Can it be saved? Bandage? Graft? Reroot?

emcd124 · June 25, 2013

My indet tomatoes are finally nearing 18-24" so I've started moving to cage them, but hadnt finished yet when I noticed yesterday that the Chocolate Cherry (one of my biggest) was flopped over. on closer inspection the stem is 50-70% severed near the soil line.

First, I have no idea what did this: does it look like pest damage? split from unsupported weight? I'd like to diagnose cause so I can prevent anything similar from striking my other plants.

Second, is there anything I can do about it at this point? Wrap a bandage of some kind around it and hope for the best? Make two clean cuts? lop it off and try to reroot it in water or soil (or is the plant too big for that at this point?). I'd really like to salvage it if there's any hope but I've never tried to do anything of this kind.

I knew if any could help me save my little guy it would be the tomatophiles on here...

Affected tomato

Second tomato two beds over, showing no splitting, but yellowing and S shape of stem near soil line. Possibly related?

Patihum · June 25, 2013

I'd mound dirt around the stems, 5-8 inches deep and wide and water well. New roots should form along the stems.

Redbaron · June 25, 2013

From experience I can tell you how to save both. Get a large pile of soil and heap it around the base of both those plants. Kinda like hilling potatoes. Water it in thoroughly and then cover with mulch. Keep it well moistened for several days. All those white bumps will turn into roots very quickly. Try NOT to move the plant much while doing this. It should heal up nicely in a few days, no harm done.

KarenO · June 25, 2013

agreed. but tie it in upright to a stake first and then hill it up with soil carefully firm it around and water. should be OK. Notice all the "bumps" along the stem? those are called adventitious roots and will immediately grow once covered in soil and will stabilize the plant quite quickly.
The first photo looks a little chewed on by something ? cutworm or a mouse who didn't quite finish the job?. second stem I think is pale at the soil line because it was covered in mulch and not exposed to the sun.
I always stake mine right at the time I plant them which I think helps to get them started growing properly upright, helps protect from wind and avoids damage to roots by inserting stakes near the plants later on.

KO

kurt · June 25, 2013

If it ever occurs higher up the plant.http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ighlight=plant

ScottinAtlanta · June 25, 2013

That looks like chipmunk damage, or it would be if it occurred chez moi. I put the broken stem of a recent victim in a thick slurry of vermiculite and water, and when it developed roots, replanted. It is growing nicely, a couple of weeks behind schedule.

emcd124 · June 26, 2013

{grumble grumble} we do indeed have one chipmunk who caused no end of trouble in my strawberries. As though dealing with a host of bunnies and problematic bugs wasnt enough. Is there a good way to protect the rest of my tomatoes against chipmunk? should I wrap tin foil or plastic around the base of the plants as I would for cutworms?

When I left in the morning the leaves of the plant all still looked robust and perky. When I returned after work to do the "hill it up with soil" fix proposed here, the gash had become slimey, it was only connected by a thread, and the leaves were all wilted. I quickly mixed up a 5 gallon of Promix and 20% compost and I cut off the slimey bottom, and then stuck the rest of it deep into the mix with a hope and a prayer.

Should I trim off some of the foliage so there's less plant? Right now the poor dear has only stem, neither roots nor leaves to recreate itself, so I imagine the prospects are not good. Should I abandon hope or is it still possible for a sturdy stem to regenerate roots and regrow leaves and turn itself around?

June 25, 2013	#1
emcd124 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 104	Can it be saved? Bandage? Graft? Reroot? My indet tomatoes are finally nearing 18-24" so I've started moving to cage them, but hadnt finished yet when I noticed yesterday that the Chocolate Cherry (one of my biggest) was flopped over. on closer inspection the stem is 50-70% severed near the soil line. First, I have no idea what did this: does it look like pest damage? split from unsupported weight? I'd like to diagnose cause so I can prevent anything similar from striking my other plants. Second, is there anything I can do about it at this point? Wrap a bandage of some kind around it and hope for the best? Make two clean cuts? lop it off and try to reroot it in water or soil (or is the plant too big for that at this point?). I'd really like to salvage it if there's any hope but I've never tried to do anything of this kind. I knew if any could help me save my little guy it would be the tomatophiles on here... Affected tomato Second tomato two beds over, showing no splitting, but yellowing and S shape of stem near soil line. Possibly related?

June 25, 2013	#3
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	From experience I can tell you how to save both. Get a large pile of soil and heap it around the base of both those plants. Kinda like hilling potatoes. Water it in thoroughly and then cover with mulch. Keep it well moistened for several days. All those white bumps will turn into roots very quickly. Try NOT to move the plant much while doing this. It should heal up nicely in a few days, no harm done. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

June 25, 2013	#4
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	agreed. but tie it in upright to a stake first and then hill it up with soil carefully firm it around and water. should be OK. Notice all the "bumps" along the stem? those are called adventitious roots and will immediately grow once covered in soil and will stabilize the plant quite quickly. The first photo looks a little chewed on by something ? cutworm or a mouse who didn't quite finish the job?. second stem I think is pale at the soil line because it was covered in mulch and not exposed to the sun. I always stake mine right at the time I plant them which I think helps to get them started growing properly upright, helps protect from wind and avoids damage to roots by inserting stakes near the plants later on. KO Last edited by KarenO; June 25, 2013 at 12:09 PM.

June 25, 2013	#5
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,500	If it ever occurs higher up the plant.http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ighlight=plant __________________ KURT

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June 25, 2013	#2
Patihum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Southeast Kansas Posts: 878	I'd mound dirt around the stems, 5-8 inches deep and wide and water well. New roots should form along the stems.

June 25, 2013	#6
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	That looks like chipmunk damage, or it would be if it occurred chez moi. I put the broken stem of a recent victim in a thick slurry of vermiculite and water, and when it developed roots, replanted. It is growing nicely, a couple of weeks behind schedule.

June 26, 2013	#7
emcd124 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 104	{grumble grumble} we do indeed have one chipmunk who caused no end of trouble in my strawberries. As though dealing with a host of bunnies and problematic bugs wasnt enough. Is there a good way to protect the rest of my tomatoes against chipmunk? should I wrap tin foil or plastic around the base of the plants as I would for cutworms? When I left in the morning the leaves of the plant all still looked robust and perky. When I returned after work to do the "hill it up with soil" fix proposed here, the gash had become slimey, it was only connected by a thread, and the leaves were all wilted. I quickly mixed up a 5 gallon of Promix and 20% compost and I cut off the slimey bottom, and then stuck the rest of it deep into the mix with a hope and a prayer. Should I trim off some of the foliage so there's less plant? Right now the poor dear has only stem, neither roots nor leaves to recreate itself, so I imagine the prospects are not good. Should I abandon hope or is it still possible for a sturdy stem to regenerate roots and regrow leaves and turn itself around?