Hands gathering tomatoes© Twentyseven/Getty Images
Tomato plants are popular in home gardens across the United States. This probably comes as no surprise, as they are rich in antioxidants like lycopene and vitamin C and nutrients including folate, potassium, and iron -- not to mention that they're delicious when added to a number of different meals. They are also an easy choice for novice gardeners, as they are self-pollinating. Tomato plants produce small yellow flowers before growing produce. Fertilized flowers develop into the red fleshy fruit, while unfertilized flowers just drop off the plant. So, what does it mean if your tomato plant blossoms but bears no fruit?
Pouring time and energy into plants that won't thrive is frustrating. To avoid this, it's imperative to get to the root of the problem. There are quite a few reasons why you may not be growing the best tomatoes, or any tomatoes at all, in your garden. Some of the easiest issues to fix include that your plant may need more sun or water. Other problems that may require more effort to remedy are if temperatures are too high or there's too much nitrogen in the soil. These two problems can both play a big role in the development of everything from seeds and buds to roots and fruit. Let's take a closer look at how the environment impacts your home garden and what you can do to encourage healthy tomato plants.
Read more: How To Help Your Trees That Aren't Supplying Fruit?
Extreme Temperatures Nip Tomato Production In The Bud
Yellow tomato plant flowers© Provided by House Digest
Many forms of vegetation are highly sensitive to shifting temperatures. Tomatoes grow best at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and the plants experience heat stress when temperatures rise to between 86 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat stress causes issues in reproduction, specifically in the male portion of the flower, by limiting the amount of pollen that's produced and released. If the tomato plant isn't pollinated, it won't grow fruit. Those that manage to yield an edible product due to heat tolerance are usually undersized, and these smaller fruits also develop fewer seeds.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to beat the heat. One garden hack for growing tomatoes is to mulch your soil. The mulch adds a protective shell to garden beds, maintaining cooler root temperatures. You can also add a defensive layer of cloth to shield vegetation on overly hot days. Shade cloth can be made from a variety of products, including insect netting. Drape it over the tomatoes to keep the sun from pelting them at full force. You can also cool your garden down by watering up to three times more than you usually would on hot days. If your plant is struggling to pollinate itself, draw in more beneficial insects or try to hand pollinate your plants as well.
Nitrogen-Rich Soil Stalls Fruit On Tomato Plants
Hand fertilizes tomato plant© Valentin Valkov/Shutterstock
Too much nitrogen in your garden soil is another hindrance to tomato plants producing fruit. High levels are tricky to diagnose at first because tomato plants look exceptionally lush. Unfortunately, the same chemical element that's causing your plant to flourish may also be stalling fruit production. Using exorbitant amounts of fertilizer is sometimes the culprit in these predicaments. You may want to conduct a soil test, and if the nitrogen content is too high, watering more or adding mulch can help remove it.
There are also two ways to control nitrogen levels added to your garden through fertilizer in the future. The first is going light or waiting for your tomatoes to fruit before adding plant food. The other avoids using blends with high nitrogen percentages. Fertilizer bags give gardeners an overview of the nutrients inside in the form of a ratio. Usually, you'll see three numbers representing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A bag with the ratio 5-10-18 has a breakdown of 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 18% potassium. The best fertilizer for healthy tomatoes should have a low nitrogen level to avoid using too much too early and a higher potassium level to encourage fruit production.
