Okay, I admit that headline is a bit much, but it’s true. Buzzing your tomatoes at noon will lead to a larger harvest of fruit. You may have even heard the advice to shake your tomatoes and thought it was ridiculous, but when you understand how tomatoes set fruit, it makes total sense.
In fact, there is even research to back it up. But how exactly does it work? Does it really have to be at noon? And do you need one of these things to do the job right?
The Science Behind Tomato Pollination
We all know I’m a plant nerd, and I love talking about the science behind why plants do what they do especially tomatoes. But, alas, not everyone is as passionate about trichomes and parenchyma cells, so I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants. Their flowers contain both male and female reproductive organs. This means they don’t separate male and female flowers for successful pollination. As a result, they have evolved to rely on external stimulation for pollination to occur. An external force transfers the pollen between the anthers (the male part) and the stigma (the female part) within each flower.
In nature, this is typically achieved through wind or the vibrations created by insects, such as bees.
This type of pollination is known as buzz pollination, also referred to as floral sonication. This is basically when the vibrations from a buzzing insect cause pollen to spill out of the flower, leading to fertilization. While insects or win naturally perform this action, we gardeners can lend a helping hand if pollinators are in short supply or we’re just tomato-loving nuts that want the most tomatoes possible in a season. (Raises hand. Me! That’s me.)
Okay, But Does Shaking Tomatoes Actually Work? Yes and No.
I promise I’m not having a go at you. Yes, shaking your tomato plants does indeed lead to more flowers being pollinated, which in turn leads to more tomatoes. But you have to do it right, and that means buzzing, not shaking. Many commercial growers use fancy electric plant vibrators to simulate this action, especially tomatoes grown in greenhouses.
How to Buzz Your Tomato Plants for Better Results
While this handy little garden hack sounds simple, it’s not as easy as just shaking your tomato plant. There are a few key things to keep in mind to make sure you’re doing it effectively:
Timing Is Key
No, it doesn’t have to be at noon exactly. But it’s a good way to remember the best time of day to do it. You want to shake your tomato plants when the weather is warm, and the flowers are fully open. This ensures that the pollen is more likely to be released and that the plants are most receptive to pollination. And the best time of day for that to occur is late morning to early afternoon.
How to Buzz
As I said, just shaking your whole tomato plant won’t do the trick. You need to shake every individual cluster of flowers. While you’ll still get good results with your hands, the best tool for the job happens to be in your bathroom. An old battery-powered electric toothbrush works incredibly well.
Simply touch the head of the toothbrush to the stem of each flower cluster for a few seconds. This will cause the pollen to spill from the anthers onto the stigma.
Frequency
For the best results, repeat the process every two to three days while the flowers are open. This ensures the most flowers will be pollinated, leading to lots of tomatoes! Go over flowers you did previously so you catch them at different stages, too.
Encourage Pollinators
Of course, while shaking your plants can help, it’s still important to encourage natural pollinators. If you’re growing tomatoes outdoors, it’s always a good idea to make your garden a pollinator-friendly environment. Plant flowers in your vegetable garden, and add spots where bees and butterflies can get water. Create a pollinator garden.
Shaking your tomato plants to encourage pollination is a practice rooted in science. Whether you’re working in a greenhouse, indoors, or just trying to boost your outdoor harvest, giving your tomato plants a gentle shake can help improve your crop yield.
So, if you’re looking for another tool in the garden shed to get the most tomatoes possible, consider adding a battery-operated toothbrush.
Get the famous Rural Sprout newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Join the 50,000+ gardeners who get timely gardening tutorials, tips and tasks delivered direct to their inbox.