Oddity Question - No Fruit

Keiththibodeaux · July 23, 2011

A couple of years ago, I got some great large cherry tomatos at one of the big box stores. Understanding it was probably a hybrid, maybe even sterile, but with nothing to lose I started some plants from the seed. Two of the seeds germinated. I added one to my tomato garden and gave another to my father-in-law for his tomato garden. Both of our gardens were normal that year lots of tomatoes, except for these seedlings. In both garden it produced wonderfully healthy tomato plants, but produced no tomatoes. In the whole season it made only one or two flowers. Since it did the same in two different garden with two different sets of gardening practices, and the other tomatoes in those gardens did fine, I am ruling out cultural practices. Has anyone experienced or heard of tomato plants that just didn't produce tomatoes as a genetic trait, probably resulting from a hybrid trait.

oc tony · July 23, 2011

You got a mule. It happens and no one has it figured out yet. I've seen a guy buy four tomato plants and they were all mules.

luke · July 24, 2011

Do you have other plants that produced?

I have a garden full of the healthiest plants I've ever grown, but the large majority have no fruits. The heat hit them hard, and I only had early production on two plants out of about 40 plants.

I have some that are setting now, and I will replant those varieties next year in case we have the same run of heat.

travis · July 24, 2011

Keith, I had two beautiful mules last year and one this year. Totally healthy plants, but just a few tiny vestigal flower buds that never showed yellow. All three plants were growouts of previously productive plants of earlier generations of home grown heirloom crosses. So it doesn't just happen with commercial hybrids.

tam91 · July 24, 2011

I have a weird Pineapple plant, grown from seed. Green and healthy, but stocky and not even a flower.

Is that a problem with the one individual seed, or should I get a new packet next year?

July 23, 2011	#1
Keiththibodeaux Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Louisiana Posts: 587	Oddity Question - No Fruit A couple of years ago, I got some great large cherry tomatos at one of the big box stores. Understanding it was probably a hybrid, maybe even sterile, but with nothing to lose I started some plants from the seed. Two of the seeds germinated. I added one to my tomato garden and gave another to my father-in-law for his tomato garden. Both of our gardens were normal that year lots of tomatoes, except for these seedlings. In both garden it produced wonderfully healthy tomato plants, but produced no tomatoes. In the whole season it made only one or two flowers. Since it did the same in two different garden with two different sets of gardening practices, and the other tomatoes in those gardens did fine, I am ruling out cultural practices. Has anyone experienced or heard of tomato plants that just didn't produce tomatoes as a genetic trait, probably resulting from a hybrid trait.

July 24, 2011	#5
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	I have a weird Pineapple plant, grown from seed. Green and healthy, but stocky and not even a flower. Is that a problem with the one individual seed, or should I get a new packet next year? __________________ Tracy

July 23, 2011	#2
oc tony Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: oc ca. Posts: 173	You got a mule. It happens and no one has it figured out yet. I've seen a guy buy four tomato plants and they were all mules.

July 24, 2011	#3
luke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mississippi Posts: 177	Do you have other plants that produced? I have a garden full of the healthiest plants I've ever grown, but the large majority have no fruits. The heat hit them hard, and I only had early production on two plants out of about 40 plants. I have some that are setting now, and I will replant those varieties next year in case we have the same run of heat.

July 24, 2011	#4
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	Keith, I had two beautiful mules last year and one this year. Totally healthy plants, but just a few tiny vestigal flower buds that never showed yellow. All three plants were growouts of previously productive plants of earlier generations of home grown heirloom crosses. So it doesn't just happen with commercial hybrids.