What do you do when your tomato flowers aren’t naturally pollinated by bees or the wind? Is it time to accept defeat this planting season?
The answer’s a definite no. Don’t give up just yet because you once again regain the upper hand – through hand pollination! See what we did there?
Read on to learn about the benefits of hand pollination to tomato plants and the different ways to do them.
What are the benefits of hand-pollinating tomato plants?
Hand pollination ensures that the plant’s pollens will fertilize the tomato flowers. By manually releasing the pollen and applying them to the stigma of the tomato flowers, fertilization occurs, and fruit production follows.
A study showed that hand pollination achieves 100% fruit set and helps produce larger fruits with more seeds.
Hand pollination is an effective way to make sure pollination takes place and kickstart your tomato plant’s fruit production.
By pollinating manually, you ensure that the pollen from the flowers fertilizes the female part of the plant, called the stigma. After successful pollination, expect the flowers to wilt and begin fruiting.
When should you hand-pollinate tomato plants?
You should hand-pollinate tomato plants within 50 hours from the formation of flowers.
Pollinate your tomato plants by hand during midday and every 3 to 4 days thereafter until all the flowers are fertilized.
This allows the plant to produce enough pollen in the morning while the low humidity and warm temperature ensure the quick release of pollen from its flowers.
How to Hand-Pollinate Tomatoes
You can hand-pollinate tomatoes by manually shaking the stem, spreading pollen through a brush, using a toothbrush, or rubbing using cotton swabs.
Let’s explore each method in more detail below!
1. Shaking Tomato Stems
Lack of wind prevents pollination of tomato plants. So, by shaking the tomato stems, you’re mimicking the motion of the wind to release the pollen from the plant.
In just a few seconds, loose pollen will drop to the ground, and your plant will produce tomatoes in no time.
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Things You Need | Just yourself! |
| How To Do • Flick the stems close to the base of the flower of the tomato plant. • Tap the end of the flowers directly. |
2. Spreading Pollen with a Paintbrush
To get closer and deeper to the pollens in the flower, you can pick up a bristle bush. This way, pollens will cling to the natural bristles, and you’ll release more pollen from the tomato plant.
Just make sure to clean the paintbrush to prevent the spread of plant diseases or cross-pollination.
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Things You Need | Paintbrush or bristle brush |
| How To Do 1. Pull up the flowers of the tomato plant. 2. Wipe the brush on the inside of the flower. 3. Twirl the brush to collect as much pollen as you can. 4. Rub the brush on the tip of the center of the flower or its stigma. |
3. Using a Toothbrush to Release the Pollen
You can also use a battery-operated toothbrush for hand pollination. This is another way of replicating the movement of the wings of bees where their anthers encourage the release of pollen and drop them onto the stigma of the tomato plant.
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Things You Need | Battery-operated toothbrush |
| How To Do 1. Place the vibrating toothbrush on the flower’s base or stem until the pollen falls off. 2. Drop the pollen onto the stigma or the tip of the center of the flower. |
4. Collecting Pollen Using Cotton Swabs
With their small fibers, cotton swabs can also be used to pick up pollen from the flowers of the tomato plant.
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Things You Need | Cotton swabs |
| How To Do 1. Rub the ends of the flowers gently. 2. Swab the inside of the flower to collect the pollen. 3. Tap the pollen-filled cotton swab on the end of the stigma. Apply it directly to the tip of the center of the flower to ensure pollination. |
FAQs on Hand-Pollinating Tomatoes
Hand pollination can increase tomato yield. It does so by fertilizing all flowers that will turn into fruits later on.
It also helps improve the quality of the fruits by producing larger tomatoes containing more seeds.
Natural pollination occurs by wind or by animal pollinators like bees. In contrast, hand pollination mimics the movement of the wind or animals to release the pollen from the plant’s flowers.
Successful hand pollination in tomato plants is signaled by the wilting and shriveling of the flowers and the forming of tomatoes.
Tomato growers should practice hand pollination because it effectively improves tomatoes’ seed set, size, yield, and quality. This process ensures fruit production and improved quality of tomato harvests.
