Sweet 100 a difficult cross?

clkingtx · May 11, 2013

I bought a sweet 100 plant to practice emasculating and crossing. Each flower I tried, the stigma came off with the anther cone...After trying about 5 or 6, and failing on all of them, I thought maybe I was doing it wrong. I tried emasculating a flower of another type of plant, and it worked fine(tumbling tom, I think) on the first try. I tried with flowers at varying stages of development on each plant, with identical results: sweet 100's stigma comes off, tumbling tom's stays intact. Is there something difficult about emasculating sweet 100, or some specific varieties, some trick to try?

Thanks,
Carrie

travis · May 11, 2013

Carrie, some tomato varieties have blossoms with very fragile or brittle pistils (the thread thin green tube that holds the stigma up from the ovum).

For example, I found it nearly impossible for my fat fingers to manage the emasculation of some particular cherries and paste type tomatoes even with the more expensive and specialized tweezers.

On the other hand, I can emasculate most beefsteak type tomatoes quickly and precisely with my fingernails or thumbnails.

My suggestion would be to emasculate the blossoms that you are more successful at, and then using the more difficult ones as pollen donors. This works well for me when crossing a cherry to a beefsteak, particularly since beefsteaks are a chinch to emasculate and cherries are usually pollen bombs!

By the way, Sweet100s is a hybrid which has Gardener's Delight as one of the parents.

clkingtx · May 11, 2013

travis,

Thanks, I didn't think about using them as the pollen donor instead. I will have to try that, once they put out more blossoms. I had heard about gardener's delight being a parent of sweet 100. That is pretty cool. I am growing both this year, as well as super sweet 100. It should be neat to compare the three side by side.

I am looking forward to trying more crosses, hurry up flowers!

Carrie

travis · May 11, 2013

If I had Super Sweet 100 or better yet, Sweet Millions available in my patch, I would use them as a pollen parent onto a super great beefsteak to try for an awesome saladette, mini-beefsteak, or cocktail size tomato on super long trusses.

ChrisK · May 11, 2013

I find that emasculating with needle point/jewelers tweezers to be the best way with cherries. You can tease the cone apart carefully.

I like using cherries as the female because they are usually so productive and quicker to mature. I can't bear reserving a big tomato for seeds!

clkingtx · May 11, 2013

travis,
that is a good idea, I will have to look around at what else I have growing for interesting combos like that...
ChrisK,
I saw a video today where someone used a plastic toothpick. I can see how that or tweezers would be more delicate. I will have to make a toolkit for tomato crossing. So much to think about! Fun!

ChrisK · May 12, 2013

Never had success with a toothpick for cherry tomato emasculation. The needle point tweezers work best for me.

First remove the petals and sepals (some varieties you can pull the anther cone and petals off in one shot leaving the stigma) Close the tweezers and gently push into the cone between a pair of anthers. Then slowly let the tweezers expand to separate the cone. Then you can grab pieces or the whole cone. Just takes a little practice!

My tool kit consists of an old vibrating toothbrush, some card stock (with a black square Sharpied on it so you can see the pollen), and the tweezers.

31 successful crosses last year!

Quote:

Originally Posted by clkingtx

travis,
that is a good idea, I will have to look around at what else I have growing for interesting combos like that...
ChrisK,
I saw a video today where someone used a plastic toothpick. I can see how that or tweezers would be more delicate. I will have to make a toolkit for tomato crossing. So much to think about! Fun!

travis · May 12, 2013

I use salvaged lenses from old sunglasses, or black plastic spoons to collect pollen. Both work well to catch pollen blows. I have used my cell phone in a pinch.

PaddyMc · May 12, 2013

I use an exacto-knife for all of my emasculating (works especially well with the delicate cherry types). I very carefully poke the very tip between two of the anthers (blade side down) and carefuly pull the blade up. Then, sometimes I'll use the needle point tweezers to pull the cone the rest of the way off.

May 11, 2013	#1
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	Sweet 100 a difficult cross? I bought a sweet 100 plant to practice emasculating and crossing. Each flower I tried, the stigma came off with the anther cone...After trying about 5 or 6, and failing on all of them, I thought maybe I was doing it wrong. I tried emasculating a flower of another type of plant, and it worked fine(tumbling tom, I think) on the first try. I tried with flowers at varying stages of development on each plant, with identical results: sweet 100's stigma comes off, tumbling tom's stays intact. Is there something difficult about emasculating sweet 100, or some specific varieties, some trick to try? Thanks, Carrie

May 11, 2013	#5
ChrisK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,448	I find that emasculating with needle point/jewelers tweezers to be the best way with cherries. You can tease the cone apart carefully. I like using cherries as the female because they are usually so productive and quicker to mature. I can't bear reserving a big tomato for seeds! __________________ Blog: chriskafer.wordpress.com Ignorance more frequently begets knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. --Charles Darwin

May 11, 2013	#2
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	Carrie, some tomato varieties have blossoms with very fragile or brittle pistils (the thread thin green tube that holds the stigma up from the ovum). For example, I found it nearly impossible for my fat fingers to manage the emasculation of some particular cherries and paste type tomatoes even with the more expensive and specialized tweezers. On the other hand, I can emasculate most beefsteak type tomatoes quickly and precisely with my fingernails or thumbnails. My suggestion would be to emasculate the blossoms that you are more successful at, and then using the more difficult ones as pollen donors. This works well for me when crossing a cherry to a beefsteak, particularly since beefsteaks are a chinch to emasculate and cherries are usually pollen bombs! By the way, Sweet100s is a hybrid which has Gardener's Delight as one of the parents.

May 12, 2013	#8
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	I use salvaged lenses from old sunglasses, or black plastic spoons to collect pollen. Both work well to catch pollen blows. I have used my cell phone in a pinch.

May 12, 2013	#9
PaddyMc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 241	I use an exacto-knife for all of my emasculating (works especially well with the delicate cherry types). I very carefully poke the very tip between two of the anthers (blade side down) and carefuly pull the blade up. Then, sometimes I'll use the needle point tweezers to pull the cone the rest of the way off.