Why are the flowers falling off my plants? falling tomato flowers

Hello to all agrohuerters! On some occasion you may have found the flowers of your plants on the ground, especially in the summer. For this reason, in today’s article we are going to discover why the flowers of our plants are dying and what we can do to avoid it. Specifically, we will see an example of flower drop in tomato cultivation.

Those of us who live day by day in the world of plants know that symptoms can come from different problems. To do this, we are going to try to analyze them one by one so that you can identify which one is affecting your crops:

1. Problems with pollination

Let’s start with one of the most common problems linked to flower drop: pollination. As you all know, if the flower is not fertilized there will be no fruit and therefore it will fall. In the case of the tomato, let us remember that it is a self- pollinating plant, that is, it is pollinated with its own pollen in most cases.

Despite being autogamous, the tomato plant needs help to «vibrate» and make the pollen pass from the stamens to the pistil. Outdoor-grown tomatoes are more easily pollinated by wind and insects. However, in greenhouse-grown tomatoes we sometimes encounter this type of problem.

To help with this task we can create places that favor the presence of pollinating insects in our orchard (bee hotels, beneficial insect houses, etc.), buy boxes of pollinating bumblebees or by means of some home remedy (For example, making the «vibrate» the plant with an electric toothbrush).

2. Flower drop due to lack of aeration

When the plants are not well aerated, various problems appear: the appearance of fungi, pollination problems, etc. As we have mentioned in the previous point, the lack of aeration, especially in closed places such as greenhouses, will be an obstacle when it comes to pollinating the plants. And the flowers when not pollinated will fall to the ground.

To avoid this, it is recommended to open the doors and windows of the greenhouses from time to time. In the same way we will help maintain adequate temperatures inside.

3. Sudden changes in temperature

Sudden changes in temperature do not benefit almost anyone. Neither do our plants. Therefore, if the thermal variation between day and night has been very pronounced during the flowering season, it is not uncommon for us to find flowers on the ground that have not withstood these changes.

4. Dehydration and very high temperatures

During the summer it is very common to find fallen flowers on the ground for no apparent reason. However, it has an explanation. When temperatures are very high (above 35 degrees during the day and 25 degrees at night), plants dehydrate quickly. The air during these days is usually hot and dry.

To avoid this state of dehydration of the plant we must increase the irrigation during those days. In this way we will ensure that the plant does not enter into water stress.

Other possible solutions consist of placing a shading mesh to reduce temperature and sunburn on the plant.

5. Very low temperatures

In the opposite case to the previous one, when temperatures are very low (below 12 degrees, depending on the variety) they can also affect the flowers of our plants.

On this occasion, the solution will be to cover the plants during those days with plastic or other materials. If we have the plants in pots we can put them indoors or in a greenhouse.

6. Excessive dryness or moisture

If the environment is excessively dry, we have a problem again. The pollen does not adhere well to the stigma of the flower and there will be problems with fertilization.

On the contrary, if there is too much humidity in the environment, the pollen will remain on the stamens or will clump together.

7. Pests and diseases in flowers plants

We have already seen in other articles how certain pests and diseases can attack the flowers of our plants. For example flower thrips.

Pests and diseases that affect crop flowers are not usually the main reason for flower drop. However, if the density or infection is high, it can cause serious damage to crops.

Other crops with problems: Flower drop in pepper

In addition to tomato cultivation, pepper plants are also often affected by flower drop when conditions are not right.

The causes in this case we can say that they are practically the same: problems in the pollination and fertilization of the plant, extreme temperatures, humidity, dryness, pests or diseases. Therefore, the remedies to avoid it will be similar.

References

• Phytoma (February, 2019) Pests and diseases of the tomato crop.
• Phytoma (2016). Flower drop in tomato.
• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. (1994). Integrated pest control in early tomato greenhouses on the island of Menorca.
• Picken, A. J. F. (1984).A review of pollination and fruit set in the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Journal of Horticultural Science, 59(1), 1–13: sci-hub.se/10.1080/00221589.1984.11515163 Sci-Hub is a project to make knowledge free.

This is all for today agrohuerters, I hope you liked the article and above all, that it helps you in your orchards when you see that the flowers of the plants fall. Any question, experience or suggestion to tell us you can do it in the comments. We also like to read you!

Have a nice day