how do i pollenate tomatos in a green house?

Question

does anyone know how to maually/or other way pollenate tomato plants in a green house?
cheers

Answer 1

I toured a local tomato greenhouse and they had bees in the greenhouse for pollenation.

Answer 2

In the garden, tomato flowers are wind pollinated, but in the greenhouse, it's usually done mehanically or sometimes by maintaining a hive of specially bred bees.
"Tomato flowers can only release their pollen if they are "shaken" like a salt cellar, and the domestic bee is unable to do this. In greenhouses, tomato production has for many years depended on human intervention to shake the flowers manually or automatically using electric vibrators. At the end of the 1980s, the first colonies of commercially bred bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) were introduced into Belgian greenhouses, and they are now widely used in tomato greenhouses throughout France." http://www.international.inra.fr/press/bumblebees_in_a_tomato_greenhouse

In the greenhouse, pollination is accomplished by electric vibrators (battery or 110 volt), electric toothbrushes, mist blowers, or, when their above 2 ft, striking the overhead wires with a broom handle while walking down the rows or automatic systems which shake the overhead wires either longitudinally or across the wires.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/greenhouse/hydroponics/tomato.html

Mechanical pollination entails shaking or vibrating each flower cluster at least every two days when humidity and temperature conditions are best. Generally, midday and early afternoon during sunny conditions when humidity is about 70% is best.Greenhouse temperatures should be kept above 65° F (15° C) at night and below 85° F (29° C) during the day: http://www.ag.arizona.edu/hydroponictomatoes/pollinat.htm
Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Shake the plants every time you go in the green house. This will cause the pollen to falll loose the pollinate the blossoms. Also, ther is a product called Blossom Set which you can spray on the tomato flowers. I have good luck just shaking the plants.

Answer 4

You can use an artist's paint brush. Just go from one flower to another.