Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Here's one piece on it from UC Davis

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
-------------------------------------------

HOT WEATHER CAN REDUCE YOUR TOMATO CROP 
http://cestanislaus.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Horticulture_News9396.doc

Most gardeners would agree that there is nothing quite like home-grown
tomatoes to make a green salad perfect.  However, I often hear from people
who have healthy and vigorous tomato plants in their gardens, yet little or
no fruit to show for their efforts.  While it's tempting to blame poor
fruit production on nutrient deficiencies, pests and diseases, the problem
is most often a result of blossom drop and poor pollination. 

Despite the fact that tomatoes evolved in the tropics, flowering in
tomatoes is sensitive to temperature.  For many varieties, when day
temperatures exceed about 92 degrees F and night temperatures exceed 68
degrees F, tomato flowers often drop.  Temperatures that go below 55
degrees F at night can also prevent pollination of tomatoes.  An important
temperature factor is time of exposure.  The longer the plants are exposed
to high temperatures, the more serious the effect will be on flowering.
High temperatures for several consecutive days, coupled with dry soil
conditions, will often lead to poor pollination and flower drop.  Hot
drying winds and low humidity can make the problem worse.  Heirloom and
older home garden varieties are more sensitive to temperature related
problems than are many of the newer hybrids. 

Shading may also account for poor tomato fruit set.  Be sure to locate your
tomato plants where there will receive at least six hours of direct sun a
day.  Any less direct sunlight will result in a spindly, nonproductive
plant.  

Excessive tomato vine growth is usually associated with poor blossom set.
Anything that stimulates lush vine growth usually discourages flower set.
The most common cause of too much growth is excessive nitrogen
fertilization.  If you have made heavy applications of manure or commercial
nitrogen fertilizers, your tomato plants may be growing beautifully but not
producing much fruit.  This problem is often corrected as the season
progresses and some of that excessive nitrogen is used up by the plant or
leached from the plant root zone.  

Another often overlooked cause of poor fruit set in tomato plants is simply
dry soil.  If your tomato plants are not receiving adequate water, the
plants become stressed, and blossoms may dry and fall off plants.   Be sure
to keep tomato plants watered. This means a regular watering schedule that
prevents the soil from drying out too much at any one time. You may want to
mulch the soil beneath your tomato plants to help prevent moisture loss,
especially during very hot days.   

Tomato fruit set problems are fairly common wherever tomatoes are grown.
You can improve your chances for good crops by choosing varieties adapted
to the San Joaquin Valley, planting in full sun and watering and
fertilizing properly.  Also, control pest problems since any additional
plant stress will make the fruit set problem worse. 

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 10/20/2006 at 9:10 AM Laura McKenzie wrote:

>Paul, conventional wisdom says that tomatoes won't set in the hottest 
>weather but for some reason my drought stricken tomatoes slowed a little
>bit 
>but never stopped setting.  I bought a large package of FEDCO "Mixed 
>Heirlooms" so that I could find what tomato does best in Alabama.  The 
>standbys Atkins and Homestead did exceedingly well (though they are a
>little 
>plain tasting) but the mixed seeds gave me some wonderful results.
>Speckled 
>Romans were spectacular.  Orange Bananas were great too.  Pik Red
>sputtered 
>out in the heat.  Juliette did terrific.
>
>  And yes, raised beds, no till production is much easier. Tell the folks 
>here that.  A friend told me that she visited the farmer's market in 
>Birmingham and asked a farmer if he sold organic. He told her it was 
>"absolutely impossible" to be organic in Alabama.  I can for certain tell 
>you that not one extension agent has ever encouraged me or given me
>helpful 
>advice and I've tried several counties.
>
>We need an answer to the "master gardener" program... an organic master 
>gardener program.  I want one started nationwide. I want to mentor others.

>I'm almost good enough to do that.   Who is with me?
>
>
>><>``    ><>``     ><>``     ><>``      ><>``    ><>``    ><>``
>Laura's Homeschooling, Garden, and Genealogy Site
>is found here: http://home.att.net/~ekyorigins
>``<><    ``<><     ``<><     ``<><     ``<><     ``<><      ``<>< 
>
>
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