Tomato Grafting

Planted outdoors since 17th May 2016 - slow progress due to overall poor weather conditions.


The middle row are the grafted TomTatoes.


Regular (2.5ft tall approx) vs Grafted (1.5ft tall approx).



The grafted plants spent three weeks healing so this may account for the smaller size when compared to the regular tomato plants. I would expect a similar situation when the comparison is made between the regular potatoes.

Notice the vacant spaces in the planting layout? Well, that was due to the slug invasion.

I had planned on two rows of five potatoes and two rows of five tomatoes, one grafted, one not. This was done for comparison purposes but those pesky slugs put a spanner in the works and so I've had to adapt it a little.

Now, I'm down to three grafted and three regular tomato plants, and three potato plants. The vacant spaces will be filled with other edibles soon.

 

Yes, I grafted them myself.

I used the cleft graft. The rootstock is Desiree grown from B&Q seed potatoes. The scion is a cherry tomato grown from seeds saved from Morrisons "grape" tomatoes.

 

I am also growing Tumbling Toms.


Numbers 3, 4 and 5 are grafted TomTatoes.


Graft union.



The rootstock was grown from Wilko's "Picaso" seed potatoes.

The grafts are not particularly good on these.

A note for next year: determinates also need support otherwise the graft union will be stressed due to toppling over.

 

Fruit setting nicely on the Tumbling TomTatoes.


Number 4 showing good progress.

 

Regular (6ft tall approx) vs Grafted (4ft tall approx.)


Fruit trusses and potato shoots.


Rear view.


Fruit set unaffected by leaf blemishes.



Up till the first half of July saw a minor setback with all of the tomato plants - roughly a quarter of the lower leaves were affected by leaf spot and, possibly, viruses that caused the leaves to curl upwards.

One Tomtato (pictured above) definitely was affected by atleast one of a group of mosaic viruses as the plant itself exhibited the characteristic thin, fern-like leaf structures midway up the stem.

The cause? It turned out that a "helpful" member had been showering the plants (leaves and all) in their efforts to water them, and they had been doing so in the evenings.

How did I deduce this? During my daytime inspection of the plants, I noticed water cupped in the lower leaves even though it hadn't been raining. So, on a hunch, I returned in the evening to see what was going on and, sure enough...

The remedy? I left instructions to only water the surrounding soil, specifically to flood the channels inbetween the mounds, and to water only during the daytime. That way, any stray droplets would evaporate before the onset of the cooler evenings when the possible cocktail of bugs collected in the water might fester.

As an added precaution, I removed the badly affected lower leaves and sprayed with potassium bicarbonate solution. This seems to have worked and the plants are now recovering.

Incidentally, if you're wondering why there are so few fruit trusses on the plants, it's because I deliberately removed the side shoots which readily forms trusses after the third leaf.

 

Just read this through, most informative, but I don't have the room to do all of this, but I have certainly learnt a lot about growing tomatoes from this thread, well done all.

 

It's now got more tomatoes on than seed sown Gigantomos and the leaves appear more vigorous.

 

Here's an update on my grafts. I grown them this year using roller hooks for support and lean and drop so I don't have to top them out when they reach the roof of the greenhouse. Producing pretty steadily but there again it's not been a great summer. BUt last few days they seem to have kicked on a bit more



I thought leaning may strain the graft unions but doesn't seem to have been a problem

 

Also plenty of toms for saucing
F

 

A day after the clean-up of the regular tomatoes.


Acknowledging gravity.



As I feared, the top heavy grafted plants have flopped over. Roots have developed where the stems of the scions were close to a source of moisture which, in this case, is the surface of the sand mixture.

Scion rooting is most prolific on Number 3, followed by Number 5 then Number 4.

Tomato yield was as follows:

Number 3: 520g
Number 4: 808g
Number 5: 249g


I have harvested all of the usable size tomatoes and will leave the plants to, hopefully, fatten the potato tubers.

 

Some time later: topped but still heading upwards.


Lots of fruit despite yellowing lower leaves.


Typical example of the yellowing.


Lilac/pink tinged potato flowers.



The mosaic virus causing the fern-like leaf structures is now under control - leaves have recovered to their normal size.

For yet unknown reasons, the leaves on some of the plants have started to turn yellow. This happens on the regular as well as the grafted plants so doesn't seem attributable to letting the potato shoots grow wild.

Other nearby crops (potatoes, runner beans, courgettes, cucumber, chayote and kale) do not exhibit significant yellowing so I don't think it's nitrogen deficiency.

I am aware of the phenomenon of chlorophyll migration whereby chlorophyll moves from leaves that are in shade lower down on the plant to leaves that are higher up where they are able photosynthesize, however, I don't think that's it, either.

In any event, the fruit doesn't seem to be affected.

Ripening on the vine is slow when compared to the Tumbling Toms - I have been picking about a handful from each plant every two to three days.

They have a firm crunchy texture which makes them the ideal bite-sized snack tomato. That is how I have been eating them.

 

The 2 tomato plants that performed best in my biggest polytunnel this year were the grafted one provided by @JWK planted in the un-refreshed soil borders, and a single tomato grown in a large pot filled with fresh potting compost.

Rather a small sample, but gives weight to grafted plants doing well in soil used for previously grown toms compared to those in grown in new compost.

But as the pot was 25L and if using 75% off stuff from Wilkos, that means it only costs about 60p extra per plant to use fresh compost.