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Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: bikegirllisa on July 10, 2011, 23:08:53

Title: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: bikegirllisa on July 10, 2011, 23:08:53
I feel a bit stupid asking this, because it's a "theirs is bigger than mine" type of question.  On a little wander around the site this evening after watering, I noticed a lot of other tomatoes (of all varieties) are flowering or setting fruit.

My tigerellas look great - I sowed them in March in my conservatory, and I planted them out in the middle of June.  They look really strong now and have plenty of dark green leaves, but no flowers.  I can't decide if they are just late bloomers or this is perfectly normal.

I did wonder if I should be feeding them yet?  At the moment, I am just watering.  Any advice or words of wisdom would be very welcome. ::)
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: BarriedaleNick on July 11, 2011, 08:22:14
It is a bit odd to have no flowers at all at this point in the season - some peeps are even picking ripe toms at the moment. 
My only thought would be that the plants have too much nitrogen and are content just to grow rather than flower but if you havent fed them it's very odd.  How tall are they and what do you have them in.
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: chriscross1966 on July 11, 2011, 09:42:43
That is a bit wierd but I can think of a couple of things..... Are they outside?.... our weather has been odd and that can cause alosot any problem you care to mention in a tomato.
Nitrogen.... too much nitrogen..... If you feed a tomato it's a happy bunny and given that the original base species is perennial it might decide that while it's all nice and cosy and well fed it can just spend this year growing big and look at flowering next year.....
Tigerellas should have set their first couple of trusses on the time regime you outlined, my indoor ones look like they're about to ripen their first truss.... Tigerella is an early variety and last year was my first standard to fruit, just after the real drag-racers like Sungold, Garden Pearl and Black Krim
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: antipodes on July 11, 2011, 10:20:37
Yes, sorry to say that I am already setting fruit on my Tigerellas and they are outdoors! They already have loads of flowers, as I find they are a good heavy cropper. How many plants do you have?
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: goodlife on July 11, 2011, 12:50:43
Hmmm.. :-\ I wonder if it is a weather thing..
I just had a call from friend that I grew some tomato plants..so the source of plants are same, we both used same brand of compost...but his plants are struggling to produce flowers... ???..but mine are doing splendid. Biggest difference is that my GH and soil is much warmer than the way he grow his.
Trouble is that we've had quite cool nights for weeks now..temperature barely got above +10 over night..it is not usual for June/July weather.
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: bikegirllisa on July 11, 2011, 21:36:20
I have 14 plants, and while the leaves are lovely and dark green, and the plants themselves look really strong and sturdy, there's not a flower in sight.

I haven't fed them, but they did go into a bed that had been very well prepared with lots of compost after it had had a lot of perennial weeds in it since the last tenant stopped working it last August.

I planted them outside in the middle of June - and the weather in Croydon has been a bit odd ever since.  It has felt more like spring than summer - we had that nice easter weekend and it's been a bit rubbish ever since.

Would it help to fleece them maybe?
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: goodlife on July 11, 2011, 22:03:02
What varieties are your other tomatoes..tigerella probably would be happier in GH..
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: pigeonseed on July 12, 2011, 20:26:05
My tigerella are late this year but I do have fruit. I was eating them in June last year (and I grow outside) but the first one was ripe today. The rest are all very green. I sowed them in Feb and planted out in the hot spell in April.

Like you say weird weather.  ::) Try some extra shelter for them to push them along? Maybe they're just running late. But it will be hard to ripen fruit before blight/cold weather strike at this rate  :-\

Can you cloche them at the end of the season to prolong it enough to ripen them?

Tomatoes are so disappointing if they don't work, because of how early you start them off.
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: bikegirllisa on July 13, 2011, 21:46:20
Quote from: pigeonseed on July 12, 2011, 20:26:05
Tomatoes are so disappointing if they don't work, because of how early you start them off.

You're not wrong there!

My other toms are San Marzano and they don't look any better.  Him Indoors said if I could get a cheap greenhouse, he would put it up in our tiny back yard.  Maybe that's the answer.

Ah well, you win some, you lose some.
Title: Re: Should my Tigerellas have flowered by now?
Post by: bikegirllisa on July 17, 2011, 20:48:02
Update today - every plant has now set it's first lot of flowers.  Hooray!