Starting From Cuttings

[AlittleSalt]

About 10-12 days ago, I cut some branches off of three heavily damaged tomato plants. I put them in clear plastic cups in hope they would start roots. The plants did as you can see in the pictures. I'm thinking today is the perfect time to plant them because the soil they'll be growing in is as wet as it can get. The plants are 9 and 10 inches tall.

How deep should I plant them? and Should I go ahead and remove the flowers?

[bower]

Salt, you can plant as deep as you like, they are ready rootin! and will root all up the stem.

I tried rooting some cuttings in flower one summer when the greenhouse got too hot to set fruit and I had to prune back. Some went in water first, some direct into the soil, and except for one variety they all rooted really well and quickly. Some of them dropped those blossoms they were carrying, some of them set fruit, including the one variety that didn't root at all.

I ended up putting those rooted cuttings into very small containers (maybe half gallon size) and some of them produced full size ripe fruit - just one fruit, it was end of season anyway by that time. So I can't say if the same ones planted in the ground in a long season would or would not set the first fruit and produce a bunch more.

The one variety that didn't make any roots at all for me, quickly set and ripened several fruit per stalk. The ones in soil, I watched the fruit grow as the leaves dropped off, and when I pulled up the stem it had no roots either. The variety was "Lotos" a white beefsteak from Russia.

So happy to see that you salvaged some cuttings from the hard and wild weather - please fill us in and show how they make out, whatever you decide to do. I do think the plant should produce the next cluster after three leaves, so if you decide to pinch them you shouldn't lose too much time in a warm climate.

Hopefully AKMark will see this thread, I know he grows a second set of plants from cuttings every season and has more experience with it than I do.

[AlittleSalt]

Thank you Bower.

I realized that I forgot to mention what varieties they are. All 4 are cherry types. Sungold, Pinky Blast, and two are Jan's.

The Pinky Blast, I'm going to grow in a container just to see how it does growing that way.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Thank you Bower.

I realized that I forgot to mention what varieties they are. All 4 are cherry types. Sungold, Pinky Blast, and two are Jan's.

The Pinky Blast, I'm going to grow in a container just to see how it does growing that way.

Salt, next time you consider or have to take cuttings, please try rooting them not in water but in a solid matrix such as a good seed starting mix or potting up mix.

The reason is that if you start them in water there's always a delay after setting them out b'c the roots then have to adapt to soil, or whatever. Starting them off as I suggested accomplishes everything in one step and no delay in the start of new growth,

Carolyn, experienced starting from cuttings person after storms, critter fights in the tomato patch and my farmer friend Charlies helper accidentally pulling them out when cultivating.And it wasn't my original idea, I just read about it somewhere and so switched from rooting in water with great results.

[bower]

Salt, I don't know these cherries except for Sungold, but if the others are vigorous plants like most cherries I would just get them into the ground ASAP and let them decide if they want to set their present flowers or wait a little. A cherry is not a big investment like a large beefsteak, they may drop their flowers if they feel stressed, or if they root fast enough they'll set em and then some, I think. Good luck!

Hope you get enough rain, and then not so much all at once.

[Stvrob]

Its cool to watch the roots grow in water, but it actually works better if you root them in good soil mix. I figured out once that the actual roots you see growing in the water dont survive transplant well and entirely new roots are grown in the soil anyway.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Stvrob

Its cool to watch the roots grow in water, but it actually works better if you root them in good soil mix. I figured out once that the actual roots you see growing in the water dont survive transplant well and entirely new roots are grown in the soil anyway.

I said the same thing in post #4 and glad you agree with me,

Carolyn

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I said the same thing in post #4 and glad you agree with me,

Carolyn

Oops, sorry about that, I should read the responses before I comment.

[AlittleSalt]

Thank you, I have definitely learned some good info tonight. This was my first time to root tomatoes from cuttings. It was fun seeing the roots growing in water.

However, now I've got to try growing some tomato cuttings in a potting mix. I have both Pro Mix and Potting mix (Not soil) Would one be better than the other or maybe a mix of both? I noticed several tomato plants that need trimming, so I'll use a few of the cuttings to give it a try.

[Stvrob]

I cant comment on either of those products because im not familiar with them. But diatomaceous earth works real well. Anything that would work well for starting seed would work well too.

[Worth1]

Salt just root then in plain old wet soil like you have in the garden.
It is a no brainer.
Done it this way for years.

Worth

[Cole_Robbie]

Yeah, hydro/aero clones, which is what you have, suffer from transplant shock. I think the roots get bunched together. Wet perlite, vermiculite, and coarse sand should all work as media. A powdered rooting hormone might not be necessary, but they are cheap. You can even make your own from willow trees.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Salt just root then in plain old wet soil like you have in the garden.
It is a no brainer.
Done it this way for years.

Worth

I thought the same thing.

I had already designated this year as a complete learning year. I'm going to try many ways of Starting From Cuttings.

[Stvrob]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I thought the same thing.

I had already designated this year as a complete learning year. I'm going to try many ways of Starting From Cuttings.

Just make sure you are not rooting diseased cuttings. By the time of fall planting, its probably best to start from seed, even though cuttings are so much easier. Others may disagree with this.

[dipchip2000]

Just for clarification, are you rooting suckers or just random branches??

ron