Grafting Selection?

[bitterwort]

I've tried both Maxifort and Colosus here, and of the two, I believe Maxifort is much more vigorous. My disease pressure is largely septoria and early blight rather than soilborne diseases. The grafted plants seem to show about the same rate of foliage diseases as ungrafted, but the extra vigorous growth seems to help them stay ahead of the curve.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Mlm1

b54red, I am trying Multifort rootstock seed this year for the first time. I'll compare it to Maxifort and Beaufort. It also has resistance to all 3 races of fusarium. I got it from Paramount. Can't remember how expensive they are. So far Maxifort (with resistance to only 2 races) has been adequate but being in the California Central Valley I think it is just a matter of time before all 3 races find me.

I have been dealing with all three I suppose since even tomatoes like Big Beef and Celebrity fall victim to fusarium; but they do tend to last longer. I tried one determinate tomato years ago called Floralina which is resistant against 3 races of fusarium and it was good against fusarium but I wasn't a big fan of the fruit. I am using the leftover seed from them as rootstock this year.

My rootstock seedlings are now getting nearly large enough to start grafting. I got clips of 3 different sizes from 2mm to 3 mm so that should help with the uneven growth of many of the seedlings. I haven't tried any yet but I think I will have an easier time with the larger clips with my arthritis problems. I have two clear plastic boxes for healing chambers so I need to do most of my grafting in two sessions as to optimize the use of my recovery boxes.

[Sun City Linda]

I would be curious to know, in a general way, what tomato varieties go into developing grafting stock.