Do Tomato Blossoms Have to Be Pollinated?

Wind Pollination

• The wind can pollinate tomato plants, but the yield may not be as high as it would be if insects pollinated the plant. As the wind blows on the blossoms, the nectar is released from the flower. As the wind continues to blow, the nectar can be transferred to other flowers, resulting in pollination. Plants will shed the most pollen from late in the morning to late afternoon on days that are sunny and dry.

Pollinator

• Flying insects, such as bees, pollinate tomato plants. Bees land on the flower to collect nectar. When bees fly from plant to plant collecting more nectar, the flower blossoms are pollinated. Using insecticides on tomato plants will repel insects, and plants won't receive any pollination from insects.

Hand Pollination

• People that have sprayed insecticide on the plants or have tomato plants growing indoors will need to manually pollinate the plants. Manual pollination is done using a cotton swab. The plant is shaken gently to release the pollen in the flowers. The cotton swab is dabbed onto the flower nectar, then onto each flower on the plant.

Failure to Pollinate

• Tomato-plant flowers have a hard time pollinating when the humidity is high or the temperatures are extremely hot. If the flowers don't pollinate and bear fruit, it may not have anything to do with pollination; the pollen may have been too moist or too dry because of the weather. Temperatures should be less than 86 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 61 and 68 degrees F during the night. The humidity must be low so the pollen will transfer from flower to flower.