There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of biting into a freshly picked tomato from your own garden. Growing tomatoes can be rewarding and easy, but sometimes you may need to pollinate tomatoes yourself in order to get the most out of your crop. Hand pollination ensures that the tomato plants receive the pollen they need to produce full-sized, ripe fruit. It also helps reduce the number of fruit that are misshapen or fail to ripen. It’s a simple process that takes only a few minutes and can make a big difference for your tomato crop.
How are tomatoes pollinated?
Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, meaning they can pollinate themselves without the help of bees or other insects. However, some outside force is needed. The flowers themselves need to be vibrated or physically agitated in order to release their pollen. This is usually done by the wind, or the tomato plant shaking its own pollen onto the stigma.
Once the pollen is in place, the pistil will absorb it and the tomato will begin to form. Tomatoes can also be pollinated by bees and other insects. Bees and other insects are drawn to the tomato plant’s flowers by the sweet nectar they produce.
When bees and other insects land on the flower, they transfer the pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part (stigma) which is how the tomato gets pollinated. Overall, tomatoes are usually pollinated by self-pollination, but can also be pollinated by bees and other insects if they are present.
When do you need to pollinate tomatoes yourself?
Hand-pollinating tomato plants is a necessary step if you’re growing tomatoes in a still environment without pollinators or wind, like on a covered porch or in a closed greenhouse. This involves brushing the inside of a female flower with a small paintbrush and transferring pollen from the male flower to the female flower.
You should then leave the flower alone and wait for a few days to see if the flower has set fruit. If any of the flowers drop off, you can repeat the process with the remaining flowers. Hand pollination is a time-consuming process, but it can be very satisfying if you are successful at producing tomatoes.
How to pollinate tomatoes
Hand-pollinating tomato flowers is a useful way to increase the yield of tomatoes from a garden. It is a simple process but requires some patience and care. Here is how to hand-pollinate tomato flowers:
1. Collect pollen from the male parts of the flower. Use a small paint brush or cotton swab to collect the yellow-orange or yellow-green pollen from the center of the flower.
2. Transfer the pollen to the female parts of the flower. Use the same brush or swab to lightly brush the pollen onto the pistil of the flower. Transfer pollen between each flower.
3. Repeat this process on each flower. Make sure to collect pollen from one flower and transfer it to another. This is important because it helps to ensure that the pollen is not contaminated with other types of pollen.
4. Wait for the tomatoes to form. The pollinated tomatoes should start to form within a few weeks. Hand pollinating tomato flowers is a great way to increase the yield of tomatoes from a garden. It is a simple process, but requires patience and care. With a little bit of effort, you can enjoy a bumper crop of tomatoes this season!
