The temps sound OK and I can't see XS N being the problem when all others treated the same way are setting fruits, and even if high humidity were causing blossom drop due to clumped pollen there's no reason why just one variety would be affected.

I was the person who introduced Mule Team along with Box Car Willie, Red Barn, Great Divide and Pasture and all were bred by Joe Bratka's father.

So I've grown Mule Team longer than anyone and I've never had problems with it in terms of setting fruits and same for the other varieties I mentioned above.

I don't quite understand why the neighbor has no blossom drop yet has no tomatoes unless they just haven't formed yet, which is a possibility.

So you have blossom drop and the major reasons why that occurs are temps too high or low, which yours aren't, clumped pollen for just one variety, which makes no sense if all others are OK, and xs N, which makes no sense since all other varieties are OK.

About the only thing left as I see it is the source of your plants. Did you buy them or did you raise them yourself and if so, would you think that your seed source could be a problem, which quite frankly doesn't make sense to me either.

I hope someone comes along and can see more than I can as to why just one variety of all the varieties you planted is having blossom drop. Even if it were common thrips infesting the blossoms which could make them turn brown and fall off would be a far out suggestion, but not when only one variety out of all others is the problem.

Carolyn

Carolyn covered all the possibles above in detail so the only other thing that occurs to me is that since all the MT are in a different bed than the other varieties perhaps the MT bed either got more of the chicken manure or it didn't get mixed in as well so more excess N. Possible??

If so, I'd water it more to flush out some of the N and see if that didn't help. The plants will adapt eventually and start producing so nothing is lost in the long run except some time.

Just a thought to consider.

Dave

There is another possibility and that is a genetic issue. Dr. Charles Rick was able to identify the genetic causes for flower infertility during his investigations of "bull" tomato plants. However, the only "bull" tomato plant I've ever grown (or seen) was Mr. Stripey. Several people have experienced the same situation with Mr. Stripey, but few recognize it as being a "bull" plant.

I noticed you kept saying how healthy the plants look. The description of a "bull" plant would be a big, healthy looking plant, with dark green foliage. Some plants will flower and some don't flower very much. Either way there is either no fruit or very few fruit.

Good luck.

Randy

p.s. I assume your neighbor didn't add composted chicken manure. If that's the case I wouldn't suspect a nitrogen problem.

Randy, you call them bull plants and I call them mules, which is not at all related to the variety at hand.

I've seen my share of them, although not common but it's hard for me to imagine that ALL the Mule Team plants are mules since presumably the seeds were produced from, or saved by someone who didn't have a mule plant and who had processed more than one fruit for seeds.

*****

I had alluded to a possible seed problem in my post above, as copied below but have yet to hear back from the poster. So let me be more direct, LOL.....what was the source of your seeds or plants if you bought them as plants.

(About the only thing left as I see it is the source of your plants. Did you buy them or did you raise them yourself and if so, would you think that your seed source could be a problem, which quite frankly doesn't make sense to me either.)

Carolyn

Carolyn, yes I should have gone on to mention that I was merely raising a possibility of a genetic issue, not that I believed it was very probable. 6 for 6, the odds would be astronomical. Where's Reg? :-) And that's not counting the neighbor's which we don't know how many plants that was.

"...which is not at all related to the variety at hand."
I absolutely agree. This is the first I've seen or heard of this problem with Mule Team. Not to thread jack, but with the many postings about Mr. Stripey I do believe that is the problem with them (that they have the genetic disposition to occassionally produce bull/mule plants). No one seems to be buying it, but that's what I think.

BTW, mule plants, Mule team. :-) It would be ironic. :-)

Randy

I appreciate y'all considering the problem and responding.

I did start all of these from seeds and the Mule Team seed came from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange which I've found to be a very reliable company for the past several years so I wouldn't *think* that's part of the problem.

I'm thinking after reading your responses that nitrogen may be the cause of my blossom drop. The Mule Team plants are in an established bed that was ammended with compost and composted chicken manure. The others are in a new bed that was heavily sheet composted over the winter prior to planting. So, different treatments in different beds. "User error" is always a possibility in my garden despite my best efforts :)

I just found it strange that my neighbor's one Mule Team was large, lush and deep green with only a few blooms and no fruit when I seemed to be having such a problem with mine as well. I don't *think* her problem is excess N though as her other plants planted with it are doing so well. It will be interesting to see if hers will produce any fruit.

This is my first year planting heirloom tomatoes and I didn't know if there was something in particular about this variety that I was missing. I'm sick about it though...I was so looking forward to them and it will only be a few weeks b/f daytime temps will bring things to a halt for a couple of months. I'll try them again for a late summer/fall planting, making sure to put them elsewhere in the garden.

Thanks again...I appreciate it!

Root some cuttings off them for the fall and see how they do in the other bed. Saves you some time. ;) But as i said above, IF it is the excess N in that bed, they will adapt with some time and you can flush some of it out with watering. One of those "can't hurt, might help" things. ;)

Dave

Dave, I heard ya ;) Sorry for not mentioning it in my last post but the 'flushing' has commenced. I may even do it again in the a.m. before heading to work.

Thanks!

What you are describing can be applicable for both a plant that is jacked up on nitrogen or a bull/mule plant or something that I've never seen or heard of.

Both you and your neighbor getting too much nitrogen doesn't seem very probable.

Anyhow, should you take cuttings and plant them in your "good" bed would you please report the results here and to me personally. I am quite interested.

Do you have any of that chicken manure compost left? If so I have an idea for an interesting experiment. I think it would be interesting to see if you took a cutting from a plant from the "good" bed that produced fruit and transplanted it in the chicken manure and see if it fruits. Of course you'd use your normal planting medium to start the rooting and make sure you had some around the root ball when transplanting to prevent burning. You'd only need a 5 gallon container because you just want to see if it will fruit not grow the plant out per sey. If it produces fruit in that situation then it wasn't the chicken manure compost that caused the problem.

Good luck.

Randy

I like the name Mule Team though. Catchy.

Great thread. I had the same problem with my Mule! I have one tomato on it!!! I used a product called Pay Dirt, which contains a some chicken manure. It was mixed 50/50 with DG (Decomposed Granite) which happens to be my soil, as directed by my nursery. I have fast drainage. I also did a little shaking of the plant. I purchased the plant from my wonderful local nursery. I planted late, Mother's Day!
My Green Grape is next to it. It is FULLY loaded! I should also mention that I planted a Health Kick, which also only developed one tomato. The Early Girl is fully loaded, the Ace seem to be progressing and the Romas have taken over the entire garden! I'm just a little disappointed that I've not been able to nurture the Mule and Kick. Any ideas?

So far I'm thinking the Mule is living up to the name and Health Kick, is just not too swift! ;)

OK, update, I have about 5 tomatoes on the Mule Team. The bees have started to discover the garden and seem to be interested. I think I'll plant a few more flowers that the bees can't resist next spring.

As for the Health Kick, I have about 8 tomatoes on it. These two have not been good for me, but may have worked very well for others. As for my area of zone 9; with the decomposed granite soil; the heat and the lack of experience. I'm thinking of giving another variety a try.

I LOVE the green grape just for sheer production. I'll give a little gold pear shaped one a go next spring and another red variety. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. :-)