Kitchen Garden Forum

Grafted tomatoes so are expensive to buy, are they much better than normal ones? I ask because i just bought a book on tomatoes which shows how to prepare a tomato graft, does anyone have any idea what roots the professionals use?

Hi NB,
You used to be able to buy tomato root stocks through the commercial catalogues but as far as I can see they no longer supply them so am a bit of a loss as to how to advise you.
You would lose nothing by consulting Mole Seeds or Kings Seeds who may be able to point you in the right direction. Whether you would want the quantities that they deal in is another consideration.
JB.

Thank you Johnboy, maybe I could get seeds of the rootstock if plants only come in large quantities for use next year. Actually it looks quite complicated getting the right stock for tomato variety as some react and die
off so they advise a small trial first.

Hi NB,
Grafting on the face of it looks so simple but with many plants it is quite difficult.
The classic example is with Pear trees. Pears are very finicky and several pear varieties simple will not bond directly so intermediate grafting has to be carried out which means you will often find a Pear Tree for sale with two grafts. For the intermediate you have to find a pear-wood that is compatible to both the rootstock and the final scion. This is carried out to have the tree on the correct rooting stock.
Another piece of useless knowledge!
JB.

There is a variety called He-Man which is specifically bred as a rootstock. I don't know who supplies seed these days, but I think the commercial growers still use it. Tomatoes are usually grafted to improve resistance to soil-borne diseases rather than, as with fruit trees, to control the size and vigour of the plant. Unless diseases are a particular problem (in pots or growbags it should not be) then it is hardly worth the effort. On the other hand, it can be quite fun to do and it is a simple enough procedure.

Pears, incidentally, can be grafted onto quince* to eliminate all that tedious mucking about with intermediary scion wood. The quince root does tend to produce suckers, though, which you see on some old and / or unhealthy pears. Indeed in cases where a pear has died, a quince will often stand.

*The proper quince, this is (Cydonia), not Chaenomeles.

For fun, you can graft a tomato onto the root of a potato. Two crops for the price of one !

Tony Hague wrote:For fun, you can graft a tomato onto the root of a potato. Two crops for the price of one !

Or ... a graft a potato onto a tomato: er, no crop at all!

But in fact, what happens is that the potato goes dormant just as the tomato is coming into fruit.

I suppose there must be a reason that we don't all do it !

Gee guys, thank you, you are all a mine of information! pear on quince and tomato on potato! Now you have me wondering if a tomato might graft onto a tomatillo! I might try next year and get some seed to use for grafting.

Hi Felix,
I appreciate that certain Pears are grafted onto Quince (A) rootstock but there has been an awful lot of cases where these grafts break down after few years into the life of the tree. From what I can gather the incompatibility exists even with Quince (A) rootstock with some varieties.
I believe that in France, the home of so many beautiful old varieties, they have had great difficulties. Trees that appear to be really healthy simply snap off at the graft. They have tried budding into the Quince and even that has caused difficulties.
It is difficult to buy a popular variety from most nurseries without it being on Quince (A) rootstock. Possibly they are popular because that is all the nurseries are prepared to stock and anything that represents a challenge may be simply too expensive for their customers.
Frankly I would prefer the pay the extra and get a tree that will last.
JB.

Hi
I used to be a commercial tomato grower and all my plants were grafted on to Maxifort root stock. Its an amazing variety which left to grow wild produces massive leaves and small toms.

David

Hi David,
The Rootstock used to be available through D.T. Brown Commercial but since they were bought-out by Moles I have not seen any mention of Tomato Rootstock's.
For those who might want to graft their tomatoes have you any idea where the seed or plants may be available.
JB.

Hi
I have had a look around but can't find Maxifort in UK. Good alternatives would be Beaufort or Big Power. Big Power is available here, but I,m not sure if they only supply comercial:
http://www.rijkzwaan.co.uk/wps/wcm/connect/RZ+UK/Rijk+Zwaan/Products_and_Services/Products/Crops/Rootstock?pcpage=3&frm=1&var=410404

Dear all,
moles has 2 sorts of rootstock tomatoes arnold and aegis.
Regards Sally Wright.

Hi Sally,
I no longer receive Moles catalogue as I have now retired fully but in the year I consulted I couldn't find anything. Thank you.
JB.