From swapping cocktails for compost to planning weekends around garden centres, it's safe to say we're embracing our green-fingered era. Some gardeners are even putting their electric toothbrushes to work in the greenhouse to mimic one of nature's cleverest tricks.
That's right, the trusty bathroom staple has found an unlikely job in the greenhouse, where it could help increase your tomato harvest. It might sound completely bonkers, but there's science behind the social media trend.
'The use of an electric toothbrush is supposed to mimic the buzz pollination produced by certain bees with the aim of improving the fruit set,' explains Elizabeth Mooney, horticulturist at RHS Garden Wisley.
'As odd as it sounds, gently vibrating tomato flowers with some form of vibrating tool isn't just a social media trend – there's real science behind it,' adds Luke Newnes, gardening expert at Hillarys.
Unlike most other crops, tomato plants are self-pollinating because their flowers contain both male and female parts. Normally 'tomato plants rely on wind or bees to shake their flowers in order to release pollen for pollination,' explains Richard Barker, horticultural expert at LBS Horticulture. Therefore using a vibrating device to gently shake the flowers can be particularly useful in greenhouses or sheltered spots, where there's very little breeze to do the job naturally.
So, when should you ‘buzz’ your tomato plant?
Wait until your tomato plant is flowering, then around midday – when the blooms are fully open – gently hold a switched-on electric toothbrush against the stem just behind an open flower cluster for a few seconds. Repeat the process every few days while fresh flowers continue to open.
When will your efforts bear fruit?
Miracles don’t happen overnight, but the first signs that your DIY pollination has worked can appear surprisingly quickly. 'After pollinating tomato plants, you should see results within a few days as small, green bumps will appear after the flowers drop their petals,' says Richard.
From there, it's simply a case of letting nature take its course as the fruit develops and ripens. 'It can take three to four weeks for the fruit to reach full size, and another week or two for them to ripen and change colour,’ Richard adds.
Should you use this outdoors too?
Outdoors, wind and pollinators usually provide enough movement to release the pollen naturally, making the technique especially effective for plants housed in greenhouses, conservatories or other sheltered spots. 'It is not an approach we currently use at the RHS. Plants have evolved to be pollinated by insects and we encourage gardeners to attract and encourage pollinators into their gardens instead, allowing nature to do the work,' says Elizabeth.
If you fancy reclaiming your toothbrush, there are plenty of ways to hand the job back to the bees. Follow our guide to creating a pollinator pit stop to help visiting bees, butterflies and other insects.
Other ways to improve your tomato harvest:
The toothbrush trick is just one way to encourage a better fruit set. We ask RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter for more tips on how to get healthy plants to reward you with a bumper crop:
- Provide shade during very hot weather to help flowers avoid heat stress.
- Increase ventilation, especially in greenhouses, to improve air movement.
- Dampen the greenhouse floor to raise humidity levels when conditions are very dry.
- Give plants enough space so air can circulate freely around them.
- Water consistently – tomatoes are naturally thirsty plants and perform best when they don't dry out.
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The Tomato-Inspired Edit
