Plant Problem Diagnosis Key / Growing conditions

Growing conditions

Blossom drop

Flowers fall without setting fruit when pollen is damaged or pollination fails. Heat is the usual cause; cold nights, very high or low humidity, heavy nitrogen and stress also do it.

A tomato flower that withered inside its sepals without setting fruit
A tomato flower that withered inside its sepals without setting fruit Photo: Ben Kucinski, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Signs

What favors it

Daytime heat above about 90 °F (32 °C), warm nights, cold nights, very dry or humid air, low pollination, and excess nitrogen.

Prevention

Crops it shows up on

Tomato, pepper & eggplant; Beans & peas; Cucumber, squash & melon.

Often confused with

NutrientToo much nitrogen Growing conditionsDrought stress (underwatering)

Sources

Why →

Treatment by crop

Cultural, biological and chemical options in the order to use them, and notes written for each crop.

Identification is free. Treatment is on the Home and Pro plans.

Open in the key See plans

Questions in the key that lead here

  1. Look the plant over, leaf undersides included. Are insects, mites, slugs, eggs, webbing or droppings on it?
    No, only damage or discoloration
  2. Where is the problem?
    Fruit, flowers or buds
  3. What is wrong with the fruit or flowers?
    Cracks, holes, or flowers dropping
  4. What do you see?
    Flowers drop before fruit sets

Not a match? Start the key or describe what you see.

More from university Extension: search Extension pages on blossom drop, or find a plant diagnostic lab through your state's Extension.

Other growing conditions

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