Cherry Tomatoes not ripening

[lori525]

I have a Bounty with 4 Cherry Tomato plants that have been growing about 78 days. Each of the plants has several large clusters of tomatoes ranging in size of about an inch. The larger tomatoes don't seem to want to ripen. I have constructed a mylar enclosure that I set over the plants to give them more reflective light, regularly change the water and feed the plants but the larger fruit is solid green.  Any suggestions? 

[scarfguy]

I had the same problem just recently.  Somebody suggested that the plant was "overly productive" and produced more fruit than it could sustain.  It was suggested that I remove leaves and portions of the plant to stimulate it to ripen.  That never helped.   I finally terminated a very beautiful tomato plant.

I hope you find an answer.

[scarfguy]

Oh, the other thing is tomatoes require the presence of ethelene gas to ripen the fruit.  The plant usually produces enough ethelene gas for this itself but I read somewhere that you can put a ripening bananna beside your plant to help it along.

[lynnee]

Feb 21, 2023 15:44:43 GMT -5 lori525 said:

I have a Bounty with 4 Cherry Tomato plants that have been growing about 78 days. Each of the plants has several large clusters of tomatoes ranging in size of about an inch. The larger tomatoes don't seem to want to ripen. I have constructed a mylar enclosure that I set over the plants to give them more reflective light, regularly change the water and feed the plants but the larger fruit is solid green.  Any suggestions? 

It could be that the plants have more fruit than they can sustain. You might try removing some of the tomatoes, to see whether the others will then start to ripen. This worked for me, with an AG Mighty Mini tomato plant.

As an alternative, you might try supplementing the basic AG nutrients with CalMag and/or KoolBloom. CalMag improves the flavor of my tomatoes, and KoolBloom helps with fruit set as well as blossoms.

What temperature is the room where your plants are? If the Bounty is in a draft from a window or furnace vent, that can stall a plant. If the room temp is much above 70 degrees, ditto. Also check the temperature of the water in the bowl, which shouldn't be above 80 degrees--and that's pretty warm.

Also, you could try pruning the tomato leaves to make the plants focus on fruit. Take out all of the lower leaves that aren't getting light, and take out all the leaves that are crowded in the middle and growing in twisted fashion. Pruning the leaves improves air circulation.

You may just need to be patient. Sometimes my AG Heirloom and Golden tomatoes take a long time to go from green to red or yellow. The minute that the fruit starts to change color, you can take it off the plant and finish ripening it on your kitchen countertop. Once the fruit "breaks orange", it won't get any larger or more flavorful when finally ripe.

[airscapes]

Temperature has a lot to do with it

gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/tomatoes-turn-red/#:~:text=Along%20with%20ethylene%2C%20temperature%20dictates,or%20at%20least%20slows%20down.

[lynnee]

Feb 22, 2023 11:32:30 GMT -5 airscapes said:

Temperature has a lot to do with it

gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/tomatoes-turn-red/#:~:text=Along%20with%20ethylene%2C%20temperature%20dictates,or%20at%20least%20slows%20down.

That's an instructive link!