[Novice but totally hooked]

I've got tomato plants - a mixture of varieties - growing both outside and in my poly tunnel and whilst they're all growing beautifully and putting out flowers they don't seem to be converting into fruit.  From the amount of greenerly I'd have expected more flowers as well.

They're being fed and watered regularly but am I doing something wrong?  Even if they frult late I don't mind as I can make GT Chutney but I would like SOME fruit!

[DD.]

Are the flowers dropping off without setting?

You also may be overfeeding them causing excessive foliage growth, you don't normally feed until you do have fruit that's set.

[Novice but totally hooked]

I'm not feeding that regularly.  I think I've only fed once or twice and one of those was because I was given some of the plants by someone who didn't have time to plant them out and they were  looking a bit sorry for themselves.

No, the flowers aren't falling, they're just not very big or many in number.  I'm looking out of my window at one plant which looks heathy and with plenty of leaves but I can only see about 3 small clusters of tiny flowers.

[DD.]

If you've got flowers, the missing ingredient is patience! 

[GrannieAnnie]

Are you removing the side shoots?  Perhaps more goodness is going into the side shoots and not into the fruit?

[Novice but totally hooked]

Yep, removing side shoots on a daily basis.  I don't think I'm doing anything differently from previous years but the plants just don't seem to have anything like the number of size of flowers that they normally have.

[andy135]

I use a hand spray to give the flowers a misting once a day. It helps to set the pollen.

[penninehillbilly]

Are you using a general fertilizer or a high potash feed?

[Novice but totally hooked]

Tomotrite and the ones in the poly tunnel are also on the edge of a 15 year old manure heap!

[penninehillbilly]

I use a hand spray to give the flowers a misting once a day. It helps to set the pollen.

I use a stick (or currently some big old scissors left in there) to give the cane a tap while I hold it, this vibrates the flower to release pollen.
Can't think of why not enough flowers though, too much nitrogen somehow?

[DD.]

Tapping the canes won't help with the number of flowers. If you read the thread, pollination is not an issue.

See my reply - second post - as regards too much feed.

[gillian62]

My outdoor tomatoes are doing a lot better than my greenhouse ones.  Maybe I would be best stopping growth in the greenhouse to get them to set fruit and grow them.

[penninehillbilly]

I've got tomato plants - a mixture of varieties - growing both outside and in my poly tunnel and whilst they're all growing beautifully and putting out flowers they don't seem to be converting into fruit.  From the amount of greenerly I'd have expected more flowers as well.

Tapping the canes won't help with the number of flowers. If you read the thread, pollination is not an issue.

As I read it, i would have thought pollination was an issue, as well as too rich a feed

[Novice but totally hooked]

Gillian - I think you may have hit the nail on the head there.  I'll take my machete to them tomorrow!

Seriously, I was beginning to think that may be the answer as well.  That said when I looked at them yesterday the flowers do seem to have come on in leaps and bounds over the weekend.