Why Tomatoes Fail to Set Fruit and How to Fix It
Tomatoes can be eaten both as a fruit and as a vegetable, and they help strengthen various physiological functions, clear heat and detoxify, and boost metabolism. Although tomatoes are suited to being sown and grown in summer, they can now be planted in any season through greenhouse cultivation. However, this has also brought some problems, and among them the main ones are tomatoes failing to set flowers and failing to set fruit. So how should these be prevented and controlled? Let's take a look below!
1. Control the greenhouse temperature
Tomatoes are a warmth-loving crop, so the temperature inside the greenhouse must not be too high; during the day it must not exceed 30°C at most. If the temperature exceeds 35°C and stays there for more than two hours, it will affect the tomato flower buds. At night the temperature must not be lower than 12°C or higher than 18°C. If the nighttime temperature is too high, the tomato stems will grow excessively, causing flower drop. Artificial cooling should be carried out: on hotter, sunnier days, shade the greenhouse during the hottest part of midday, or sprinkle water inside the greenhouse for physical cooling. Lowering the temperature allows for good fruit set.
2. Spray growth regulators ⟧7⟧You can spray agents such as chlormequat on the tomato leaves to regulate the growth rate of the tomatoes and make the tomato stems thicker, but it must not be used in excess. Before use, you can spray a small amount first as a test, then adjust the amount accordingly based on the tomato's growth. If the amount is excessive, it will not only fail to promote tomato growth but will also inhibit it. Try to choose a sunny afternoon for spraying, because this can reduce the chance of phytotoxicity.
You can spray growth regulators such as mepiquat chloride on tomato leaves to regulate the growth rate of tomatoes and make the tomato stems thicker, but it must not be used in excess. Before use, you can first spray a small amount as a test, and then adjust the corresponding dosage according to the growth of the tomatoes. If the dosage is excessive, it will not only fail to promote tomato growth but will also inhibit it. Try to choose a sunny afternoon for spraying, because this can reduce the chance of pesticide damage.
3. Remove leaves to protect fruit
If you find that the tomato plant has too many leaves, you can remove the well-growing leaves to protect the tomato's growth. However, the number of fruits per plant should also not be too many, because too many fruits means excessive nitrogen fertilizer, and excessive nitrogen fertilizer causes an imbalance in the tomato's nutrient uptake. Also, too many fruits will cause nutrients to be absorbed by the lower fruits, leaving the upper fruits without enough nutrients to flower and set fruit, resulting in fruit and flower drop on the upper part. During the flowering and fruiting period, attention must also be paid to rational fertilization, otherwise it will also cause nutrient imbalance.
4. Supplement nutrient elements
If you find that the tomatoes are growing too fast, or that calcium deficiency has occurred because the temperature is too high and the water in the tomato plant evaporates rapidly, you can spray some foliar fertilizer containing trace elements such as boron and calcium. This can also reduce flower and fruit drop to a certain extent, and when the temperature is too high you can also spray a very small amount of flower agent, which not only protects the flowers but also increases moisture.
The four points above are the methods for preventing tomato flower and fruit drop. Tomatoes have high temperature requirements, and the latter three points are more or less aftereffects caused by excessively high temperatures. So in daily management, controlling the temperature around the tomatoes and inside the greenhouse well can reduce or avoid the occurrence of flower and fruit drop.