[Arid_gardener] Re: tomatoes pollination

[Olin Miller]

The problem of tomato blossoms becoming less viable at high temperatures in
the mid nineties is pretty well documented but I don't believe it is
something to worry about now.  The reports generally come from regions with
high humidity where the temperature from afternoon to early morning only
varies by about 10 degrees.  Currently we see morning lows from the high 40s
to  the low 60s when the daytimes high rise to the mid and high nineties for
a few hours.  But the pollen is still fresh in the early morning.  We should
have another month or so when the blossoms will set fruit without human
intervention.  I haven't experimented with the "Blossom Set" product that
Genie recommends but if it helps to prevent blossom drop in warm weather it
should be helpful.

This year I am staying with the five  usually successful varieties but I
alsohave two  others, one received as gift and another that came as a
freebie with my "Tomatoes Growers". order.   The latter (six plants) were
the first that I set out, are still wimpy , and are the only ones that
haven't blossomed. The other 20 plants all look promising.

Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer, Maricopa County AZ