2017 Grafting thread: Open to all

[Scooty]

Last I checked, all of the commercially available rootstock options are hybrids and have wild tomato in their line.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I just made my first grafting attempts. We shall see how it goes.

I looked at humidifiers are Wal-Mart. They only had the "warm mist" kind. I was worried that would make things get too hot. I used wet perlite for my humidity. There's about a half-inch of water and a couple inches of perlite in the box. I covered the box with black plastic just now.

Root stocks are Estamino and RST-105. Top plants are Mat-Su Express, Sky Reacher, Polar Early, Agatha, and Jazz.

I held the double-sided razor blade in a pair of lineman's pliers and used it like a knife. My hands still stink of the smelly root stock plants. They smell like a weed. Maybe they have wild tomato varieties bred into them. The leaves look odd as well.

Fingers crossed they do well!

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I just made my first grafting attempts. We shall see how it goes.

I looked at humidifiers are Wal-Mart. They only had the "warm mist" kind. I was worried that would make things get too hot. I used wet perlite for my humidity. There's about a half-inch of water and a couple inches of perlite in the box. I covered the box with black plastic just now.

Root stocks are Estamino and RST-105. Top plants are Mat-Su Express, Sky Reacher, Polar Early, Agatha, and Jazz.

I held the double-sided razor blade in a pair of lineman's pliers and used it like a knife. My hands still stink of the smelly root stock plants. They smell like a weed. Maybe they have wild tomato varieties bred into them. The leaves look odd as well.

Good Luck Cole. I know you can do it.

Originally Posted by Scooty

Last I checked, all of the commercially available rootstock options are hybrids and have wild tomato in their line.

Scooty, that does not surprise me at all. Wild tomatoes can be thought of as weeds because they have adapted to their growing conditions over time - just like weeds.

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks. 24 hours have passed, and everybody still looks ok. I am going to start gradually increasing the light.

[jtjmartin]

Grafting is like having your first baby - you worry about everything! The second time through there are a lot less unknowns and it becomes a lot more fun and less time consuming.

Good luck!

[My Foot Smells]

Cool. Did you pair the plants together - then cut? to make a matching angle.

What angle were you attempting (45 or more?).

Did you start seeds at same time? (graft + scion)

I "guess" they grow at the same rate.

Was there any reason for going w/ two grafting varieties?

[Cole_Robbie]

I just estimated the 45 degree angle. Seeds were started at the same time. I sowed more than I needed of my tomato seeds so I could match up stems the same size with my root stock.

The disease I have is fusarium, but I don't know which race. I think I'm also going to prefer the root stock that gives me more compact plants, as long as it still grows well. Finally, I am going to grow out one plant of each root stock variety and try to save seeds. It would save me a lot of money to have my own stabilized OP root stock.

[Cole_Robbie]

Everyone is still alive. Now I need to gradually transition to more light and less humidity. The cover is off the box right now. The hardest part for me is worrying about bumping the box and making the grafts fall apart.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Everyone is still alive. Now I need to gradually transition to more light and less humidity. The cover is off the box right now. The hardest part for me is worrying about bumping the box and making the grafts fall apart.

You're almost there! And "breaking" the graft was my biggest fear as well. I didn't move them out of the tray until it was time to pot up for fear they would fall apart.

[Cole_Robbie]

Well, crud, as soon as I took the cover off the box and left it for the afternoon, almost all of them wilted and died. I still have two that look good and maybe two more that have a chance, out of the original 14 or so. They are now on a tabletop by a window, but not in direct sun.

I feel like there needs to be some sort of gel type of product for the area where the grafted stems meet.

Here is a great grafting thread that experiments with super glue:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=31227

[b54red]

Don't feel too bad. I have a lot of experience grafting and this time of the year my failure rate is extremely high most of the time. My last batch of 24 grafts only had two live through the healing. Back in February and March I rarely had any fail. I will be grafting again in a few days and hope for better luck.

Bill

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks, Bill. So it is easier in colder temps? I was thinking there is probably a formula for optimum temp, humidity, and light intensity, and that formula changed a little for each day post-graft.

[Father'sDaughter]

Sorry to hear you lost them all. I had that happen with my first (practice) run, but doing full root grafting was likely my issue.

The second try was my real batch and I did remove most of the roots. It also took closer to a week and a half if I recall, before the humidity domes could come off and stay off. For a couple of days I would pull it off until I saw heavy wilting (usually within an hour), then put it back on until the next day. It was cooler and I kept them in low light, and eventually I weaned them out of the domes completely.

Until they heal, you want to minimize growth, and warm temps + light = growth.

[Cole_Robbie]

I might have two that make it. I am edging them close to the windowsill now.

My concern is keeping the leaves from molding, if they stay in a too dark and too humid environment for too long. My next batch might get misted with a hydrogen peroxide solution.

It occurred to me that my practice grafts can be anything grafted to anything, and I have a million seeds sitting around. So I can practice all winter if I need to.

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I might have two that make it. I am edging them close to the windowsill now.

My concern is keeping the leaves from molding, if they stay in a too dark and too humid environment for too long. My next batch might get misted with a hydrogen peroxide solution.

It occurred to me that my practice grafts can be anything grafted to anything, and I have a million seeds sitting around. So I can practice all winter if I need to.

sorry for your loss, last time I checked things were looking 100%. interesting that Bill denotes similar this time of year and spring being more reliable.

true on the G2G, doesn't/shouldn't matter.

I've thought about wrapping a toilet paper roll sleeve around 'em (cut and re-tape) to "shroud" the graft in darkness.

Also have thought about a more aggressive cut for stability (75 degree).

Why can't you wrap "toothpicks" around the graft and wrap a splint? or something?

Also hoping to learn from others, although that hasn't worked very well in my life.

Good luck with the survivors.

Do you think you babied it too much, or fondled too excessively?

Trying to get mentally prepared for next year, but admit, my patience is shot. GL