Yeah, I tried to stay on top of rogue suckers. But this plant is really prolific (like whoever bred it, threw in some kudzu genes!) so it's been a little like cutting the heads off a hydra.
At the same time, our grocery budget could stand some relief. So if tomatoes CAN grow from cuttings...hell yeah, more free veggies to go around!
The original plant will grow like nothing happened. Rooting the branch can be done, but you really should take off the flowers and fruit so it can spend its time growing roots (which it will do, and pretty quickly too). They'll probably shrivel up and die anyway. Just think of it as an experiment if you can't bring yourself to strip those off.
The same frugal streak that made me want to rescue it, though, is still looking at X pans of sauteed cherry-tomato sauce I just snipped off and threw away. :D
First off: I doubt it, but it's worth a try. Easiest is what you did. Shove it into earth, keep it wet, and hope for the best. A bit harder is to get by a root fostering substance from a garden shop or florist. That stuff contains Ethene/Ethylene in some way and makes roots sprout when you douse the blunt end in it.
Other than that, I hope the rest of your tomatoes will strive :-)
No, it's not ethylene, which is a gas that makes fruit ripen. It's a plant hormone, auxin (plants do make this in nature, so it's not some scary steroid).
You may be right on the auxin. I am pretty sure ethene has a triple effect, though: fruit ripening, root building, and stop of growth in length. Wiki says I remember correctly :-)
I've been able to root tomato plants from cuttings. I just bury them deep (stripping off lower leaves) & keep them watered. Came in handy this year when the cat ate a bunch of my seedlings! Although if you're in the middle of this heat wave, you might get wilting & death before roots can establish, but it's worth a try. Depending on how long/short your growing season is, you may or may not get a decent yield, but it would still be a fun experiment.
Just pinch off any suckers, flowers, or fruit that were developing and keep watering it - it'll start sprouting roots within a week. The best would be if you dug it down to about half or even two thirds.
The "mother" plant has probably not even noticed what hit her. Or if she did, she's probably relieved!
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At the same time, our grocery budget could stand some relief. So if tomatoes CAN grow from cuttings...hell yeah, more free veggies to go around!
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Let us know what happens. :)
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The same frugal streak that made me want to rescue it, though, is still looking at X pans of sauteed cherry-tomato sauce I just snipped off and threw away. :D
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Easiest is what you did. Shove it into earth, keep it wet, and hope for the best.
A bit harder is to get by a root fostering substance from a garden shop or florist. That stuff contains Ethene/Ethylene in some way and makes roots sprout when you douse the blunt end in it.
Other than that, I hope the rest of your tomatoes will strive :-)
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The "mother" plant has probably not even noticed what hit her. Or if she did, she's probably relieved!
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