Miniature or dwarf Black Cherry?

I was recently browsing the OP tomato plant selections at different nurseries. While most of the plants were twelve to fourteen inches tall, one nursery had a selection of fully developed, but short plants about four inches tall. I bought two Black Cherry plants from the shorter varieties and planted them on March 7. Other tall plants I purchased on the same day have doubled in size in two weeks. The Black Cherry plants have only grown by 25%. I'm wondering if I may have purchased a patio or miniature variety of Black Cherry. Anyone familiar with a miniature Black Cherry variety?

Ted

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

My guess is most likely the tags got switched during the growing of the plants. Did they offer any dwarf varities where some of the tags could have been mixed up?

Craig

Nope, individual plants were not tagged. The flats were labeled with labels that couldn't be switched. The plants were well covered with foliage though they were tiny. I've seen tiny plants like these suddenly go into a growth phase when conditions are favorable. Never having grown Black Cherry, I don't know what to expect.

Ted

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

My experiance with black cherry and other cherry seedlings like sungold is that they tend to be the most vigoris and tallest seedlings and I know some people start them a week or two after there other full size indeterminant plants.

Will be interesting to see if they stay dwarf and what they end up being.

Craig

I had lost all thirty six varieties of my "grown from seed" OP's in a late freeze in early March. I immediately replanted most of the varieties in starter cells and in the garden soil with the intent of letting the plants that develop best, grow. I have Black Cherry, purchased as seed from TGS; growing well. I will plant the normal Black Cherry plants and compare their growth to the miniature plants.

I really thought someone would make a comment that some greenhouses use a technique to retard the growth of, but not the development of; seedlings. Most of them want their seedlings well developed but not excessively leggy.

Ted

[strax]

it could also be due to growth regulators being used on the plants. this happened at a nursery nearby last year. they used some kind or chemical growth regulator to stop the plants from getting leggy and to keep the plants at a nice sell-able size for a long period of time. some of the plants seemed unaffected and some were oddly tiny. it looked like they had treated some of them twice and some of them not at all, but who knows. I wouldnt buy anything there, but the plants should return to normal once the growth regulators wear off. the green color of the plants also seemed a little 'off' did u notice that with the plants you bought?

Originally Posted by strax

it could also be due to growth regulators being used on the plants. this happened at a nursery nearby last year. they used some kind or chemical growth regulator to stop the plants from getting leggy and to keep the plants at a nice sell-able size for a long period of time. some of the plants seemed unaffected and some were oddly tiny. it looked like they had treated some of them twice and some of them not at all, but who knows. I wouldnt buy anything there, but the plants should return to normal once the growth regulators wear off. the green color of the plants also seemed a little 'off' did u notice that with the plants you bought?

Thanks strax! I don't know if you are right or wrong, but that was the answer I was expecting from someone if no one is aware of a miniature cultivar of the Black Cherry.

I planted two of the plants in my garden soil and kept two in the original containers for comparison. The two I planted are still tiny, but have put on a few tiny blooms. I don't really have a baseline to compare color to. They are a very healthy green color and the foliage is thick but wispy looking. They almost have a Bonsai appearance of perfection in miniature form.

Ted

[carolyn137]

I know several large scale commercial growers of plants of all kinds be they flowers or veggies or whatever.

And while most of them use growth regulators for the flowers to accelerate growth and flowering so they look good for pack sales, not one of them uses growth regulators on plants that give edible fruits/vegetables, and that means tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, you name it.

And that includes the plants that they're raising for their own commercial businesses as in acres upon acres of all kinds of tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and on and on.

Looking at the picture of the plant in question, and knowing it was in a flat of all the same variety my best guess is that the grower of those Black Cherries accidentally transplanted one ???, or even more likely is that a stray seed or seeds got into the hopper. Most commcial plant growers position a flat with mix underneath a hopper filled with seed and the flat below or the hopper above, it can be done both ways, is mechanicaly agitated to drop the seeds onto the flat. If the hopper is not completely cleaned between being filled with seeds to be sown, well, there you go. That's the seedling flat from which about one inch tall plants are taken and put into 6 packs or whatever.

I'd like to think that plant was a BC determinate, not a Dwarf as we know them b/c no rugose leaves and no thick central stem, and maybe it is a det, but only time will tell.

And believe me, we'll all be waiting to find out what that plant produces.

Carolyn,

Regarding tomatoes and tomato plants, you are omnipotent. In your comment, you accurately described the following photo before it was taken or posted. I was so impressed, I decided to shoot the photo and post it just to show how accurate your assessment is based strictly on my description.

I've now owned this "Black Cherry?" plant, and three more just like it; about two weeks and it is still less than 4" tall with blooms.

Ted