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Originally Posted by hl2601
..... A taller plant closer to 18-20" (so technically not a micro?) but still manageable in my veg trug on the deck.
17xF2-red- sowed 125 seedlings, narrowed down to 7 searching for micros. Kept and grew 3 smallest. All had red tomatoes. 2 of the 3 were MF. All 3 were dwarves. 2.5-3 ft. I guess I will go back to the F2s and try again. A genetics question here, is the micro trait fixed for further generations if you find it in the F2's? If my F2's were dwarves and I grow their seeds will all be dwarves going further-ie no micro could pop up?
Heide
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Nice photos, thanks. I'm glad to see you're enjoying them.
You said '18-20" (so technically not a micro?)'. I'm not aware of a rigid definition of a 'micro'. That's one of the reasons I started this thread years ago. I still don't know what defines a micro. After growing hundreds of them, I prefer those that stay under 12". They're easier to manage and you can fit more of them on a shelf.....
It is not the same with micros as with dwarfs. A dwarf is a dwarf because it is homozygous for the specific dwarf gene. As seedlings, it is easy to tell a dwarf from an regular indeterminate plant - literally from germination. They show their colors, so to speak, early and hold true to type. It also has rugose leaves and a stocky trunk and a few other specific characteristics.
Not so much with micros. Some that appear to be micro (by staying smaller than everything around them) throughout the seedling stage and through potting up and final planting, end up growing well past what is considered micro - Like your 17X F2s. For what it is worth, I grew out one large batch of 17X F2 (300+ seeds) and didn't end up with any either - something about that cross.