Built myself a small polytunnel this year, which is filled with toms, aubergines and peppers. Only put 3 tom plants in there because it's so small - brandywines - and they are now huge. Only problem... no fruits have set. I've had one end of the polytunnel permanently open so there should be insects in there. What is the problem? Anyone...
Also, will it now reflower and give me another chance for fruit?
Aren't Brandywine notoriously difficult??
I nearly fell off my chair laughing when I read this. My Gardener's Delight, Rosadel and Santa are all fruiting now. My beefsteak? Nada. Variety? ....Brandywine. Courtesy of Cleo I might add (thanks mate).
I will be watching this thread!
Here's the offender.Â
(http://www.charliefoulkes.com/images/garden-summer-2005/brandywine.jpg) (http://www.charliefoulkes.com/growing.htm)
I am growing them too, under glass and in a plastic greenhouse. Plants are tall, 6 foot plus and only 4 trusses so far. Maybe 4 or 5 flowers per truss.
But like you they have few fruit. Some are doing ok, golf ball sized toms at the moment but I am not predicting a huge yield.
Jerry
Quote from: piers on July 11, 2005, 13:08:28
I've had one end of the polytunnel permanently open so there should be insects in there. What is the problem? Anyone...
Also, will it now reflower and give me another chance for fruit?
Tomatoes are wind pollinated. When growing under protection you will need to make the plants move somehow or transfer the pollen with a paintbrush (not from flower to flower, just in between the anthers and stigma on each flower) to imitate this.
Well, mine's out in the open, and doesn't appear to have fared any better for it. :-\
I love the plant - magnificent looking, dare I say "mighty". I would like to get some fruit from it though!!! Perhaps I will try the paintbrush trick. :D
Thanks for all this help. I have shaken it around a bit. To clarify, though, what if it has flowered already and the flowers have died off, but the plant was not pollinated. Will it then flower again so that I have another chance?
Quote from: piers on July 13, 2005, 13:30:13
Thanks for all this help. I have shaken it around a bit. To clarify, though, what if it has flowered already and the flowers have died off, but the plant was not pollinated. Will it then flower again so that I have another chance?
Yes. So long as phenological conditions are conducive for flowering and fruit set then it will keep flowering.
Quote from: Charlotte Sometimes on July 13, 2005, 11:43:11
Well, mine's out in the open, and doesn't appear to have fared any better for it. :-\
I love the plant - magnificent looking, dare I say "mighty". I would like to get some fruit from it though!!! Perhaps I will try the paintbrush trick. :D
I think you may be running into genotype problems. "Brandywine" is a small village just outside of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania in the much sentimentalised Amish country. This variety was selected there in the 1860's, by an Amish farmer, and is named after the village. The summers there are characterised by many very warm, humid days and also warm, humid nights. To make this selection a variety, or varieties, with genes adapted to these conditions will have been chosen to begin with. Tomatoes for different climates, such as the U.K., will have different genotypes- i.e. Alicante or Moneymaker do really badly even in Vermont (I tried them to see if I could tap into the emigrant U.K. market) and we are considerably cooler than Philly. I would suggest that at the least you stand your plant against a south wall or, if you can, put it under protection and grab your paintbrush.
Heh heh! Some progress, but there is only the one fruit!
(http://www.charliefoulkes.com/images/garden-summer-2005/brandywine-fruit.jpg)
My brandywein are in the greenhouse and have lots of heavy fruit on. I've done nothing about pollination. They look to be about a week away from being ripe, with some fairly huge toms. One odd thing, they aren't quite as mishapen as they can be.
Quote from: john_miller on July 12, 2005, 16:56:02
Tomatoes are wind pollinated. When growing under protection you will need to make the plants move somehow or transfer the pollen with a paintbrush (not from flower to flower, just in between the anthers and stigma on each flower) to imitate this.
John,
I think you're overcomplicating it. The commercial way is to use bees, not to transfer the pollen but the vibration of their wings causes the pollen to drop to where it is required - they even used to use vibrating "electric bees" in greenhouses.
Just a tapping the stems or trusses gently (preferably around the middle of the day) will transfer the pollen and provide d the overrnight temp isn't too extreme for this time of year <15 or >25 degrees C you should have good setting
Apparently no need for electric bees here! Just been out and found several more fruits on my Brandywine. Looks like it has finally got going. ;D 8)
John,
I think you're overcomplicating it. The commercial way is to use bees, not to transfer the pollen but the vibration of their wings causes the pollen to drop to where it is required - they even used to use vibrating "electric bees" in greenhouses.
Just a tapping the stems or trusses gently (preferably around the middle of the day) will transfer the pollen and provide d the overrnight temp isn't too extreme for this time of year <15 or >25 degrees C you should have good setting
Quote
That's known as 'buzz pollination' and is very common. the vibration sends the pollen everywhere, and some of it is attracted to the hairs on the bee, which are electrostatically charged. The bee then scrapes it off the the mid-legs, and packs it onto long hairs, the pollen baskets, on the back legs. the resulting lump of pollen is then carried back to the hive, and provides everything for the bees' diet except carbohydrate, which comes from nectar.