Grafting tomatoes

Well I grafted them today.

what they looked like to start with, rootstocks in small individual pots, tomato plants still in pots they were sown in. This might be a bit of a mistake as they were more drawn and tender than the rootstocks.

         

Equipment needed: razor and silicone grafting clips. some people use sellotape but these clips are quite cheap and easy to use.

   

First about 45 - 60degree cut through the rootstock.

   

put the clip on.

   

Then cut the tomato to graft at the same angle about as the rootstock and gently push that into the top of the clip so the 2 surfaces meet. I always have the pointed end on the rootstock stem facing the same way in the clip so I can push the stem of the graft in, in the same direction each time.

   

It is then a matter of having somewhere out of direct sunlight that is warm with moist air to put them. I put them in an old propagator with a damp cloth at the bottom, in a corner of the kitchen for a few days. This picture is just before putting the lid on.

   

I've processed 30 plants, a mix of Alicante, gardeners delight, black russian, orange banana and galina. Hoping to get 20 plants for the greenhouse.