of humidity. Optimal pollination conditions are usually achieved between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit (21-26 Ceus) with at least six hours daily of direct sunlight.

Can I save tomato seeds after I hand pollinate them?

Yes, you can collect and save seeds from your organically raised tomato plants. It's imperative to make sure the fruit has reached its full maturity, and the seeds have dried up while still inside the fruit.

What other vegetables need hand pollination like tomatoes?

Other vegetables that benefit from hand pollination include cucumbers, pepper, eggplant and squash.

Can hand pollinating my tomato plants result in disease spreading?

While hand pollination itself is unlikely to transmit plant diseases, using the same tool to move between different tomato flower varieties can aid in spreading diseases.

Why is it important to use natural pollinators for my tomato plants?

Using natural pollinators such as bees gives your tomatoes a higher likelihood of successful pollination and improves fruit production overall.

How can I tell if the bee has visited my tomato flower, and how effective are they?

If you see yellow pollen on the bee's back or legs, then it has successfully visited your tomato flowers. Bees can be particularly effective for tomato plants because they like visiting multiple nearby flowers, increasing the chances of cross-pollination among different plants.