Any tomato experts here?

[Disaffected]

What does one do with a single huge cherry tomato plant (indoors in a large pot in a south window) that is pretty much all stalks and leaves? It produces very few tomatoes and some of those are no larger than a small pea.

I have tried liquid tomato fertilizer (brown organic looking liquid) and lawn fertilizer but nothing seems to help.

Any help appreciated...!

[msongs]

1. move it outdoors. does it have access to bees? nt

[Kali]

2. calling NRaleighLiberal

he is a genuwine expert

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Yes! He's written books. Check him out in the Gardening Group:

Gardening
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1159

[Phoenix61]

3. Not sure where you live but tomato plants

need a lot of direct sunlight. Also, when you buy a plant you need to plant it very deep, a third of the stalk in the ground.

[magicarpet]

4. Increase noon time sun exposure to six to eight hours per day.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. They need lots and lots of sun.

Also, it helps to pinch off the suckers that grow on the stems before they form larger branches. http://www.tomatodirt.com/pruning-tomato.html

[cyclonefence]

7. Some plants--and this may not include tomatoes--

are easy to over-fertilize, especially if they are not producing flowers/fruits. I learned this from nasturtiums. Too much fertilizer goes to producing lots of stems and leaves and a stronger plant, not more flowers. It sounds to me as if--in addition to getting them more sun--you may want to stop fertilizing these plants.

[Lars39]

8. NRaleighLiberal has written books about them!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/~NRaleighLiberal

And we have a gardening forum:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1159

[Disaffected]

9. Thanks all for your help!

Since the plant is indoors, there are no bees around to pollinate and the pot is too big & heavy to move around. I have however tried pollination with a small paint brush - not sure if that helped or not.

I have also tried varying the amount of fertilizer but that doesn't seem to help either. It continues to prolifically produce branches and leaves but few flowers and fewer tomatoes. A grow light also doesn't seem to make that much difference.

I have had indoor tomatoes in past and they have done well (producing more tomatoes than I can use) but I don't recall if they were the same variety.

There must be some definite reason why a lot of the tomatoes ripen when they are still very small and, why branches and leaves grow so well but the fruit does not.

I will certainly take a look at the links provided and hope for better results as IMO there is nothing better, and unique, than the taste of vine ripened tomatoes!

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. someone call for the tomato doc???

It's about sun. Happy, fruit setting tomato plants need direct sun ..cherry tomatoes will do ok with a few hours, but that, combined perhaps with too much nitrogen (it may be best to be really lean with plant food if indoor growing). Augmenting with LED lighting would also help.

[Disaffected]

11. Thanks doc.

They do get a few hours direct albeit through a double glazed window.

Will stop the fertilization but, an still wondering why some of the fruit, such as it is, ripens when they are very small (as mentioned before, about the size of a small pea).

Are some varieties better suited for indoor growing?

Thanks again......

[NRaleighLiberal]

12. yes. about to eat dinner, but will be back with some ideas for you

tonight

[Disaffected]

13. Lookin' forward....

to your reply and, more tomatoes.

[NRaleighLiberal]

15. sun coming through windows is not enough for the vast majority of tomato types.

The one exception could be the microdwarf varieties. Look for Tiny Tim or Red Robin - some companies sell the seeds - or I can put you in touch with someone leading a project to breed new microdwarf varieties - they will grow and fruit reasonably well in a sunny window, and the plants end up about 12 inches wide and 12 inches tall, with some variation.

Tomatoes are self pollinating - typically they pollinate as the flower opens - wind likely helps with outdoor plants, so if you can get your plants to flower indoors, give them a gentle flick a few times a day.

[Disaffected]

14. I should note

on advice, I also posted this query to the Recreation/Gardening forum. It might be better to post any further info there (maybe I should have moved the topic - can you do that?).