grafting with Big Beef F1 this year

kerns125 · March 16, 2016

So, I am pretty new to grafting and the past few years I've struggled to have my grafts survive the process. When I DID have survivors in the past, they outperformed my same non-grafted heirlooms by a mile, so I am trying again. My biggest challenge is manipulating the stems when they are so tiny - I have 2mm silicone clips from Johnny's, and the stems at the 2-true-leaf stage fit these clips but are so tiny I can barely tell if I am matching up the cuts correctly. This year I'll try doing some at the 4-true-leaf stage with 3mm clips, too, and see if they do any better.

Anyway, Maxifort F1 rootstock seeds are quite expensive (about 50 cents/seed) and they never seem to germinate for me after the first year so I waste even more money that way, so this year I decided to try Big Beef F1 as rootstock! I keep reading everyone's grow lists and many include Big Beef, which I have never tried. I know Celebrity F1 has been written about as a good rootstock in the farming industry, and Big Beef appears to have the same disease resistance patterns as Celebrity so I figured I'd give it a shot. I got 100 Big Beef seeds from Willhite for $7.90.

I am seeing whether I can graft one or two above the cotyledons to see if I can get a couple Big Beef tomatoes off the bottom of the plant, too, since I've never tried them!

This afternoon will be my 24-hour check on the grafts and I'm praying a few of them are still alive....

Jen

Scooty · March 16, 2016

Floramerica F1 is another that is used as a cheap rootstock.

I was able to get some He-man seeds this year (TX301), and planning to try it out next to maxifort.

Stvrob · March 16, 2016

I used big beef for rootstock last year. It worked quite well.

Scooty · March 16, 2016

Big Beef F1 is what Darrel/Fusion_power recommended to me as a cheap rootstock as well. It's been really good to practice with. I've also heard that Japanese Black Triffle is a good one if you're looking for an OP rootstock just for growth. I'm a little excited to try TX301 because it's suppose to be what one of the most common rootstocks in Japan and Europe.

b54red · March 17, 2016

I used Big Beef as one of my rootstocks three years ago and it took the grafts better than some of the more expensive rootstock varieties. It did little to change the growth habit or results of any of the varieties of scion I used with it but it did give some added soil borne protection but not enough for my garden. I need a rootstock that is resistant to all three races of fusarium but most people would not need this so Big Beef with resistance to two races of fusarium would be more than adequate and the seed are really cheap when bought in bulk.

Bill

bitterwort · March 19, 2016

Jen, if you still have some older Maxifort seeds you want to use, you might try soaking them in water with just a drop of liquid fertilizer added before planting them. I had trouble germinating some seeds purchased a couple years ago in my normal way (in seed mix on heat), so I soaked some as I indicated. They were plump and many starting to develop roots in 36 hours.

kerns125 · March 20, 2016

Oh shoot, bitterwort, I wish I had known about that trick a few weeks ago! I planted my 12 leftover Maxifort seeds in metromix 360 over heat and not a single one came up. Happens every single time I try to use Maxifort seeds from the prior year.

On a positive note, 13 of the 16 BB grafts I made on Tuesday have survived!! This is unprecedented success for me!

I moved last year and my new back yard was inhospitable – my plants all looked decimated by mid July, and I'm not sure from what, but concerned about verticillium or fusarium. Very much hoping that Big Beef roots will do better here!

kerns125 · March 20, 2016

Scooty, I am really excited to hear about your comparison between Maxifort and TX301 -- I had amazing success with Maxifort in the past so will always be on the lookout for anything comparable or better!

gdaddybill · April 27, 2016

I'm using Big Beef for a rootstock this year-mostly looking for nematode resistance. Just set them out so they're late compared to the same varieties on their own roots. Next year I may try Valley Cat. It claims resistance to three races of nematode.

March 16, 2016	#1
kerns125 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: 22301 Posts: 92	grafting with Big Beef F1 this year So, I am pretty new to grafting and the past few years I've struggled to have my grafts survive the process. When I DID have survivors in the past, they outperformed my same non-grafted heirlooms by a mile, so I am trying again. My biggest challenge is manipulating the stems when they are so tiny - I have 2mm silicone clips from Johnny's, and the stems at the 2-true-leaf stage fit these clips but are so tiny I can barely tell if I am matching up the cuts correctly. This year I'll try doing some at the 4-true-leaf stage with 3mm clips, too, and see if they do any better. Anyway, Maxifort F1 rootstock seeds are quite expensive (about 50 cents/seed) and they never seem to germinate for me after the first year so I waste even more money that way, so this year I decided to try Big Beef F1 as rootstock! I keep reading everyone's grow lists and many include Big Beef, which I have never tried. I know Celebrity F1 has been written about as a good rootstock in the farming industry, and Big Beef appears to have the same disease resistance patterns as Celebrity so I figured I'd give it a shot. I got 100 Big Beef seeds from Willhite for $7.90. I am seeing whether I can graft one or two above the cotyledons to see if I can get a couple Big Beef tomatoes off the bottom of the plant, too, since I've never tried them! This afternoon will be my 24-hour check on the grafts and I'm praying a few of them are still alive.... Jen

March 19, 2016	#6
bitterwort Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MN Zone4b Posts: 289	Jen, if you still have some older Maxifort seeds you want to use, you might try soaking them in water with just a drop of liquid fertilizer added before planting them. I had trouble germinating some seeds purchased a couple years ago in my normal way (in seed mix on heat), so I soaked some as I indicated. They were plump and many starting to develop roots in 36 hours. __________________ Bitterwort

March 16, 2016	#2
Scooty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Chicago-land & SO-cal Posts: 583	Floramerica F1 is another that is used as a cheap rootstock. I was able to get some He-man seeds this year (TX301), and planning to try it out next to maxifort.

March 16, 2016	#3
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I used big beef for rootstock last year. It worked quite well.

March 17, 2016	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I used Big Beef as one of my rootstocks three years ago and it took the grafts better than some of the more expensive rootstock varieties. It did little to change the growth habit or results of any of the varieties of scion I used with it but it did give some added soil borne protection but not enough for my garden. I need a rootstock that is resistant to all three races of fusarium but most people would not need this so Big Beef with resistance to two races of fusarium would be more than adequate and the seed are really cheap when bought in bulk. Bill

March 20, 2016	#7
kerns125 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: 22301 Posts: 92	Oh shoot, bitterwort, I wish I had known about that trick a few weeks ago! I planted my 12 leftover Maxifort seeds in metromix 360 over heat and not a single one came up. Happens every single time I try to use Maxifort seeds from the prior year. On a positive note, 13 of the 16 BB grafts I made on Tuesday have survived!! This is unprecedented success for me! I moved last year and my new back yard was inhospitable – my plants all looked decimated by mid July, and I'm not sure from what, but concerned about verticillium or fusarium. Very much hoping that Big Beef roots will do better here!

April 27, 2016	#9
gdaddybill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Burton, TX Posts: 294	I'm using Big Beef for a rootstock this year-mostly looking for nematode resistance. Just set them out so they're late compared to the same varieties on their own roots. Next year I may try Valley Cat. It claims resistance to three races of nematode.