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This is the first year I have grown tomatoes (3 varieties - Costoluto, Palla di Fuoco and a cherry similar to Gardeners delight I'm told.) On about half of the plants a flower has developed at the top that looks a bit similar to a dandelion flower. The plants have normal flowers on too. Could this be anything to do with male and female plants? Should I treat these plants any differently? These flowers seem to have brought an 'end' to the cordon - do I just let one of the sideshoots next to the top truss take over. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Know exactly what you mean when you say "similar to a dandelion", have experienced this myself on Gardeners Delight and Marmande. I did read some research on this a while back, and I believe that this is an indication that the plant has been affected by cold, and the triggers within the plant that form the flowers haven't worked properly in some cases. I would pick off the flowers, as I believe that any fruit resulting my be malformed too.
Not sure about the cordon "ending", it may just be temporarily halted, maybe again due to cold, or maybe a shock if they have been planted out recently. I see no problem with letting one sideshoot take over, but perhaps someone else can answer this one more confidently.

I've had a few of those startling flowers too gavin, and picked them off. Mine haven't stopped the cordons though ???

Yes! - This is happening on my 'purple calabash' plants, all my other varieties are fine- I thought it was variety specific, but obviously not....

I haven't experienced this oddity on any of my plants. Any pictures?

My Marmande do this every year.

I let a side shoot take over as the leader and things are normally fine. I leave the flower as you get some interesting shaped fruit!

Jerry

Quote from: amphibian on June 12, 2006, 11:16:56
I haven't experienced this oddity on any of my plants. Any pictures?

Arghh - wish I'd taken some now, but dandelion-like is a very good description - hopefully Gavin can post a pic?

Its the first time I have grown Marmande and mine have the dandelion flower, I will leave it now to see what shaped fruit I get

We have had these flowers in the past, and the 'odd shaped' fruit, referred to by sandersj89, are probably suffering from what is known as 'catfacing'.  I think that is caused by the plant being colder than it would really like, at some time in its development.  The fruits are peculiarly shaped, but the 'taste' is still there!

valmarg

right, I've taken these photos. I'm hoping that this works:





just realised that the files are massive - nearly 1mb each. I'll leave these here for a few mins while i make them smaller.

n.b. in reply to the last post - it is only one single flower on each plant.

Brilliant, got it working at last. Anyway, I can't see it being down to a cold snap. One theory I have (and this is based on rather superficial knowledge) is that it is something to do with male and female flowers. The seed I bought were not F1 hybrids (unlike most in the shops) - I can save the seed from these plants and they will come true agan the following year. I may be barking up the wrong tree here though ......

Look very much like my Marmande, will try to post a picture tomorrow to compare.

Jerry

Quoteit is something to do with male and female flowers

No, tomatoes don't have separate male & female flowers, like most Solanaceae each flower is usually pollinated by itself as the stigma emerges.

It is very common to see these deformed flowers, it's almost like fasciation, most probably it's a reaction to something cultural, temperature, watering, insect attack etc. Don't worry though the tomatoes produced by these flowers are fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation

Older varieties are the most likely to produce such flowers. Most of the heritage varieties I'm growing have them this year. There must be conditions that make them more common though, as last year I had none and a fellow heritage grower had one, and this year we've both got them on most plants spanning around 25 varieties.

I get these flowers too and it does affect the fruit. See the tom on the right!



I've lost the growing tip too, but that was due to slugs abseiling down the cords!!

They may be a strange shape but they are fine to eat ;)

Quote from: myrtle on June 13, 2006, 08:36:56
I get these flowers too and it does affect the fruit. See the tom on the right!


I've lost the growing tip too, but that was due to slugs abseiling down the cords!!

Blimey!

You could enter the National Rust's Ugly Veg competition with one of those!

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-special_projects/w-plot_to_plate/w-ugly_veg_competition.htm

moonbells (flowers so far on San Marzano and Cream Sausage are horribly normal)

I have the 'odd' flower on all my Costoluto Fiorentino but not on any other variety, though I remember having it on the one Marmande plant I bought at a garden centre last year. Like you all, I shall let a side shoot take over and hope it will produce a good crop. The Marmande didn't do too well so I gave it a miss this year and have Harbinger, Harzfeuer, New Yorker (seeds from the States) and Dombito as well as the CF. More than enough for my 1, sometimes 2, household.

Tricia

Yes, I've got it on Costoluto Fiorentina and no other variety too. Looking to take the same solution as tricia.

Interesting, so it looks like this is more common on the more mis-shapen and old beefstake varieties..

Has anyone had it on a 'normal' variety?