Tomato cuttings - only from suckers?

moswell 6/10/2012, 3:42 pm

Hi all. Quick question. A friend of mine this weekend asked if I could give her a cutting from my black krim tomato plant. Last year I know that I successfully rooted cuttings from tomatoes, but those cuttings were suckers. I happen to have pinched off (and not rooted) all the suckers off that plant so far and would hate to make her wait a couple more weeks before any new suckers are big enough to root. Can one successfully root a regular cutting, like from a normal branch, that will produce new tomatoes?

Thanks in advance!

BetsyC 6/10/2012, 3:47 pm

I have a friend with a very green thumb and she says she does this all the time! I have only seen her vegetables, not her garden (she lives a good way away) and she told me she sticks them right into the soil and they generally come up. I don't see that you can lose by trying!

littlejo 6/10/2012, 4:18 pm

Most will root and give you tomatoes, as long as it is not a hybrid. Hybrids may give you a different kind of tomato.

Jo

westie 6/10/2012, 4:33 pm

I do cuttings all the time and have never used suckers yet. Unless you are taking seed to germinate from a hybrid it is hard to see why a different fruit would come from rooting cuttings. Basil cuts and roots every bit as well, as does stevia and lots more types of plants

**Turan** 6/10/2012, 5:35 pm

littlejo wrote:Most will root and give you tomatoes, as long as it is not a hybrid. Hybrids may give you a different kind of tomato.

Jo

Cuttings are how many hybrids are propagated with out the hassle of doing the breeding crosses. Think apple and citrus trees, new breeds are hybrids and are sold for growing as grafting stock (cuttings) originally. Think root tubers like potatoes, no matter what type of hybrid if you use a chit from the potato it will grow true.
You could think of it as the difference between having children with a partner versus cloning.

littlejo 6/10/2012, 6:08 pm

westie wrote:I do cuttings all the time and have never used suckers yet. Unless you are taking seed to germinate from a hybrid it is hard to see why a different fruit would come from rooting cuttings. Basil cuts and roots every bit as well, as does stevia and lots more types of plants

Sorry I misread my notes. I know nothing about Basil or Stevia. Are they hybrids?

westie 6/10/2012, 6:50 pm

Basil and stevia are just herbs and as far as I know few if any herbs are hybrid. I was just mentioning some other plants that root well from cuttings. Many of the herbs will root from cuttings. Sorry for going off topic.

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Tomato cuttings - only from suckers?

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Re: Tomato cuttings - only from suckers?


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