Propagation: Cloning Tomatoes: A way to jumpstart to a flowering plant

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by Vancouver Island, Jan 5, 2010.

  1. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    I took cuttings from a tomato plant in October. I have never tried this with a vegetable before but the results have been interesting. The plants are now growing under T5 lights on 12 hours/day. They look terrific. These tomato plants are from a mature indeterminate grape tomato. They have rooted well and are now producing flowers on 6" plants.

    This may be a way of getting a jumpstart on tomatoes. My experience has been that indeterminate tomatoes need to reach four feet tall before they are willing to flower. Flowering at 6 " is remarkable.

    Has anyone had any experience with this? Any references would be appreciated.
     
  2. Thean

    Thean Active Member 10 Years

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    Howdy,
    About 20 years ago, I did about the same thing. I made a mistake of starting my tomatoes too early and instead of throwing away the side shoots that I pruned out, I rooted them and planted them out in the garden. They fruited and ripen much earlier. (I threw away the mother plants and started some later. So I cannot honestly say the rooted suckers were better.) Unlike yours, mine was a determinate type and the tomatoes were all lying on the soil. They had to be picked as soon as they show some color changes or else the part touching the soil would rot.
    Please keep us posted on your adventure.
    Peace
    Thean
     
  3. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    This is a picture of the tomato cutting taken in late October. I transplanted it after rooting about three weeks ago. As you can see there is a cluster of buds started. It will be interesting to see how well they will mature under the T5 lights.
     

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  4. tgplp

    tgplp Active Member

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    Vancouver Island and Thean,
    please explain to me how and when to get a cutting to plant! I would like to try this sometime soon.
    Good luck, Vancouver Island!
    Thanks!
    ~tgplp
     
  5. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    TGPLP:
    I would suggest starting a couple of tomatoes now to test them. Once they start branching, cut the suckers out and use them as clones of the mother plant (I used 4-6" cuttings). Technically these clones are the same age as the mother plant (more or less from what I have read in a hydroponic magazine). They must develop roots but they do have an advanced state of development relative to a seedling. I use T5 lights (see pictures under "tomatoes indoors" under another thread). These lights are really intense compared to the old fluorescent grow lights and relatively inexpensive. Also, quiet -- no buzz sound!

    I also use a good artificial soil mix that contains mycorrhizal fungi which "helps control soil diseases and makes otherwise unavailable soil nutrients available to plants". Something like eating yogurt.

    The current issue of "Maximum Yield" (free from the local hydroponic store) has some great articles about soil fungi.

    Good luck!

    Also important to know if cloning tomatoes, only use indeterminate tomatoes. These are actually perennial plants and will grow for several years if kept warm with lots of light. The determinate plants mature over a very short time period and then die (normally 60-80 days from the transplanting date).
     
  6. tgplp

    tgplp Active Member

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    Thanks Vancouver Island! I have some tomato seedlings started right now... I am growing mostly determinite varities, but i have a couple indeterminate tomatoes i can use. I have to wait until they get older, because they aren't very big and branchy right now!
    ~tgplp
     
  7. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    tgplp, I hope you have had a chance to start a few tomato plants. The plants I started from cuttings last October have been remarkably productive. These clones have produced numerous clusters of ripe tomatoes under the little T5 Sun Blaster fluorescent lights.

    I accidently broke off the tops of several plants when watering, and have rooted these as well. All are producing blooms or fruit or both. They seem to be much more advanced than seedlings started in January.

    The original plants are well over 3' tall with good vegetative growth as well as fruit and flowers. These cherry tomatoes are very sweet (orange). We really can't taste any difference in the quality from those grown in the summer. Also, all plants under lights have a fan on them for 15 to 20 minutes a day. This keeps the folage and stems strong and dry and causes the tomato flowers to self pollinate.

    This has been a learning experience and I may never again discard a "sucker" from a tomato plant again!
     

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