Tomato Vernalization

[don_maples]

I have heard that vernalization, the exposure of tomato plants to low temperatures, shortens time to flowering. Would like to learn more about it.

[TennOC]

Unless it's some new discovery, and unless you can really accurately control the temps, I'd say it might not be worth it. It's been my experience that they don't like a chill, it usually causes them to produce less, sometimes you lose that whole "first flush". Please let us know the details if you find out something more.

[OkRandy]

I allow my greenhouse temps to fall into the lower 40s at night, mainly because it slows stretch during low light conditions. I have compared plants grown at 58 to 60 degree night temps with ones allowed to go to the lower 40s and my opinion is you get a more vigorous plant that produces earlier and better overall. Now I cannot tell you if this is a physiological effect of the cooler temps or if the plants shock less in the field and therefore get there quicker and better. I especially feel that peppers produce better if exposed to the cooler temps early on.

[Pharmerphil]

I would have to agree with TennOC on this.
Lower temps may bring on flowering; however, the blossoms will drop.
Acclimating the tomatoes to the cooler temps before setting them in the field will benefit the plants overall vigor.
I too have noticed that peppers seem to like being in the growth stage during cooler temps, and the productivity is seemingly enhanced at fruit set.

Reminds me of another aged technique...Spading.
You have but a few days before a killing frost, take a spade, place it one inch off the main stem and sink it into the ground, cutting through all the tomato plants roots on that side, the injury throws the plant into survival, and the remaining fruit ripen quickly...
My thought, Why? there is many ways to store and use the immature fruit till it either ripens, or you make some tasty green tomato dishes!

[Durgan]

I have heard that vernalization, the exposure of tomato plants to low temperatures, shortens time to flowering. Would like to learn more about it.

My tomato plants are started indoors facing a South window. The plants get leggy quickly due to insufficient light, the temperature is constant about 20 degrees C, house temperature.

To inhibit the legginess, the plants are placed in the greenhouse which gets quite cool, above freezing, at night. The abundant light during the day prevents the legginess or so I suppose. But it may also be attributed to the coolness encountered at night. My objective is to get large stemmed plants and not too tall until they can be placed in the garden.

I am slowly coming to the opinion that the temperature has a great influence on the legginess, since I also have had legginess with 20 degree temperatures and plenty of light.

Legginess is not so apparent in the outdoor garden, since normally the early growth night temperatures are usually lower than the day temperatures. I do know that cool temperatures during the day combined with plenty of light will drastically inhibit tomato growth.

To test the effects of temperature as to merit or not is difficult for the home gardener due to it being almost impossible to control the temperature. We usually take what conditions we can get.

All said and done. I will start my tomato seeds indoors and place in the greenhouse at the earliest opportunity taking advantage of the warm days and sunlight, and having the cool temperatures at night since I suspect at this early growth stage the effects are beneficial with regards to inhibiting legginess.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?QLOOO Some information about chilling young tomato plants. Not scientific but an opinion.