How do tomatoes pollinate

It is imperative that there is a proper balance of tomato flowers and bees. One hive will work approximately one half acre 0. Bumblebee hives cost several hundred dollars each, and may only last a few months.

The hives are housed in cardboard boxes with a sugar water solution to supply a balanced diet for the bees. The bees pose no threat to people working in the greenhouse, but will be devastated by any insecticides used on the crop. This method can be labor intensive and is best suited to a relatively small number of plants. For larger numbers of tomato plants, bumblebee hives are a terrific pollination solution.

South Dakota State University Extension recommends procuring bumblebees from biological pest control companies, which can provide maintenance-free hives of the right size for your greenhouse.

Danielle Smyth is a writer and content marketer from upstate New York. Home Guides Garden Pest Control. By Danielle Smyth Updated June 28, Related Articles.

This can be done by gently, but rapidly, tapping the top of each flower. You can also flick the flower stems in short, staccato bursts. A small art brush is an effective tool to gather and distribute pollen in a manner similar to that of nectar-gathering insects.

The brush can be inexpensive, but it should have natural bristles — the pollen clings better to natural bristles than it does to plastic ones. Gently lift up the flower and rub or twirl the brush back and forth and around the inside of the petals, along the pistil, and over the tip of the stigma.

This will collect and transfer pollen grains. To avoid cross-pollination, always use a different brush for different varieties of tomatoes, or wash your brush in isopropyl alcohol before moving on to another variety.

Cotton swabs are another effective tool because their surface of finely spun cotton is ideal for collecting and distributing pollen. The easiest, fastest, and most effective method is employed via a simple battery-operated toothbrush.

The vibrating head mimics buzz pollination and causes the anthers to release their pollen onto the stigma. Just place the vibrating toothbrush head on the flower base or on the flower stem, and buzz for a second or two before moving on to the next blossom. Target every open blossom and repeat every couple of days until the plants stop flowering to ensure every blossom on the cluster is fertilized.

To enjoy an abundant harvest of delicious ripe, red goodness, hand pollination ensures each blossom has the best chance to set fruit.

And for more tomato know-how , be sure to read these growing guides next:. See our TOS for more details.