Tomato cuttings

Now is the time when garden centres start having Tomato plants in. If they have the variety you like, get your plants, allow one plant for around seven cuttings, grow them on, take out the side shoots and plant them in individual pots. These will fruit almost as soon as the original plants. I like "Shirley" but the seed are so expensive, plus the heating to grow them. I buy the plants, take cuttings and plant up the greenhouse. This way I get eight plants for £1.

 

Used to always root a few side shoots in mid summer to give me a couple of younger plants a bit later in the season when the old ones were running out of steam.

Good tip Larkshall.

 

A very good way Larkshall. With my Losseto F1 hybrids costing £3.49 for 6 seeds, I might take a cutting off one of those later in the season & try to overwinter it.

 

As my daughter would say, 'every day's a school day', I've never thought of taking tomato cuttings but it seems obvious now it's been mentioned. How big do you allow the shoots to grow before picking them off and planting them - the usual 3" or so?

 

No, I have found that they will root easily at 3/4 to1 inch long.

 

Whilst I "couldn't possibly comment" there is always the option of saving the Garden Centre from having to remove side-shoots from the plants they have available, and "pruning" those side shoots yourself, on their behalf ...

 

Can you over winter a tomato plant?

 

I think you probably could, but I cant see the benefits of doing it.

I think winter growth would be very poor and weak.

 

it's never even crossed my mind to take cuttings from Tomato plants! why did i never think of that?