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Old June 10, 2019   #46
brooksville
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Does grafting to a rootstock that is TSWV resistant help or is it a marketing gimmick?
John
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Old June 11, 2019   #47
Father'sDaughter
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Long story short -- almost all of my grafts failed this year. Partly due to neglect as work spiraled out of control this spring, and partly due to a nearby window being opened and mistakenly left open right at the time when I was weaning them from the humidity chamber.

Only three grafted tomatoes and one grafted eggplant recovered, survived and were planted out today. For all the others I decided to say the heck with it, started new seeds, and just went graft-less this year since it was too late to start the process all over again.

Not sure what I'll have for a harvest, but I figure it'll be better than nothing, and all are being grown from saved seeds so other than the cost of time and some fertilizer, I won't be out much if disease takes hold and brings an early end to my season.
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Old June 11, 2019   #48
b54red
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Originally Posted by brooksville View Post
Does grafting to a rootstock that is TSWV resistant help or is it a marketing gimmick?
John
I think it is a gimmick but can't say for sure. The only thing I have seen that grafting makes sense for is soil born problems like nematodes, fusarium wilt or bacterial wilt. I have seen some dramatic increases in production with a few varieties but have also seen dramatic drops in production with some varieties that are grafted. Not all varieties work well with all root stocks so experiment with the varieties you really like with a couple of different root stocks and see which work out for you. As for TSWV my best advice is to plant some extra plants in the garden and have some seedlings ready in case you want to replace a plant that gets infected. I have tried quite a few of the TSWV resistant varieties and found most to be like supermarket tomatoes. The one exception that I found was Bella Rosa which is decent but not great tasting.

Bill
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Old June 11, 2019   #49
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I think Bill is basically right. If it isn't limited to the soil, the rootstock won't be able to keep it away and I can't see how a rootstock would be able to convey any other type of resistance to the scion.

But I do find that grafting does provide some help in overcoming foliar issues. Basically a well fed grafted plant can put on new growth faster and stays a bit stronger so if I'm taking off diseases lower leaves, for instance, it has a better chance of powering on and producing. Similarly, a healthy vigorous plant will generally be less likely to be as effected in the first place, at least from some things. I find that it is when I've been bad at keeping the plants adequately watered or they have other stresses, that they're more likely to start contracting stuff or being attacked by aphids, etc.

I don't think that would do much for TSWV though.
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Old August 20, 2019   #50
Father'sDaughter
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Quick check in -- my grafted plants started out so promising this spring, but while I was starting to wean them out of the humidity chamber, we were having a bit of a warm weather spell and the window near my trays got opened. By the time I discovered what was happening, all my grafts had badly wilted. They never did recover.

I restarted seeds, but did not have enough rootstock seeds or time left to do another round of grafts, so the plants went out on their own roots this year.

As in past years, early growth and fruit set was great on the non grafted plants, but after a minimal harvest, the plants are starting to quickly succumb to disease. Definitely V showing early, and now the bright yellow leaves with top wilting has started. I was expecting it so it's not as heartbreaking as in past years, but it reinforces the need for all the time and effort spent on grafting in the spring.
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Old August 21, 2019   #51
Greatgardens
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(snip...)

As in past years, early growth and fruit set was great on the non grafted plants, but after a minimal harvest, the plants are starting to quickly succumb to disease. Definitely V showing early, and now the bright yellow leaves with top wilting has started. I was expecting it so it's not as heartbreaking as in past years, but it reinforces the need for all the time and effort spent on grafting in the spring.

So bright yellow leaves is a symptom of Vert.? I am curious because I planted a "Red Brandywine" several years ago, and after filled with immature fruit, almost overnight the leaves turned bright yellow. Wilting followed, and I suspected Vert., but never really knew. I have always had trouble with eggplant getting wilt, so I was pretty sure it is in my soil. I've never had that happen with tomatoes before or after that incident.
-GG
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Old August 21, 2019   #52
Father'sDaughter
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While many say it's highly unlikely, I suspect I am also dealing with Fusarium as I see symptoms of both.

Either way, there is no treatment and once they are in your soil there isn't much you can do about it beyond planting resistant varieties and hoping to get somewhat of a harvest, or grafting onto resistant rootstock. If you only had the yellowing once and never again, it was likely caused by something else. Consider yourself lucky.


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Old October 1, 2019   #53
rick9748
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Looking for best suggestions on root stock. Main focus on Cherokee Purple and Carbon.
Location hot and humid South Carolina. July, August, Sep. 95+s frequent afternoon thunder storms.
Problems all forms of foliar disease due to constant high humidity and Root Knot Nematodes.
Any suggestions as to type of root stock and or plant management will be appreciated.
Thanks
Rick
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Old October 1, 2019   #54
tryno12
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All I know is that when I see the yellow leaves starting, I start spraying every night or 2 with bleach spray and start picking leaves off for rest of season - works for me - no grafts and plants produce and outrun the decease (whatever it is) till they are done producing. The indeterminates and heirlooms for the most part respond well to the bleach spray and last easily through the season and still going strong as we speak with very few yellow leaves.
Pete
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Old October 1, 2019   #55
rick9748
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Live in hot and humid South Carolina. Today 95*. July, August, and now September daily highs 95+s with max humidity. I also have major problem with Root Knot Nematodes.
Had 4 Cherokee Purples this year 2 are still going, did very well. Bought from Totally Tomatoes. Have had limited success with grafting. Have read or viewed methods from many diff. sources.
Do you have any helpful hints on grafting methods and what Root Stocks would you suggest??
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
Rick P.
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Old October 4, 2019   #56
jtjmartin
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Rick:

Bill (B54red) has taught me on this forum just about everything I know about grafting. It has changed tomato gardening for me in VA dramatically - though my main nemesis is bacterial wilt.

A good summary of Bill's method is at #13 at
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...light=grafting

I use RST-04-106 almost exclusively. After a quick look I don't see that it has a resistance to RKN.

I'm sure Bill will reply at some point with greater wisdom & knowledge! Otherwise, feel free to ask specific questions.

Jeff
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Old October 7, 2019   #57
b54red
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Rick:

Bill (B54red) has taught me on this forum just about everything I know about grafting. It has changed tomato gardening for me in VA dramatically - though my main nemesis is bacterial wilt.

A good summary of Bill's method is at #13 at
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...light=grafting

I use RST-04-106 almost exclusively. After a quick look I don't see that it has a resistance to RKN.

I'm sure Bill will reply at some point with greater wisdom & knowledge! Otherwise, feel free to ask specific questions.

Jeff
Thanks Jeff. RST-106 is resistant to RKN and also fusarium 3 races, and Bacterial Wilt. This year it was exceptionally dry and hot yet I still have a few plants alive and still producing set out the first week in April grafted onto 106. I have had more plants than usual fall to fusarium very late in the season but we are only talking about maybe 10% of the tomatoes set out in spring. The root stock is resistant not impervious to fusarium and RKN. I have had a few plants show some RKN symptoms over the years on this root stock but the symptoms have been minor and showed up very late in the year.

If you are looking for the best production with good resistance to all 3 races of fusarium, RKN and Bacterial Wilt then I would go with the root stock from NE Seeds called RST-04-106-T. You can get somewhat larger plants and also fruits from some of the other root stock I have tried but the number and earliness of setting fruit seems better with 106 and it is the only one I have tried that has really good resistance to Bacterial Wilt which is a real life saver some years. I have been using the root stock for years and have yet to have a single plant hit with BW though every other root stock I have used did not show any resistance that I could tell.

For the gardener in the deep south I haven't found another root stock that compares with RST-04-106-T. I have found a few varieties that perform better with other root stock both in size and production but other than those few combos I have had better results with 106.

Fusarium is killed back by hard winters even down here. The trouble is we don't usually have much in the way of a winter most of the time. Last year was particularly mild and followed by a very hot spring and summer and so far fall even grafting with a great resistant root stock hasn't completely protected me from the fusarium. I am surprised that with these very dry hot conditions that I haven't pulled up a single tomato plant so far that has any RKN showing. That mild winter did give those whiteflies from far south of here the time to move up and infect my fall tomato plants with TYLCV. I am hoping for a good cold winter this year even if it will mess up my winter growing of cole crops and lettuce.

Bill
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Old October 7, 2019   #58
b54red
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick9748 View Post
Live in hot and humid South Carolina. Today 95*. July, August, and now September daily highs 95+s with max humidity. I also have major problem with Root Knot Nematodes.
Had 4 Cherokee Purples this year 2 are still going, did very well. Bought from Totally Tomatoes. Have had limited success with grafting. Have read or viewed methods from many diff. sources.
Do you have any helpful hints on grafting methods and what Root Stocks would you suggest??
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
Rick P.
Go to NE Seeds and get the RST-04-106-T root stock. Sometimes I have limited success with grafting also. I buy the pack of 500 seeds and just do a lot of grafts and hope for the best. Some years I have plenty to give away to friends and relatives and other years I have barely enough survive the grafting for my garden. It is best to start very early in the year. I usually start my first seeds for grafting in late December and keep planting the seed for grafting right on until it gets too hot for successful grafting.

I know it is really frustrating to spend hours and hours carefully grafting and then the constant care of the healing chamber only to have most or all of them die on you. By buying the seed at the bulk rate then the cost of the loses is not nearly as high as when you only buy a small packet of root stock seed. I have had one or two years where it seemed I could do no wrong with the grafting and then the very next year have one failure after another. I do my grafting in a small greenhouse and the temps can change dramatically according to the weather we are having and that affects my grafting success a great deal.

The only other solution to solving the problems of fusarium, BW, and RKN is to use those near bullet proof hybrids that have little if any taste. I would rather stop growing tomatoes than grow those things. As a matter of fact I was on the verge of quitting tomatoes entirely when someone sent me some extra root stock seed and I had a few survive the grafting. The results were amazing. I loved getting to eat my favorite heirlooms right through our interminable summers of disease and blights. No root stock is going to help with foliage diseases or insects other than the fact that a healthy plant with healthy roots doesn't fall prey to them as severely.

Good Luck.
Bill

Bill
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