Tomatoe grafting from Johnny's Spam Spam Spam

Something else I never heard of before. Came in the mail this AM.

Bill

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"Are you planning to grow tomatoes next year? If so, you might want to consider grafting some of your favorite varieties onto a vigorous rootstock. Grafting is an increasingly popular technique among tomato growers who have had disappointing yields and disease problems. It's especially helpful for heirloom, greenhouse, and hoophouse tomatoes. Grafting is not difficult, and Johnny's has the supplies and information you need to be successful. The procedure is straightforward: You start seeds of both the rootstock and the scion (the variety you want to fruit) and grow them until they are 3-4" tall. Then you cut the rootstock and scion stems at the same angle with a sharp razor blade, and attach the scion to the rootstock plant with a grafting clip or piece of tubing. Experienced growers say they can graft 100 plants per hour. It's important to note the differences between the two rootstocks we offer. Maxifort is an extremely vigorous rootstock that should be used for greenhouse tomatoes such as Arbason and Trust. It should not be used for heirloom tomatoes because it will produce too much vegetative growth at the expense of fruit production. For heirlooms, choose the somewhat less vigorous rootstock Beaufort."

Reply to
Bill who putters
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Even experts often get only 50% success. This requires effort and (if you have to buy the root stock) expense that cannot be justified for an annual.

Reply to
David E. Ross

I suppose if you live in a high-rise and have room for one or two plants the expense of buying these might be justified. In my situation with plenty of room and viable seed what do I care if each plant gives less than the ultimate yield.

David

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

My take is a bit different. I read planting root stock seed along with your heirlooms. The why the interesting issue. Vigorous heirlooms the reason for the effort. Here a another link.

be sure to peruse the links in the first post as it touched on some interesting ideas.

Bill

Reply to
Bill who putters

Maybe 20 years ago I'd play with this. But I am a plain seed guy at heart. Still

I may give a few a shot out of curiosity maybe a low light scion base and a marglobe light loving top . Weird science.

Bill

Reply to
Bill who putters

Do you mean that as well as planting the heirloom seed, you also plant the seed onto which you will graft?

I wouldn't bother because in trials that have been done in this country (Australia tests done by Diggers in Victoria) the heirloom varieties that I would want to grow have all been proven to have either produced more or almost the same weight of tomatoes as modern hybrids. The tomatoes from those heirlooms have all been picked by chefs and the general public as being tastier than the modern hybrids.

Reply to
FarmI

Yup.

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This being the case I'd think there is no reason for grafting tomatoes except for disease prevention of you have one. Bill

I think I got the dam flu albeit mild. Waiting for a gas furnace Gas Valve but house is OK with 13 F. outside right now. Fireplace cranking and a space heater.

Reply to
Bill who putters

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