Tomato Tapping Is the Unconventional Trick to a Bigger, Healthier Crop – Here's How to Do It
If you want to drastically increase your tomato yield, tapping might just do the trick
Tomato tapping is the unconventional yet highly effective trick gardeners across the US are using this summer to guarantee a bigger, healthier crop of fruit. As a punishing midsummer heat dome brings soaring temperatures and stagnant air across the country, this simple technique provides the stimulation needed to rescue heat-stressed plants from a poor harvest.
During extreme weather, gardeners can often face failing plants, or malformed, weak fruits. The problem comes down to pollination, or lack thereof. Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants, however, for successful pollination to occur, the pollen must travel down to the ovum.
In the heavy, still air of a summer heatwave, wind and insect activity often fall short. But by physically tapping your tomatoes, you can successfully release the pollen and guarantee large, healthy yields. (At this time of year a lot of tomato plants will have sold out, but we've found these super sweet cherry tomatoes available from Amazon.) Here, we explain everything you need to know about tomato tapping.
How to Tap Tomato Plants
In addition to gardening in a heatwave, tomato tapping (a key job to do for your tomatoes in July) is also useful to get a more abundant crop if you are growing tomatoes in a sheltered spot, growing tomatoes indoors or growing tomatoes in pots in a greenhouse.
Incorporating tomato tapping into a morning garden routine takes only a few seconds per plant.
To do it, firmly grasp the main stem of the plant and give it a gentle shake to initiate pollen release. Next, work up and down the main stem, lightly tapping it with a finger or a bamboo cane, before gently tapping the clusters of open flowers themselves.
For the highest success rate, timing is key. Tap the plants midday, when the sun is high and the humidity has dropped. Pollen is stickiest in the morning and can clump; midday warmth ensures the pollen is dry and free-flowing.
Unlike some intensive methods, tapping only needs to be done once a day – or even three to four times a week – during the peak flowering window to see guaranteed results.
If a particular heirloom variety is struggling to set fruit, you could also try to hand-pollinate your plants.
The best way to do this is to use a soft paintbrush (this set from Walmart is perfect for the job) and swirl the brush inside the flower to collect the yellow dust. Then, touch it directly to the sticky stigma at the very center of the bloom.
What to Shop
July is a crucial month for tomato care. As most of us are facing such high temperatures right now, watering, supporting and feeding your plants properly, as well as this tapping trick, will make or break them.
These handy gardening tools will really help, and save you time too.
These trays are designed to fit around the base of tomato plants. Fill them with water, and they slowly seep water directly into the plant's root zone. Each set has five trays.
Organic tomato fertilizer is a must if you want lots of large and delicious fruits to harvest.
These tomato cages are an absolute must. As soon as your plants establish they put on growth fast, and can easily bend and snap.
Added Benefits of Tomato Tapping
Taking a few seconds to tap your tomato plants doesn't just save your harvest from the heat – it can transform how your garden grows.
For instance, you may be able to pick your first fruits weeks earlier. Left to their own devices, tomato flowers can sit around waiting days for a passing bee or the perfect breeze to shake their pollen loose. By tapping them yourself the moment they open, you kickstart the fruiting process immediately.
Think of gentle tapping and shaking as a gym workout for your plants. Just like a steady breeze makes trees grow deeper roots, regular physical stimulation signals the plant to bulk up. Your tomatoes will grow noticeably thicker, stockier main stems. A sturdier plant means it won't buckle or snap later in the summer when it's weighed down by heavy clusters of fruit.
Your tomatoes will also grow bigger using this technique. When you tap the flowers, you create a mini pollen cloud inside the bloom, ensuring total coverage. More pollen means fully developed, perfectly round, and juicy tomatoes.
To maximize these benefits, start tapping your plants early. The ideal time to begin is when the tomato plants reach roughly 10 inches tall and have just produced their very first cluster of bright yellow flowers.
And of course, lots of daylight (at least eight hours a day) and watering is needed too; a soil moisture meter (available at Amazon) can help you to guage the moisture levels in your pots and beds, to avoid over and under-watering.
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