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Key Points
- Tomato plants drop blossoms and fruit primarily due to heat stress.
- High temperatures disrupt pollination and force plants to shed flowers and fruit to survive.
- Adding shade, watering consistently, and choosing heat-tolerant varieties can help prevent blossom and fruit drop.
Tomatoes are a favorite among home gardeners for their generous harvests, relatively easy care, and endless uses in the kitchen. But even healthy-looking plants can suddenly start dropping their blossoms—or even young fruit—before they have a chance to mature.
Known as blossom drop and fruit drop, these common issues can significantly reduce your harvest if left unchecked, but what causes them?
Here’s everything you need to know if your tomato plants are starting to drop their blooms and fruit too early, plus how to stop the problem in its tracks.
Meet the Experts
- Mike McGrath is the host of the radio show You Bet Your Garden and the author of You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes, among others.
- Veronica Tegen is CEO at The Food Geek, a blog dedicated to sharing grow guides and recipes made with seasonal produce.
- Cody Deluisio is the farm manager at Stella Manor in Avonmore, Pennsylvania.
Why Do Tomatoes Drop Flowers and Fruit Early?
Tomato plants can experience fruit and blossom drop for several reasons, but heat stress is the most common culprit, according to the experts.
“Tomato pollen fries when air temps are around 92°F or above, and the plant can’t produce fruit without viable pollen,” gardening author and radio host Mike McGrath explains. “Fruit drop is also a result of extreme heat stress, as the plant dumps excess cargo overboard to concentrate on core survival.”
The higher the temperature, the quicker tomato plants can suffer. Even a single afternoon above 100°F can cause flowers and fruit to drop.
The good news is, though, that once temperatures return to normal, so should your plant’s pollination. As long as the plant itself has survived the heat spike, that is. (Hint: extra watering is key!).
Other Causes of Tomato Fruit and Blossom Drop
Although heat stress is by far the most common cause of blossom drop, it’s not the only reason a tomato plant can become stressed and start dropping blossoms or fruit too early.
According to Veronica Tegen, gardening expert and CEO at The Food Geek, unexpectedly cool temperatures can also disrupt pollination and trigger blossom drop.
Cody Deluisio, a farmer at Stella Manor in Avonmore, Pennsylvania, adds that inconsistent watering, overfertilization, and periods of high humidity can have the same effect.
Although these issues are less common than prolonged heat, they’re still worth considering, especially if your area hasn’t experienced unusually high temperatures. Taking a closer look at recent weather conditions and your care routine can help you pinpoint the source of the stress and get your tomato plants back on track.
How to Prevent Fruit and Blossom Drop in a Heatwave
Fruit and blossom drop can be devastating to your tomato garden, but fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help mitigate and prevent them. As Deluisio notes, you can’t control the weather, but you can control the plant’s environment.
If a heatwave is forecasted for your area, finding ways to cool your plants down in high temperatures is key. The experts agree that adding shade cloth above your tomatoes is the best way to prevent fruit and blossom drop in high temperatures, along with consistent watering and mulching.
“The shade cloth in my garden reduced afternoon temperatures from 102°F to 80°F in the beds that were well watered and mulched,” Tegen says. “My trick is to buy inexpensive arched trellises for $20 each and place one at each end of the garden bed. Then drape the shade cloth over each end, and tie it down to the bottom trellis rungs,” she adds.
Can’t find shade cloth in your area, or need a quick solution in a pinch? McGrath says setting up patio or beach umbrellas over your tomatoes can work just as well.
He also suggests using soaker hoses or drip lines to water your plants slowly and consistently throughout the day and keep them cool.
While heatwaves are always a risk to your vegetable garden in the summer, if your region is prone to regular high temperatures, Tegen suggests opting for more heat-tolerant tomato varieties.
“[These] are tomatoes that more reliably set fruit in high temperatures and recover faster from heat. Cherry tomatoes are generally more heat-tolerant, and among them, Sungold, Sweet 100, and Juliet are great performers,” she says.
Read the original article on The Spruce
