• Everything other than hot peppers. Questions, discussion, and grow logs. Cannabis grow pics are only allowed when posted from a legal juridstiction.

Just for the heck of it

W

wordwiz

The mater plants in the GH have grown way too tall, thanks to the lack of sunlight. So as an experiment, I found one plant and cut the top 8" crown off it. It's in a jar of water, under some red/blue 14-watt LED panels but - on the few days it happens - will also get some filtered sunlight for a few hours a day. I'm curious to see if it will sprout roots.

I've never had luck with cuttings so I did not waste a lot of effort with this one. But if it works, it could bode well as I hope to grow plants all 12 months of the year and if I can find a couple of very productive plants, use cuttings from them, and start new ones, it should - in theory - cut down on how it takes to mature and give me a great output.

Mike
 
I take cuttings from my tomatoes every year to put out at the end of July for a fall crop. I put it in a 3.5" pot with wet potting mix but the water at least lets you see what's going on. They usually droop a little for about 5 or 6 days then they perk up. In about 2 weeks they are hardened off and go back outside. 2 weeks later they are flowering. Definately quicker than starting for seeds. Good luck!

jacob
 
For me tomato cuttings always root incredibly easy, even just in water. Just try to keep them in a humid area without direct bright light
 
I took cutting for the first time last fall. I just stuck them in dirt (in coffee cans) and they took root. I then brought them in when the weather got cold. I have had them outside for about two weeks now. I had to stick them in the garage last night because it was supposed to maybe freeze. Here are some photos of them when I first brought them inside

6073_tomato_cuttings_pictures_002.jpg


6073_tomato_cuttings_pictures_001.jpg
 
I was checking my plants today in the GH (for only about the tenth time!) and noticed two different plants, a Sacramento and an ITC 06 313 have a real nice, fairly long (12" or more) sucker. Upstairs, I have a cloning bucket that I have never had any luck with, perhaps because I have not been using large cuttings or even medium size ones. I'm thinking about trying these plants as they are already 90 days old since transplant.

The question: if I am successful, can I expect blooms in a couple of weeks (or however long it takes the roots to get well established) or will it take the normal amount of time?

Mike
 
Cuttings taken from a mature plant are already mature and will bloom as soon as possible.
Tomatoes are EXTREMELY easy to root... I just put a cutting in a rockwool cube, soak it in water and come back to check after a week. :P
 
Omri said:
Tomatoes are EXTREMELY easy to root... I just put a cutting in a rockwool cube, soak it in water and come back to check after a week. :P
Click to expand...

Easy for you to say, Omri! A Black Thumb does not begin to describe my ability - to date - of trying to grow something from cuttings. I've tried rockwool, water, dirt, aeroponics, DWC, all I have to show for it over the last couple of years would be about a quart of compost. :banghead:

But, and that's a big BUT, if it works, that would be great for being able to have a continuous supply of mature plants without having to start from seeds.

Mike
 
I usually use cuttings to clone unstable crosses, rare plants and ones that only reach maturity after a long while. Tomatoes are so easy to grow from seed and are fast growers.
 
Omri said:
Cuttings taken from a mature plant are already mature and will bloom as soon as possible.
Click to expand...

Omri said:
Tomatoes are so easy to grow from seed and are fast growers.
Click to expand...

Am I missing something here? Wouldn't it make more sense to take a cutting and start harvesting fruit in 30 days or whatever rather than sowing a seed, and after a couple of transplants, waiting 77 days to pick a ripe mater? Plus, since I'll be growing these under artificial lighting, it seems to me that if the clones bloom as soon as possible, it will save a lot of KW hours. Right?

Mike
 
Its easy to get an eary tomato but you probably want a large plant to support large toms( or lots of toms. )
 
Potawie,

Yes, that's the reason - I want tomatoes as quickly as possible. I have three restaurants and several people who want to buy ripe fruit and limited production area, at least in winter. The fewer days it takes the plants to reach maturity, the better, especially since most of the varieties are 75-80 days to maturity.

Mike
 
But it still takes time for the cutting to grow, ya know... so what, you'll have one or two tomatoes REALLY soon?
 
I know it will take time, just not how much! 3/4? 2/3? 1/2? That's what I hope to find out.

It's only of importance for two plantings. Here's the scenario:
I'll start a bunch of seeds in the middle of March to transplant into the garden in the middle of May. Those should provide ripe fruit through September. In July, start more seeds so they will be ready to start producing fruit in late September. I have plenty of room to do this and won't have to spend much on electricity. But after mid-December, I'll have to move production from my GH to the upstairs (it's not economically feasible to heat and light the GH in the middle of winter. So if I can take cuttings from the GH toms in late Nov. or early Dec. and only have to provide lights for a month or six weeks to reach full production, rather than 10-12 weeks, it will save a lot of lighting.

Ditto for the toms upstairs. If I can get cuttings from them in the middle of February, I'll use those and put them in the GH where they will hopefully be mature by the time the ones upstairs reach their end. I could grow four crops a year.

Mike
 
Not bad. I did three more on the 31st and two of them have started roots. Hopefully, within a week or so they will have enough roots to allow me to transplant them. That would lop six weeks, minimum, off the time it takes to get plants large enough.

Mike
 
Nine days and they are now in seven gallon pots. One Cabernet, a ITC 06 313 and a Sacramento. I also have a Goliath and a Celebrity that I put in the large containers last evening. They were transplanted into 3" containers on December 30. Not sure when I sowed them (that's the one part I did not record) but I'm guessing it was in late November. All the plants are about the same size. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get blooms.

Mike
 
My ITC plant has blooms, less than 3 weeks after putting it in dirt. That cuts down on the Days to Maturity! Now if it will produce as many maters over the long haul as non-cloned plants do.

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top