Q. I have two tomato plants that I placed in Topsy Turvy planters. I mixed a “garden soil” with some aged horse manure into the planters. The plants are growing fine but wherever there is a flower bud, the little stem turns yellow and the bud falls off. What is happening? And what do I need to do to save my tomato plants and get some tomatoes?
-Chesapeake, Virginia
A. It may just be that it is doing a natural thing, as once the flower sets the fruit, the flower withers and dies. On the other hand, it might be “blossom drop,” a problem caused by conditions such as temperatures above 85F and below 55F. It can also be caused by stresses as result of too much nutrition, over-watering, under-watering and so on. Chances are, as the spring weather improves, so will the set on your tomatoes.
-Denny Blew, BlewLabel Perennials
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Follow-Up Q.: I think my tomatoes have “blossom drop” because it isn’t the normal setting of fruit that’s happening. It’s difficult to know how much water to give them because they’re in these TopsyTturvy planters. I may have over fertilized them. Someone told me to take some of the potting soil and manure out of the planters and put in some lime. What do you think?
A. I have one of those topsy tomato things and I’m not enchanted by it. At this point, you could damage the plant by removing soil and disturbing the roots. There’s a blossom set spray you can find at the garden store that might help. Next year, use a straight potting mix, add a tablespoon or two of limestone (tomatoes like lime to a degree), then feed with a “balanced” fertilizer (balanced meaning the same quantities each of N-P-K, in other words 5-5-5, 7-7-7, 10-10-10 and so on). If you can’t find a balanced one, get one that’s close to it. Most plants want a heavy percentage of nitrogen, but tomatoes don’t.
-Denny Blew, BlewLabel Perennials
Bridgeton, New Jersey
