Electric Toothbrush Is Working

[PA_Julia]

The Weather Channel forecast is way off for next week as it compares to What I just heard on our local news.
I also should have said next Saturday and Sunday.

[TightenUp]

i have been following weather (fisherman) for years and there is one thing i know for sure

they usually only get it right with the 24 hour forecast and thats sometimes wrong. we're looking 5 or 6 days out and they have no chance

[TightenUp]

you should see the forecasters try and predict wind.... its comical at times, others not so much so. like when the forecast calls for 5-10 knot winds so i go out 100 miles to sea and the winds blowing 20 knots.

[PA_Julia]

Spending time in Cape May has taught me this as well!!

Originally Posted by TightenUp

you should see the forecasters try and predict wind.... its comical at times, others not so much so. like when the forecast calls for 5-10 knot winds so i go out 100 miles to sea and the winds blowing 20 knots.

[zabby17]

So, I have a quesiton about this electric toothbrush thing.

Do you really not get decent pollenation without it?

I thought that tomato blossoms were usually self-pollenating, usually fertilizing themselves when they opened, with only a small percentage needing help from bees (and leading to cross-pollenation of varieties).

Did I understand that wrong from my reading of the past couple of years?

Or do you have particularly lazy (or maybe prudish?) tomatoes, Julia? Or do you want to be sure you get that extra small percentage pollenated even if you have no bees around?

Most of my flowers seem to turn into tomatoes with no help from me, so I probably I won't have to embarrass myself at the drugstore any time too soon, and I do have quite a few bees, but you hear tell about their populations dwindling so I should get to know what is the real scoop on tomato pollenation...

Thanks!

Z
P.S. IF there's already a thread that explains this beautifully, I apologize; please just direct me to it---I did a quick search but I'm not v. good with it....

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by zabby17

So, I have a quesiton about this electric toothbrush thing.

Do you really not get decent pollenation without it?

I thought that tomato blossoms were usually self-pollenating, usually fertilizing themselves when they opened, with only a small percentage needing help from bees (and leading to cross-pollenation of varieties).

Did I understand that wrong from my reading of the past couple of years?

Or do you have particularly lazy (or maybe prudish?) tomatoes, Julia? Or do you want to be sure you get that extra small percentage pollenated even if you have no bees around?

Most of my flowers seem to turn into tomatoes with no help from me, so I probably I won't have to embarrass myself at the drugstore any time too soon, and I do have quite a few bees, but you hear tell about their populations dwindling so I should get to know what is the real scoop on tomato pollenation...

Thanks!

Z
P.S. IF there's already a thread that explains this beautifully, I apologize; please just direct me to it---I did a quick search but I'm not v. good with it....

Let me answer that question for you if I may.
You do get good pollination without it.
It is a temperature thing, the hotter it gets the more sticky the pollen is.
You dont need bees.
Some people believe that by vibrating the tomato bloom it will help shake the pollen down from the stamen to the stigma.
I cant see where this will hurt at all and more than likely work to some extent.
Many people here say that it works and I have no reason to doubt them.
I haven't tried it yet due to extreme laziness.
Worth

[JamesL]

Zabby,
To expand on Worth's answer -

Despite the statement that tomatoes are self-pollinating, that isn't really true, and they do need some help. Whether it is bees, shaking the trusses by hand, the wind, or the electric toothbrush.
As you mention, The tooth brush purported mimics the "sonic action" of the bees wings which shakes the pollen loose and gets it where it needs to be, on the stigma.
Best time of day to shake or use the brush is between 10 and 4, when the flowers are open. There is an oddity to that - with enough motion, ie morning wind, etc, the flowers can pollinate without ever opening up!
Dry days are better as well.
If you can, do it multiple times over the course of the day as you want to try to encourage "full pollination". Cat faced or other misshapen fruit are usually cause by poor pollination.
Large tomatoes need better pollination.
Humidity, either high or low is bad. if too dry the pollen won't stick, too damp and it is already stuck.
High temps and rain can also cause poor pollination. As can early season low temps....
Best temps for pollination- between 60 and 70.
So basically you can blame poor fruit set on a whole host of factors........

[diesel]

I read about the same thing a couple months ago but I don't use a toothbrush though I flick the flowers with my fingers multiple times during the day and to my surprise I had tomatoes showing up soon there after. When I flick them I can actually see the pollen shoot from the flower. I can't remember having as many tomatoes set as early as I did as I have had this year

[duderubble]

Seems like I remember reading that the vibrator method was first used in greenhouses to make up for having no wind. Others use bees in the greenhouse to do that. Outside I don't seem to have much problem--this year anyway, with blossom drop from lack of pollenation. It seems to me that when you get more tomatoes on a truss you get smaller tomatoes--for non cherries anyway. That could be my imagination. I could see myself doing it if I had just a few plants but even with just around a dozen it seems like a daunting task to me each plant has multiple flower trusses at any time.

[TomNJ]

I just began pleasuring my tomato plants with a vibrating toothbrush. What a kick - you can almost hear them moan, and some flowers gush a cloud of pollen when properly stimulated! They now look forward to me walking out to the garden with the toothbrush in hand....

TomNJ

[meadowyck]

tom you are too funny.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by meadowyck

tom you are too funny.

Kinda gave me the willies.

Worth

[zabby17]

Thanks to worth and everyone for the explanation.

Plenty of wind here as well as some bees and most of my flowers turn into tomatoes so I don't think my tomatoes need any help, mechanical or manual, with their love lives.

But I'm glad you all are out there, keeping tomatoes happy and fulfilled in places where it's needed....

Ed'A

[JamesL]

Y'all,
Check out the video...
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=23474

[WVTomatoMan]

I would like to take a stab at answering your questions too.

>Do you really not get decent pollenation without it?
Under good environmental/growing conditions you can get outstanding fruit set/pollination without a toothbrush. However under less than favorable conditions you can have very poor pollination. This can be due to temperature, humidity, poor air curculation, or flower shape (not all flowers are created equal) or other issues. To expand on poor air circulation, remember that the usage of an electric toothbrush came to be because greenhouse growers experienced poor fruit set.

> I thought that tomato blossoms were usually self-pollenating...
Well, yes and no. There is a debate about that. The one thing everyone can agree on is that tomatoes are self fertile. But, without sonicating bees (to cause vibration not move pollen from on flower to another) or good air circulation (the wind) pollination gets so low that some argue that the tomato plant is not truly self pollinating. Here is one article that IMHO presents a good argument on the non self pollinating side of the debate:
http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm

>...usually fertilizing themselves when they opened...
Generally pollinaiton has occurred before the flower opens. That's why people who do crosses emasculate before the flower opens.

>IF there's already a thread that explains this beautifully...
If you google "tomato poor fruit set" you can see a lot of links that describe why people may experience issues in this area.

I hope this helps.

Randy