Tomatoes- using side shoots for extra plants

**Kristen** · 29-03-2015, 03:21 PM

I think the reason they are not as productive, as side shoots, is that they don't have apical dominance (or whatever it is called!)

Taking cuttings is a normal form of propagation for many plants, and they turn out OK, so I am guessing it would be fine for Toms too. Once rooted the leader of a Tomato cutting would have apical dominance, so my reckoning is that it will be identical to the original parent plant (in that regard)

**Penellype** · 29-03-2015, 04:01 PM

I use a lotof rooted sideshoots and they are just as good as plants grown from seed. In fact I sometimes find they are better, because it is hard to give seed grown plants enough light early enough to stop them from growing a bit leggy, whereas sideshoots are starting from a mch more robust piece of stem. I certainly haven't found that sideshoots grown this way are less productive at all.

**Potstubsdustbins** · 29-03-2015, 08:30 PM

The short answer is yes they are just as good as the parent plant.

I often stick one through the milk bottle to replace a damaged plant or make up for a shortage.

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**Thelma Sanders** · 29-03-2015, 09:54 PM

One of my fav toms is Rosada f1 so the seeds are quite expensive to buy - last year (and will do the same this year) I grew only one plant and used the first lot of side shoots to grow more plants. They quickly catch up

**solway cropper** · 29-03-2015, 10:18 PM

Been doing it for years and never found them to be less productive...apical dominance or not.

As Thelma says, if you buy expensive F1 seed it's a great way to increase your stock. Six plants from one seed...what's not to like?

**Kristen** · 30-03-2015, 06:32 AM

Only downside I see is the delay from seed-to-side-shoots, and then for the side shoot to root, before a new plant is available. Getting on for three months perhaps? (I'm thinking 8-10 weeks before the seed has germinated and produced a plant that has big enough side shoots and 2-4 weeks for the side shoot to root and fill a 9cm pot with roots)

That said, sowing one or two seeds really early, to get side-shoots early too, doesn't take up a lot of window space

I lost a couple of seedlings to a slug or snail early on this year, so I'll be doing this this year, I'll keep a note of timings

**Potstubsdustbins** · 30-03-2015, 02:48 PM

^^^^^I think you will be surprised how quickly it happens. The second pic above shows the root growth after less than a week and it could take that to germinate a seed.

When they get to this stage I pot on but with the compost wetter than usual to help with the transition from water to compost.

Another consideration is the time of year you will be doing this hopefully in the good weather this to helps speed growth.

**Kristen** · 30-03-2015, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by Potstubsdustbins View Post

I think you will be surprised how quickly it happens. The second pic above shows the root growth after less than a week

Yup, but for those roots to fill a pot is going to take another couple of weeks I reckon - is if one week to root and two weeks to fill a 3cm pot that's 3 weeks, hence my 2-4 weeks to get a "plant" from taking a side-shoot cutting.

If the Mother Plant has side shoots ready for taking cuttings at about the time that seeds would normally be sown (mid April shall we say?) then I think I'd be laughing ...

But to have a Mother Plant at that stage I reckon it would have to be sown from seed at the beginning of February.

My Tomatoes were sown back then, and have been grown under lights, so I'll take a side-shoot cutting when they are ready and report back with timings etc.

When they get to this stage I pot on but with the compost wetter than usual to help with the transition from water to compost.

I usually put a bag over plant & pot, so that the humidity stays high for a few days. Same aim though

**brownfingers** · 30-03-2015, 05:56 PM

I've never failed yet with bringing on a sideshoot.

**bramble** · 30-03-2015, 09:15 PM

Also, side shoot plants may well prolong the season. When your original plant becomes spent, your side shoot plant will be still going strong.
Its a "win win"situation.

**Penellype** · 31-03-2015, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by bramble View Post

Also, side shoot plants may well prolong the season. When your original plant becomes spent, your side shoot plant will be still going strong.
Its a "win win"situation.

This is certainly true for me where I am growing plants on the windowsill with just 2 trusses of fruit. The sideshoot plants are ready to take over once the parent plant has finished.

**Kristen** · 31-03-2015, 01:47 PM

Presumably this successional-growing is for determinate, rather than indeterminate, varieties? (I only grow in the greenhouse, and they are all indeterminate varieties)

**Penellype** · 31-03-2015, 04:18 PM

I sow a few indoor plants early (Jan/Feb) to grow in the house, but htese plants have to be stopped at 2 trusses because of the limited height of the windowsill. They are cordon varieties - bush ones are too wide for the windowsill. Most of the time I leave a couple of sideshoots on the bottom to take over from the main shoot, but some plants don't grow these well so I replace them with the plants grown from sideshoots. This basically goes on for most of the year, although I find that sideshoots don't take as well once it gets past mid summer.

I also use sideshoots for planting out into the garden, as these plants are not needed until about June. These are usually Sungold.

**GardenGayle** · 31-03-2015, 07:51 PM

I would never have thought of trying to root side shoots but I definitely will now

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