How do I get a tomato sucker to germinate?

quiltbea 9/20/2010, 5:44 pm

I want to take a sucker from one of my nice tomato plants and get it ready to plant in my A-frame for the late fall and early winter.
Can anyone tell me....
Do I put the sucker in a glass of water and wait for roots?
Does anyone know how long that takes, if that's the method?
I'd appreciate any feedback.
I'm in Maine and probably should have done this much sooner. I want to try it this year if at all possible but I've never planted a sucker so need someone to walk me thru it.

pattipan 9/20/2010, 7:17 pm

quiltbea wrote:I want to take a sucker from one of my nice tomato plants and get it ready to plant in my A-frame for the late fall and early winter.
Can anyone tell me....
Do I put the sucker in a glass of water and wait for roots?
Does anyone know how long that takes, if that's the method?
I'd appreciate any feedback.
I'm in Maine and probably should have done this much sooner. I want to try it this year if at all possible but I've never planted a sucker so need someone to walk me thru it.

Don't stand the sucker it water, it will rot before you get any roots. Just stick the stem down in a little pot of moist Mel's Mix, firm the soil a little and then place the pot in a saucer of water. Keep in a warm sunny place, keeping the soil moist, but not saturated. Water from bottom only.

I found this too that might help: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/trebor57.html

pattipan

boffer 9/20/2010, 7:30 pm

I swear that tomato plants grow like weeds where I live, even though we don't get enough hot weather to produce sweet red tomatoes every year.

I broke several transplants this spring while planting them in/using the trench method. Everybody said to just stick them in the ground (Mels' Mix), and they'll grow....and they did! With no extra TLC whatsoever.

I'm amazed at the success you've had extending your growing seasons, but...I think you're pushing your luck this time! Wink

Ha-v-v 9/20/2010, 8:35 pm

I have taken cuttings and suckers put them in water and they rooted and are growing. Green glass is actually the one that they rooted in fastest.
Ha-v-v

Patty from Yorktown 9/20/2010, 10:50 pm

I have had better luck using rain water instead o tap water. Hope this helps

Patty from Yorktown

CarolynPhillips 9/21/2010, 9:15 am

Boffer, I don't know if anyone has told you this ---since you broke your toms while trying
to trench them---but here goes.
If you lay them down side ways on a board (1x4) and tie the stem down to the board just where you want the actual stem to stick out of the ground in the trench---wait a day or two ----The tomato tip will automatically turn up and then you can plant in trench with no breakage. Or just lay the plant on the ground on top of newspaper side ways--with support so it doesnt move==then wait til the tip turns up.

Tomato suckers root quickly---takes about a week for them to root-- then a week longer later--you can transplant them. so-total 2 weeks.
they root either in soil or water as long as water is changed out regularly so it doesn't rot.
Best in soil so there isn't much transplant shock.----less shock--quicker growth.

elliephant 9/21/2010, 11:34 am

I rooted 3 suckers from my spring tomatoes using water and then potting mix and have kept them inside all summer. One is now in the garden and the other two are out on the porch in self watering pots. They were neglected a few times, but always bounced back. The one out in the garden broke off the main top when I transplanted it. I just left it there and it grew a sucker and that has replaced the old top. It now has its second flowering branch, and with the rainy weather we're having (holding the temps just below 90) I'm hoping this one will produce. One of the ones on the porch was down to one little branch and has bounce back from that.

So, just give it a go and see what happens!

quiltbea 9/21/2010, 11:53 am

Thanks for all the good advice.
I think it may be too late for me to put mine outdoors this year but I'll try a couple in potd inside the house to see if I get anything.
Next year I'll try this earlier in the fall season.

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