Options for leggy tomatoes - taking cuttings

[Colin_M]

I had two healthy sungold plants that (despite plenty of sunlight, not giving any fertilizer & trying to be moderate about watering) have already grown into lanky teenagers.

What I wanted to mention is a technique that many others have suggested: pinching out the side-shoots and treating them as cuttings.

I've tried this before (later into the summer) and it was neither successful or very useful (a bit late to be usable by then). However my lanky sungolds had several sideshoots and after removing them last week, I stuck them into some Jiffy plugs after dusting with rooting hormones.

Despite the high temperatures in the past few days, they not only "not died" but I can now see small rootlets emerging from the Jiffy plugs!


I'm hoping that even if the parent plants turn out to be too leggy, their offspring might still be usable.

Incidently, JB suggested a similar approach for the flowering sprouting shoots off Cavol Nero Kale. I tried the same with mine back in February. They've sat and sulked for the past 3 months, but now also show signs of roots and will be a good few months ahead of any seeds I plant now.

Anyone else want to suggest other plants they've had similar success with?

[Johnboy]

Hi Colin,
I sigh a sigh of relief
JB.

[Primrose]

Colin - fascinating photos. I never knew that tomato sideshoots were capable of developing roots and having seen your example I will give it a try (although this year I held myself with tomato sowing so don't have any leggy plants.) I wonder if it would work if you cut the tops of the tomatoes off and put them in water? Although not quite the same technique, I regularly cut the tops of basil shoots and put them in water as they develop roots very quickly

[Colin_M]

I wonder if it would work if you cut the tops of the tomatoes off and put them in water?

Well, you don't need leggy toms - any non-bush type of tomato will produce the shoots between the normal side branches and the main stem - I always pinch these off anyway. Because it's still only May, I thought I'd try growing them on. Many people have commented that these parts of the plants are fast to develop, given the chance.

Don't know about water - you could try. I'd suggest ordinary potting compost (Jiffy plugs were just more convenient for me). Don't know how essential the rooting hormone is - many people do without it.

[Chantal]

My mum accidentally broke off the main stem of a Sungold last year. She stuck it into a pot of compost and it grew away just fine.

[Primrose]

I'm kicking myself now. I recently accidentally snapped off the tops of two really healthy pepper plants and in haste threw them away. Wish this thread had happened earlier - I would have experimented and put them in water/compost to see if they would have rooted. Still, that's the joy of this Forum - we live and learn.

[alan refail]

Primrose

Forget water or rooting powder. All you need to do with tomato cuttings/sideshoots is push them into the border soil or compost, water them, watch them wilt for a day or two - then watch them grow.

[Primrose]

Alan - thanks. I am definitely going to experiment with a snapped off sideshoot. It's always very rewarding to try something new and find it works, although goodness knows where I'm going to find the space for another single plant in my overcrowded garden. I guess there's always the container outside our front door as long as the postman doesn't feel tempted to sample the crop !

[Mike Vogel]

My experience exactly, Alan. As long as they are kept moist at the base, they'll form roots quite quickly and produce fruit. I tried this when i first had an allotment and was surprised [given the hot dry weather, how successfully they took.

mike

[Di]

I know you can repot seedling tomatoes deeper than they grew, but in later repotting can you plant deep again, or will the stems rot?

I thought I was doing well but they've gone gangly... in a south west facing conservatory, how much more light do they want!

[Colin_M]

I thought I was doing well but they've gone gangly... in a south west facing conservatory, how much more light do they want!

Same here! Maybe it's time they went outside a bit. The ones I've got in trays are now going out during the day, with a watch for if the forecast shows cold nights (< 10 degrees C).

I suspect it's just been too warm in the conservatory ours have been in and once you have to give extra water to prevent wilting, maybe that sets off a vicious cycle.

[David]

I agree with Alan you can be very rough with them and just stick em in the side of the pot/container and forget them.

[Chantal]

Di, I plant deeper every time I pot them and then really deep when they go outside. Never had a problem.

[Colin_M]

Di, I plant deeper every time I pot them and then really deep when they go outside.

Can you give some examples of how deep, especially when they go outside into the soil?

[Chantal]

The last couple of years I dug a hole about a foot deep which was double the depth of the pot. It all depends on the height of the tomato.