DIY TomTato Grafting Tomatoes onto Potatoes 2015

They look just fine, JWK. What I have found this year is that with top grafting the stem sizes have to be spot on otherwise it won't take. abut with top cleft grafting if the scion stem is smaller than root stem they tend to be OK but not vice versa. So think you will be fine.

I have half a tray of neglected rootstock in a 40module tray. Bit leggy but still fairly thin stems. I am going to try top cleft grafting a few side runners pruned off the main plants to them and see how that goes. Have also tried two scions into one cleft. I will start introducing light and reducing humidity today to that one (tricky bit)
See below



Let us know after W/E how Pot/Toms going..........

 

Hi JWK
How's the grafting going. Been busy busy with allotment and no time to catch up. I saw your spud things took OK and hope progressing well
Anyway for who's interested this is a catch up of the grafts... Since I last wrote with top double cleft (One took One died) I've been busy nurturing the main batch of grafts. Greenhouse full and all growing well. Also got a polytunnel fairly full with double leader grafts. (No pics at present but will post some soon) Few small toms on quite a few. Here's a few pics from greenhouse

Greenhouse pretty full now Vanessa grafts on right and Bloody Butcher grafts on left


Bloody Butchers doing really well Few small toms on 1st and 2nd truss now

Non Graft Sungold on Right


View of the double graft weirdo I did. Doing OK
Butcher Left hand leader and Vanessa on Right

View of graft site now


Since my last update I had one last fling at experimenting with grafting technique.

I tried this method with the shoot of a spare rootstock and two scions. This method does not require the stems to be similar size as you can adjust for this by the depth of the sliver cut out of the rootstock. I used a couple of tomato clips to hold the graft while healing


The grafts sites now below on central rootstock


Final entry now on the aubergine graft. (there is a pic earlier on in the thread when it was an infant)
Recently it seems to have taken a huge surge. There is an ungrafted aubergine of same variety and same date of sowing on the Right.

The leaves are about 3x as big and there is lots of flowers now developing on it. So hope it is a success as far as yield goes Will post again when time.
All the best to all the tom growers out there.

 

Found few recent pics I forgot I took in polytunnel a few days ago.


Most of these have 2 leaders growing. Some are done by stopping the rootstock above the cotyledon and encouraging 2 side shoots and then grafting onto these. This is all very fiddly and difficult to get matching diameters for the side shoots and the scions. But is does mean you can graft 2 different varieties onto one rootstock. (I only did it to see if I could, as this is what the seed companies do when they sell you one plant with 2 varieties on it) I have two or three of these growing in the polytunnel. I posted a previous picture of the grafting of these above. Here's a plant now


One side is a Shirley and the other Vannessa
Graft site now. Clip still hanging on one side.


The other plants with two leaders are created by just stopping a grafted plant (scion cut below cotyledon) to encourage side shooting

Small graft plant with two sideshoots




Two leaders now.


Stopped this one further up and have three leaders

All have trusses forming on them and are growing evenly. I will have to see how they go. Hopefully they won't get struck down by some dreadful tomato plague before I can assess what works best with the grafting.
More to follow as season goes on hopefully

 

Hi JWK
Height wise grafts now slightly taller as have caught up following grafting process. The main difference is that the plants are far more sturdy looking Thicker stems and more foliage. Very good numbers of flowers on trusses. We need some better weather though. I have cut a couple of leaves out of each grafted Vanessa plant due to the excess foliage. This is not a problem on the plants with 2 leaders though (or the Bloody Butchers) and they are of similar height to the singletons but much more flowers. I think this is the way forward. A lot of professional grafters recommend 2 leaders due to the vigour of the rootstock to overcome the foliage issue and also it seems to maximise production. A couple of comparison photos below.

Vanessa graft singleton Front Right and Graft with double leader behind. A bit shorter but not much. Not as foliar as singleton but hard to tell from photo


Singleton BB graft front right and BB graft with double leader behind. 6 trusses on that one and 4 on the singleton so far. Time will tell though as the season goes on as to productivity. Keep your updates coming JWK

 

Long time No write , JWK
Hope all well with the growing. Busy busy here. Hence the time lapse. All shooting up well on allotment especially since heat wave and rain. Had a mishap with some onions though this year. Root rot Arghhh! Pulled affected ones out and rest seem Ok. But can't grow them in that patch again I believe.
Anyway Toms.... Something went through the polytunnel. Leaves all curled up and plants sort of stopped growing so eventually pulled them out 2 weeks ago. I think I put them out too early in the tunnel and we had a lot of very cold nights early on. Still never mind. Greenhouse is a different matter. All strong and nearly topped out. I think I will have enough toms from there. Been a good success the grafts. Few pics below. Bloody Butchers have been a real revelation this year. Great plants and so sturdy.

Vanessa graft Big Fruit




These are the Butchers. Prolific

 

I think you could be right re poly toms They did look like that in the end at the growing points. no idea where it came from but gradually went through them so decided enough was enough. still greenhouse OK. Learnt a lot of lessons with this grafting lark this year though. Aubergine graft is like a triffid and now setting some fruit. Though had a few rot and drop off when small. I think that is just because it is not consistently hot and dry enough for them Need some settled weather and they will do well. I will get a photo of the beast for you later today. Having day off from allotment and plants for trip to Bakewell (Rest day)

 

As promised Photo of grafted aubergine and ungrafted next to it



You can see how vigorous the root system is. Its the same with the grafted Toms (Need bigger buckets really)
Grafted


Ungrafted

 

Hi JWK
Interesting to here your results from last year. Nearly time to kick off again. Will be putting up propagating tent for seedlings in greenhouse soon and firing up the new modified healing chamber ( will post pic) You will see that we are obviously in the period of dark cold days and that us tinkerers need to pass the time somehow!! Anyway I will be giving the grafting another shot as had fairly good year with toms in greenhouse (posted some pics end of year in gallery) but as I said polytunnel toms were an early failure and ripped them out. Going to graft aubergine varieties onto Arnold Tom rootstocks as well As the one grafted Black Beauty from last year I grafted did really well and got some huge aubergines off. Will sign off now as heading to allotment to wallow in the mud for an hour or two.