[Werewoman]

First I should explain what Vic is.

Vic is my lovely tomato plant potted in the back yard by the back door. He came to be called Vic because my 'sometimes idiot who thinks he's being funny' husband kept referring to the plant as 'The Victim", thus Vic.

Three months ago I planted little Vic in a lovely blue planter and have nurtured him lovingly. He is now 3 1/2 feet tall looking lovely surrounded by his tomato cage (I think that's what the support thingy is called).

The problem with Vic is that he is showing absolutely no signs or even interest in producing a single tomato. Apparently, Vic is impotent.

Has anyone else ever had this problem? This is not the first time I've grown veggies, and I am totally stumped.

[Travelinglady]

Maybe Vic needed some fertilizer earlier on. I haven't had this problem. Come on, Vic--give mom some tomatoes!

[Werewoman]

Originally Posted by Travelinglady

Maybe Vic needed some fertilizer earlier on. I haven't had this problem. Come on, Vic--give mom some tomatoes!

Did that, too. I have told hubby that this is all his fault because he traumatized him by calling him that and that if I don't get some juicy tomatoes soon, hubby will find himself sleeping on the couch!

[lizardlady]

Um, maybe Vic got confused by his name and thinks he is a boy so he shouldn't have babies?

[MotownJohnny]

Too much high-nitrogen fertilizer (the first of the three numbers of the package label) will promote vegetative growth at the expense of reproductive (flowers, fruit) growth. Try using a fertilizer that is specifically for tomatoes, or at least for fruiting plants - it should have a formula higher in P and K (the 2nd and 3rd numbers). Not enough sunlight will do that, too, tomatoes should have at least 6 hours of sun per day. Another possible cause is heat stress - if it is routinely above about 90 in the day, and doesn't cool down much below 72-75 at night, many tomato varieties will have flower bud abscission or if the flowers open, the fruit doesn't set. Finally, sometimes chipmunks will take a liking to flower buds of certain plants - the plants send a lot of sugars into the developing bud to help the flower grow and form fruit, and that makes them taste sweet. I've personally had that problem on impatiens, where the chipmunks strip the flower buds - don't know if that happens with tomatoes but I could see them doing that.

[buzz bee]

First and foremost Vic is feeling upset by his name. Let vic know that his name really is "The mighty viking of victory". That might help.

Second go to the store and buy a ton of tomatoes, works every time. Then you'll have more then you can handle.

Third and most important: Put the sucker in the sun. They love sun. Good luck.

[Werewoman]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Um, maybe Vic got confused by his name and thinks he is a boy so he shouldn't have babies?

LOL! Good point, from now on Vic will be short for Victoria. I shall inform her majesty immediately.

[Werewoman]

Originally Posted by MotownJohnny

Too much high-nitrogen fertilizer (the first of the three numbers of the package label) will promote vegetative growth at the expense of reproductive (flowers, fruit) growth. Try using a fertilizer that is specifically for tomatoes, or at least for fruiting plants - it should have a formula higher in P and K (the 2nd and 3rd numbers). Not enough sunlight will do that, too, tomatoes should have at least 6 hours of sun per day. Another possible cause is heat stress - if it is routinely above about 90 in the day, and doesn't cool down much below 72-75 at night, many tomato varieties will have flower bud abscission or if the flowers open, the fruit doesn't set. Finally, sometimes chipmunks will take a liking to flower buds of certain plants - the plants send a lot of sugars into the developing bud to help the flower grow and form fruit, and that makes them taste sweet. I've personally had that problem on impatiens, where the chipmunks strip the flower buds - don't know if that happens with tomatoes but I could see them doing that.

Fertilizer is Jobes fertilizer spikes used as directed, so I don't think that's a problem. SHE is on the west side of the house where she gets a good 8 hours a day of sunlight, so I don't think that's the problem either. In the last week daytime temps have been above 90, overnight temps are in the low to mid 70's, so that's a possibility, I guess. Chipmunks are definitely not the problem since we don't have any here. Every now and then a small yellow flower will bloom, and then the next day it's all shriveled up and brown. I water it at least once a day unless it rains.



When I had a garden in Virginia some years back, the only veggie I couldn't get to produce was yellow squash. It looked as though someone was taking a pair of scissors and snipping off all the blossoms. Then one morning I spied a snapping turtle dashing away as fast as his short little legs would carry him with a squash blossom in his mouth. I could have put up a barrier, but I didn't have the heart to deprive the little guy of his delicious breakfast.

[Werewoman]

Originally Posted by buzz bee

First and foremost Vic is feeling upset by his name. Let vic know that his name really is "The mighty viking of victory". That might help.

Second go to the store and buy a ton of tomatoes, works every time. Then you'll have more then you can handle.

Third and most important: Put the sucker in the sun. They love sun. Good luck.

Ew! I hate grocery store tomatoes! Why else would I spend all the money and effort trying to grow tomatoes that actually taste like a tomato instead of buying ones that taste like red, juicy cardboard. LOL

And from now on, SHE will be known as Victoria, the Queen of all potted plants.

[buzz bee]

I was listening to the radio this morning that the DJ said his tomato plant is doing the same thing yours is. Mine is slowing growing as well. I think its due to a hard winter.

[tametc]

Tomato plants need to be pollinated, so sometimes just gently shaking the plant helps. It's an old trick used by hothouse growers. You are better off giving your plant deep drinks of water whenever the soil feels dry 1 to 1 1/2 inches below the surface, rather thank giving it daily drinks. The yellow blossoms will seem to disappear, but you should see little tomatoes developing in place of the previous blossoms.

[Werewoman]

Originally Posted by tametc

Tomato plants need to be pollinated, so sometimes just gently shaking the plant helps. It's an old trick used by hothouse growers. You are better off giving your plant deep drinks of water whenever the soil feels dry 1 to 1 1/2 inches below the surface, rather thank giving it daily drinks. The yellow blossoms will seem to disappear, but you should see little tomatoes developing in place of the previous blossoms.

Okay, a little shaking certainly can't hurt. The organic soil I'm using seems to dry out very quickly, but that could just be the low humidity here.

Thanks a lot!

WW

[eskielover]

LOL....I never thought of Oklahoma as a low humidity state.....the last few years my tomatoes were doing similar to what you are saying.....first off....bees are needed also for pollination I thought.....shaking might help but nothing like the real nature. I also let my tomato plants dry out too much & was constantly going from wilt to wet....so this year I'm keeping constant moisture without it being soggy.

I also tested this awesome plant food....it's a calcium food for vegies & all plants which I put on as soon as I planted & then every few weeks with the watering. Personally the Jobes sticks seemed worthless in my past experience....finding a good fertilizer that is used every 2 weeks is worth it's weight in gold (or maybe I should say tomatoes).

Unfortunately I got a red tomato already.....I plucked it but it was black on the bottom & rotten all the way through....but I have some really nice green ones coming along. Planted so many different tomatoes this year.....& then got others from a friend at church & they are growing & blossuming amazingly well......& I have a beautiful little eggplant. I have more problems with squash & cucumbers.

Oh I loved your situation with the snapping turtle. What a guy to eat the most important part of your squash....the flower. Snapping turtles are on the hit list around here...but I always try to save them.

I have more problems with bunny's. The deer haven't come up to my front door where I keep all my vegies planted in pots even though I live on a farm....I don't have a tiller to use yet.....so I just put everything in pots on my front porch is all it's afternoon sunshine.....so far doing well including my herb garden.

[tametc]

Originally Posted by eskielover

Unfortunately I got a red tomato already.....I plucked it but it was black on the bottom & rotten all the way through....but I have some really nice green ones coming along.

Your poor little tomato had "blossom end rot", the cause of which is vigorously debated by various gardeners. I have learned to sprinkle a small amount of garden lime (sold in hardware stores, garden centers) about 6 inches out from the stem of the plant, on top of the soil. If it gets too close to the stem, it will burn the stem. This way, every time you water, or when it rains, more lime is going into the soil. I've been doing this for over 10 years now, and have completely eliminated blossom end rot in my tomatoes. There is also a spray you can buy, but the lime is less expensive. Oh, and BTW, can't overemphasize the importance of MULCH, even just a small amount of hay, straw, or wet newspapers on top the soil. Or, red plastic, which has been shown to improve tomato yields.

I garden organically, and I know this is a long post, but I get carried away by my passion for gardening.

[eskielover]

Thank you for this input.....very helpful......I think I would have a problem betting it 6 inches out from the stems since I am growing all my tomatoes in planters & actually have 6 plants in one huge container & then 3-4 each in smaller containers all only about 4 inches apart......so the spray even though more expensive might be a good solution given my growing situation....but it's good to know as I felt so bad for the condition of my "first ripe" tomato of the year.

[Werewoman]

Eskielover,

Thanks for the fertilizer ideas. I'll try it and see if things improve. Sorry about the 'blackened' red one you got. Glad to hear about the green ones though. I like to make fried green tomato sandwiches out of those. LOL

The snapping turtle was the only real perpetrator. I always made sure to plant enough crops to 'share' with the community, and that included the furry varieties. Deer and rabbits were frequent visitors as well.

tametc,

Very helpful advice as well. It just seemed so 'wered' to me that such a healthy looking plant wasn't popping out tomatoes all over the place.

[Werewoman]

Oh, and btw, because dear obnoxious (yet very loveable in his own 'wered' way) hubby traumatized the poor little thing, he is now required to bow to Her Majesty as a proper serf...

....at least until she produces her first lovely tomato....maybe. If he promises to be a good boy.