Hmmm.....I have all heirloom types, maybe that is also why I only have 3 tomatoes. I tried shaking them. But, still no more...what a sad garden. Oh well, I'll try again next year!
WOW, what informative posts from Sjoerd and nan1234. Information just about everyone can benefit from!
Melissa, I have all heirloom types too, for instance, red pears. I use electric toothbrush once a week. It takes me less than 10 minutes for 10 tomato plants. I only need to touch the flower stem one or two seconds. I can see the pollen dust when I use the brush to buzz on them. Each of my tomato plants full of fruits.
Gardengater, If you have have bumble bees but few blossoms on the plants, an electric tooth brush will not help. But if you are looking for an electric tooth brush, you'll need to find the one that viberates the same frequency as bumble bee. Some ultra sonic type does not work. Sonicare's frequency is about 41,000, a bit too high than bumble bee (26,000). I use Oral-B's Sonic Complete S-320 Deluxe. It has three different viberation modes. The middle mode has a frequency of 30,000. You cannot find those information outside. I have to call the company to get these techinical information. However, someone claims that the brush at 41,000 works well too. If it is that case, you can buy the cheepest one with normal batteries and one viberation mode.
So I guess you rinse off the brush if you have more than one variety? It doesn't matter if they are hybrids or OP's (heirloom), they can cross if you leave pollen residue on there.
Flowerpower, pollination is done inside the tomato flowers. There is no cross pollination. Pollen are released onto the sticky surface of the stigma in the same flower. To cross pollination of tomato, you have to cut the flower open, which is a quite complicated procedure done by breeders. There is no need to rinse the brush. Actually, you do not need the brush head. It is the viberation that takes the action.
It took me a while, but I did find actual scientific studies on the topic. Most recommend using vibration in a greenhouse setting due to the lack of wind and pollinators. I did check with some lg scale mater growers, not one uses this method for pollination. I also asked breeder Tom Wagner if he has done this. Not once in his 40 yrs of breeding work has he used an electric toothbrush. Said his wife wouldn't let him use the toothbrush outside lol. Tom has developed some well known varieties such as Green Zebra, Brown Derby, Green Sausage (greensleeves), and Banana Legs. So I guess its all personal preference.
