Grafting tomatoes

[<ahall]

I want to try grafting some of my favorite heirlooms this year.

Can anyone point me to some good websites explaining techniques?

My small motor skills are not wonderful, so any help I can get would increase my odds of success.

Thanks,

[David Hare-Scott]

I am sorry I cannot help with the immediate question as I have never considered it.

Why would you bother learning such a technique and fussing about with it for the sake of annuals? I know about using strong rootstock to keep desirable cultivars producing that don't necessarily have good roots - but in this case why bother? There are so many cultivars available you must be able to get several tasty ones that do well in your situation.

My theory is that the commercially available grafted tomatoes have the benefit of being very expensive. How is that a benefit? Well if you pay that much you are going to lavish care and attention on it and so achieve the stated aim regardless of the qualities of the rootstock or the efficacy of the graft.

D

[The Cook]

Check Territorial Seed Company,

They sell grafted plants and seed for grafting rootstock.

[Frank]

Never heard of anyone doing this but did get google hits such as this:

[<ahall]

David> [e-mail] wrote: >> I want to try grafting some of my favorite heirlooms this year. >> >> Can anyone point me to some good websites explaining techniques? >> >> My small motor skills are not wonderful, so any help I can get >> would increase my odds of success. >> >> Thanks,

David> I am sorry I cannot help with the immediate question as I David> have never considered it.

David> Why would you bother learning such a technique and fussing David> about with it for the sake of annuals? I know about using David> strong rootstock to keep desirable cultivars producing that David> don't necessarily have good roots - but in this case why David> bother? There are so many cultivars available you must be David> able to get several tasty ones that do well in your David> situation.

Periodically I have a lot of trouble with disease. This is recommended as both disease prevention and a larger plant as the roots support more plant. If it works, I will put about 30% fewer plants into the garden.

David> My theory is that the commercially available grafted tomatoes David> have the benefit of being very expensive. How is that a David> benefit? Well if you pay that much you are going to lavish David> care and attention on it and so achieve the stated aim David> regardless of the qualities of the rootstock or the efficacy David> of the graft.

I plan to do the grafting myself. They do charge an arm and a leg to do it for you, and send the plants later that I would like.

Thanks,

[Gary Woods]

Johnny's Selected Seeds has an online video showing how to do it in great detail. They sell the clips to hold root and scion together, and I've found the smaller utility knife available at your favorite big box store (the kind with the snap-away blade segments) is razor sharp and works nicely. Now, my skills at this need work; I'll do some this spring.

They also have a bunch of other how-to videos.

[<ahall]

Gary> wrote: >> I want to try grafting some of my favorite heirlooms this year. >> >> Can anyone point me to some good websites explaining techniques?

Gary> Johnny's Selected Seeds has an online video showing how to do Gary> it in great detail. They sell the clips to hold root and Gary> scion together, and I've found the smaller utility knife Gary> available at your favorite big box store (the kind with the Gary> snap-away blade segments) is razor sharp and works nicely. Gary> Now, my skills at this need work; I'll do some this spring.

Gary>

Gary> They also have a bunch of other how-to videos.

Thanks, I did order some of their clips and the tool, and have recruited a friend that I give excess plants to to help with the grafting. She has better small motor than I do.

I missed the video which seems very helpful.

Thanks again.

Gary> -- Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at Gary> home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, Gary> 1420' elevation. NY WO G