Taking Care of Your Tomatoes When It's Hot.

Poor Fruit Set

Many early fruiting tomato varieties like Early Girl don’t like temperatures above 85-90 degrees. As the temperatures, rise many of these varieties will stop blooming, and those that do bloom will have poor fruit set. However, there are still a few things you can do to keep your tomatoes healthy until the temperatures come back down, and your tomatoes begin setting fruit again.

• Blossom Set Spray helps blossoms hold on to the plant longer, giving them time to set.
• Zamzows Tomato Boom and Zamzows Thrive will keep your plants healthy and reduce stress. Keeping your plants healthy will prepare them for cooling temperatures and increase their potential for a late-season harvest.

Pruning

Don’t be afraid to prune your tomatoes even during the summer. Removing excessive growth will prioritize the branches, limbs, fruit, and blossoms that need water and nutrients most. Your plant will probably be growing fast right now, so pruning every other day may be necessary.

Blossom End Rot

As your tomatoes grow, you may notice the blossom end turn black and soften. Blossom end rot develops when your tomatoes are overwatered. Our natural reaction to the heat is to increase our watering, and we often go too far. If your fruit develops end rot, it’s best to harvest them right away. You can still cut off the rotted end and use them if you want. Changing up your watering will often correct the issue on future fruit. Remember to water your tomatoes deep and be as consistent as you can. Stick to a regular schedule, watering every few days.

Mulching

Adding an organic mulch around the roots of your tomatoes will conserve moisture and help control weeds.

Brown or Wilting Leaves

There are many reasons your tomatoes' leaves will begin to turn brown or wilt. The location of browning leaves can give you a clue as to what may be going wrong. Brown leaves at the top of your plant will more likely be from heat stress or under watering. If the brown leaves show up at the bottom of the plant, you may be dealing with late blight. There are a few diseases that can cause wilted or rolled leaves. Watering is the most common reason. Water your tomatoes from the bottom and not from above, soak the soil for at least 30 minutes or more.

Even if your tomatoes aren’t being productive this time of year, it’s worth keeping them healthy through the summer. You’ll have plenty of time to get a late harvest of tasty tomatoes!

Want to read more? Check out this article, Zamzows Tips For Growing Tomatoes.