Kitchen Garden Forum

Just read the article on grafting tomatoes. Only thing missing is where one can buy the plastic grafting holders.

Simples,
Just google 'tomato grafting clips uk'

and ignore Mole Seeds as they have sold out.

If you get stuck send me a pm, I've stopped using them and have a part packet.

Geoff


Is that because its a fiddly operation.
I get the feeling I would be too ham fisted and break stems.

I got on quite well for a while especially grafting Aubergines onto Tomato stock but then started to get failures, I think a combination of eyes and fingers. I have the same trouble trying to make up network cables and do other wiring jobs that used to be easy. The seeds of the rootstock plants are also a bit expensive to make it viable, easier to grow extra plants.

I have posted before that 4years ago I did purchase some Suttons grafted tomato plants which were massively reduced by the local garden centre to 75p each to clear them out as they had them in stock so long they had become extremely leggy.

I cannot deny that those 4 grafted plants produced the best crop of tomatoes we have ever had. Without loss of flavour.

Doing my own grafting would test my patience to the limit and beyond

Commercial prices of grafted tom plants have reduced considerably since first introduced but I still wouldn't spend the full retail price on them.

I do 't think I,ve ever seen grafted tomatoes on sale at a garden centre. Is this common practice.

Primrose wrote:I do 't think I,ve ever seen grafted tomatoes on sale at a garden centre. Is this common practice.

Your two nearest branches (and possibly a third) of Wyevale usually have them.
PM me if you don't know where they are

Edit, Four even

I'd love to have a go a grafting my own plants. I usually use my birthday money to buy at least one grafted tomato, pepper & aubergine. They grow so well & like Pa said no loss of flavour at all. I got an e-mail from Sutton's about a month ago & it was a flash sale of buy 2 get one free across the range, so got another tomato and pepper and a melon. All are doing extremely well! They will stay in the greenhouse though, still too expensive to buy to risk them on the allotment which is why I'd like to have a bash at DIY grafting.

Is there a website which tells you exactly how to graft to tomatoes? What do you use as rootstock?

Personally I can't see the point as I've plenty of space in the greenhouse and grow my favourite varieties - usually far too many, but I suppose they are a good idea if you want a good crop from a smaller space, and it is always interesting to try something new.

I must say I've never had much luck with grafting anything. I've read up on it and had a go, but I've never actually been shown how and I couldn't source the grafting strips so used cling film which is probably what went wrong. My most successful effort was an apple graft which was growing nicely until a starling landed on it and snapped it off.

Primrose wrote:Is there a website which tells you exactly how to graft to tomatoes? What do you use as rootstock?

Hi Primrose. I know I refer to it quite often, mainly because it usually works

Try Google or whatever search engine you use.
I typed "Grafting Tomatoes " in Google and it came up with a few

Geoff. Thanks for the offer. After speaking to someone who had tried it. I don't think I will bother.