2017 Grafting thread: Open to all - Page 19

BigVanVader · March 7, 2017

I don't have much choice either. I could grow crappy hybrids and get tomatoes for salsa but if I can't eat a perfectly ripe Indian Stripe then I would probably just not grow tomatoes. I do admit though that I very much enjoy learning to graft and plants are my main passion BUT at some point I may well get tired of fiddling with it.

AlittleSalt · March 7, 2017

I do understand why you all are grafting. I want to encourage all of you.

Last year my hardest hit tomatoes were Best Boy, Better Boy, and Big Beef. I didn't get a single edible tomato from any of the 9 plants I planted out. There were a few small tomatoes but you couldn't eat them. I knew there was something wrong - it turned out to be RKN. The Best Boy and Better Boy, I understood they couldn't hold up to the RKN, but Big Beef is VFFNTA.

I planted Elbon cereal rye, and sure enough, it barely grew in the area where those 9 plants were planted. In 2015, we received over 73 inches of rain that really messed up the crops, and last year's RKN ... It is frustrating using everything you have learned to watch a crop fail.

Okay, I'll quit whining now

Best of luck everyone.

jtjmartin · March 7, 2017

My soil is still mostly virgin, but with a smallish backyard, it won't stay that way. No way will I be able to keep rotating my tomatoes and I'm guessing the disease pressure will continue to rise.

It looks like I have my first successful grafts. My first batch are out of the chamber and show no signs of wilting. Grafting is not hard to learn. Failure just means that you are out some extra seedlings that you would have given away anyway. Rootstock was the only fairly expensive item.

Also, grafting comes at a time that not much else is going on in the garden.

Jeff

b54red · March 7, 2017

I have plenty of grafted plants potted up and hardening off outside to supply all my needs for my first planting. Still I just did another batch from the leftover seedlings and root stock that I rooted the tops to from earlier grafting. I do this so I can spread the knowledge of grafted heirlooms in an area where they just don't fare well. Everyone I have given my extra grafted seedlings to in the past few years has been amazed at the taste and production despite having failed in the past with the straight heirlooms. If I have a bad year grafting now there are going to be a lot of disappointed gardeners around here.

Bill

Father'sDaughter · March 7, 2017

I just peaked in on my seven grafts in the healing chamber, and all are starting to lift their heads up a little. I did open it this morning to re-mist the dome and while the plants were flopping over, the leaves I left on the scions were all still fairly rigid.

As for my main crop plants, I started equal numbers and had 98% germination on my scion seeds, and only 85% germination on the rootstocks. So this morning I started more rootstock seeds and hopefully I can get them up and growing fast enough to catch up to the others. Time to employ some bottom heat!

I only have one season which isn't overly long, so staggering starts over several weeks wasn't something I planned on.

Father'sDaughter · March 7, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

... It is frustrating using everything you have learned to watch a crop fail.

Okay, I'll quit whining now

Best of luck everyone.

You could always join us! 😁

jtjmartin · March 8, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

You could always join us! 😁

I'll send you some grafting clips to get the grafting-addiction started ALittleSalt!

AlittleSalt · March 8, 2017

lol, thank you

b54red · March 8, 2017

It is a bit addicting especially when the results are so fantastic. Of course if you don't have a soil problem then the results might not be much better than just planting the heirloom.

My grafts are really growing now and are actually large enough to go out into the garden now but with the high winds we are having I think I'll wait just a bit longer so they will be tougher and less likely to get broken by the extreme wind gusts. March has really come in like a lion here so it should go out rather nicely if the old adage applies.

Bill

AlittleSalt · March 8, 2017

I trimmed and separated tomato plants into two bunches. One are the ones I'll be able to plant out the way I always do, and the others are trimmed for trench planting. With record breaking amounts of 80+ degree days, the tomato seeds I planted January 8th have become lanky.

As Bill just wrote, it has been really windy here too. Today was the first day with less than 10 mph winds in a long while. I've been using a fan on high inside trying to get them hardened off to the wind. Today, was their first day outside in a while. I left the ones we are going to trench plant outside tonight. The low is supposed to be 60 degrees. I'm not sure it'll get that cool.

b54red · March 10, 2017

Well it finally happened as I predicted it would. My last batch where I used the large seedlings for grafting had at least one third of them fail. I now have them all out of the healing chamber and I think at least 2 to 3 more will bite the dust before I know for sure how many failed. I think this will be more the pattern for the rest of the summer grafting because the greenhouse is so much hotter now. The large seedlings also contributed to a much higher failure rate I am sure; but even so once it gets so hot in the greenhouse it is harder to have those astronomical success rates. The wilting starts almost immediately with some of the grafts and many of them just never perk up again no matter how long you leave them in the healing chamber.

Bill

BigVanVader · March 11, 2017

I have been super busy and havent gotten around to grafting anymore yet...really need to though.

jtjmartin · March 11, 2017

I hope to graft my third set tomorrow. I'm learning & getting better each time!

Round 1: 1/2 survived
Round 2: 7/7 - so far - they are doing great with extended periods of time out of the healing chamber

b54red · March 11, 2017

My second wave of seedlings is now tall enough for grafting but they are so much lankier than the first bunch. It looks like I will be using a lot of small grafting clips and as usual my root stock are considerably taller than my scions. I may wait ten days between planting the scions and root stock next time. With this warmer weather the plants are just getting too tall too fast but the stems are remaining very thin.

After the first plant out I will be needing far fewer plants for all the succeeding plant out dates because each one will be smaller in number. Most of the tomatoes we put up come from that first planting and the later plantings are basically just for supplying us with fresh eating tomatoes. My next batch of seedlings that I plant will start leaning heavily on the varieties that do well in the extreme heat like ISPL, Spudakee, Pruden's Purple, JD's Special C Tex and Arkansas Traveler.

I have my bed prepped for the first planting but do not have my supports put up yet so that is what I will be working on the next few days when I am not grafting.

Bill

AlittleSalt · March 11, 2017

Bill, I have found the same results, "With this warmer weather the plants are just getting too tall too fast but the stems are remaining very thin." The ones we will be trench planting are also most of the ones you wrote about - except the JD's Special C Tex (I forgot to get seeds for that one).

March 7, 2017	#271
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I don't have much choice either. I could grow crappy hybrids and get tomatoes for salsa but if I can't eat a perfectly ripe Indian Stripe then I would probably just not grow tomatoes. I do admit though that I very much enjoy learning to graft and plants are my main passion BUT at some point I may well get tired of fiddling with it.

March 7, 2017	#272
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I do understand why you all are grafting. I want to encourage all of you. Last year my hardest hit tomatoes were Best Boy, Better Boy, and Big Beef. I didn't get a single edible tomato from any of the 9 plants I planted out. There were a few small tomatoes but you couldn't eat them. I knew there was something wrong - it turned out to be RKN. The Best Boy and Better Boy, I understood they couldn't hold up to the RKN, but Big Beef is VFFNTA. I planted Elbon cereal rye, and sure enough, it barely grew in the area where those 9 plants were planted. In 2015, we received over 73 inches of rain that really messed up the crops, and last year's RKN ... It is frustrating using everything you have learned to watch a crop fail. Okay, I'll quit whining now Best of luck everyone.

March 7, 2017	#273
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	My soil is still mostly virgin, but with a smallish backyard, it won't stay that way. No way will I be able to keep rotating my tomatoes and I'm guessing the disease pressure will continue to rise. It looks like I have my first successful grafts. My first batch are out of the chamber and show no signs of wilting. Grafting is not hard to learn. Failure just means that you are out some extra seedlings that you would have given away anyway. Rootstock was the only fairly expensive item. Also, grafting comes at a time that not much else is going on in the garden. Jeff

March 7, 2017	#274
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have plenty of grafted plants potted up and hardening off outside to supply all my needs for my first planting. Still I just did another batch from the leftover seedlings and root stock that I rooted the tops to from earlier grafting. I do this so I can spread the knowledge of grafted heirlooms in an area where they just don't fare well. Everyone I have given my extra grafted seedlings to in the past few years has been amazed at the taste and production despite having failed in the past with the straight heirlooms. If I have a bad year grafting now there are going to be a lot of disappointed gardeners around here. Bill

March 7, 2017	#275
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I just peaked in on my seven grafts in the healing chamber, and all are starting to lift their heads up a little. I did open it this morning to re-mist the dome and while the plants were flopping over, the leaves I left on the scions were all still fairly rigid. As for my main crop plants, I started equal numbers and had 98% germination on my scion seeds, and only 85% germination on the rootstocks. So this morning I started more rootstock seeds and hopefully I can get them up and growing fast enough to catch up to the others. Time to employ some bottom heat! I only have one season which isn't overly long, so staggering starts over several weeks wasn't something I planned on.

March 8, 2017	#278
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	lol, thank you

March 8, 2017	#279
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	It is a bit addicting especially when the results are so fantastic. Of course if you don't have a soil problem then the results might not be much better than just planting the heirloom. My grafts are really growing now and are actually large enough to go out into the garden now but with the high winds we are having I think I'll wait just a bit longer so they will be tougher and less likely to get broken by the extreme wind gusts. March has really come in like a lion here so it should go out rather nicely if the old adage applies. Bill

March 8, 2017	#280
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I trimmed and separated tomato plants into two bunches. One are the ones I'll be able to plant out the way I always do, and the others are trimmed for trench planting. With record breaking amounts of 80+ degree days, the tomato seeds I planted January 8th have become lanky. As Bill just wrote, it has been really windy here too. Today was the first day with less than 10 mph winds in a long while. I've been using a fan on high inside trying to get them hardened off to the wind. Today, was their first day outside in a while. I left the ones we are going to trench plant outside tonight. The low is supposed to be 60 degrees. I'm not sure it'll get that cool.

March 10, 2017	#281
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Well it finally happened as I predicted it would. My last batch where I used the large seedlings for grafting had at least one third of them fail. I now have them all out of the healing chamber and I think at least 2 to 3 more will bite the dust before I know for sure how many failed. I think this will be more the pattern for the rest of the summer grafting because the greenhouse is so much hotter now. The large seedlings also contributed to a much higher failure rate I am sure; but even so once it gets so hot in the greenhouse it is harder to have those astronomical success rates. The wilting starts almost immediately with some of the grafts and many of them just never perk up again no matter how long you leave them in the healing chamber. Bill

March 11, 2017	#282
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I have been super busy and havent gotten around to grafting anymore yet...really need to though.

March 11, 2017	#283
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I hope to graft my third set tomorrow. I'm learning & getting better each time! Round 1: 1/2 survived Round 2: 7/7 - so far - they are doing great with extended periods of time out of the healing chamber

March 11, 2017	#284
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	My second wave of seedlings is now tall enough for grafting but they are so much lankier than the first bunch. It looks like I will be using a lot of small grafting clips and as usual my root stock are considerably taller than my scions. I may wait ten days between planting the scions and root stock next time. With this warmer weather the plants are just getting too tall too fast but the stems are remaining very thin. After the first plant out I will be needing far fewer plants for all the succeeding plant out dates because each one will be smaller in number. Most of the tomatoes we put up come from that first planting and the later plantings are basically just for supplying us with fresh eating tomatoes. My next batch of seedlings that I plant will start leaning heavily on the varieties that do well in the extreme heat like ISPL, Spudakee, Pruden's Purple, JD's Special C Tex and Arkansas Traveler. I have my bed prepped for the first planting but do not have my supports put up yet so that is what I will be working on the next few days when I am not grafting. Bill

March 11, 2017	#285
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Bill, I have found the same results, "With this warmer weather the plants are just getting too tall too fast but the stems are remaining very thin." The ones we will be trench planting are also most of the ones you wrote about - except the JD's Special C Tex (I forgot to get seeds for that one).