No Roots Tomato Grafting Video

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Delerium

Size doesn't really matter as long as the graft union is perfect and fits the clips perfectly. I've done grafts at almost any stage as long as its thick enough to fit the clip. Look at the tote in the bottom all tiny plants that took just fine.

You are right about a perfect fit with the clips but that is not always possible. I use 3 different clip sizes and sometimes can't find the right fit. If the clip is too tight I sometimes get that rot from the clip squeezing the stem too much; but if the clip is too loose and the plant tilts in the least the graft union will sometimes be too loose to heal. When I run into these situations I have found myself leaning towards too tight as opposed to too loose.

I'm still trying to figure out what is the best length of time to leave my totes closed before I start leaving the lid partially open. In the past when I was using potting soil I couldn't leave them closed for even 3 days without rot starting on the stems and if I left them closed longer the leaves would also get rot. Now that I am using the Optisorb in my cups and having far less of the rot problem I am going to try leaving one closed for a full 4 1/2 days. I just cracked it open and left it and will open it further later in the day if I don't see much wilting. I'm hoping by leaving them closed up for 4 1/2 days I will reduce my lose from wilting which can sometimes be devastating.

I now have far more grafts done than I need so anything I do now is just for experimenting and improving my technique. I am even thinking of trying some grafts and not closing them up at all with some of my left over seedlings just to see if any of them survive. I think it might be wise when trying this to give them some misting and maybe some bottom watering.

I had to bring my grafts which were out hardening off back inside for a few days due to some really high March winds that started blowing late yesterday. It was blowing so hard that a couple of the grafts broke even with the clips still on them and even one of my stems near the soil line snapped. I know it is good to let them have some wind for toughening up purposes but that was ridiculous. I have a couple nearly large enough to plant and I don't see losing them before I can even get them in the ground.

I find UltraSorb far easier for seed starting for a couple of reasons. It is easier to control the planting depth with UltraSorb. It is far easier to transplant or pot up if you want the roots undisturbed which is critical with things like cucumbers or spinach. UltraSorb doesn't require bottom watering as often because the smaller granules don't dry out quite as fast. I also like it better for starting cuttings because it is easier to poke a hole for the cutting to be inserted into.

I find the Optisorb far superior for holding the grafts during the healing process because it doesn't hold as much water so you have less problems with rot. I have also found that I have far fewer bad grafts caused by too much water wicking up through the rootstock and pushing the scion away. The only downside I see of using Optisorb is the looser large granules don't always support the stem as well so I sometimes have to brace them with a skewer.

Bill

[beeman]

Originally Posted by Delerium

Good luck with your soil blocks but.. your just inviting more dampening off problems that comes with soil grafting. In case you haven't seen my grafting thread. I will post my successful 70+ grafting starts just so we are clear that DE does work and that we don't give the impression to others that it doesn't work.

You are too quick to criticize, without having all the facts, you should read the whole post to extract the correct information..
I AM CANADIAN and cannot buy the same stuff as you do. The DE I buy here is different, seeds won't even grow in it!
So I'm not wasting valuable grafts when I know they won't grow.

[rwsacto]

Delerium,

Thanks again for the illustrated tutorial.

Originally Posted by b54red

You are right about a perfect fit with the clips but that is not always possible. I use 3 different clip sizes and sometimes can't find the right fit. If the clip is too tight I sometimes get that rot from the clip squeezing the stem too much; but if the clip is too loose and the plant tilts in the least the graft union will sometimes be too loose to heal. When I run into these situations I have found myself leaning towards too tight as opposed to too loose....
Bill

Suggest using a 1" length of a slit drinking straw and two clips. It will support the scion and spread the "crushing" force of the clips better. The thin walls of the slit straw can be overlapped. This can also be used with cleft grafts where the rootstock diameter is much larger than the scion.

Aquarium tubing can also be used but is more difficult to work with for small stems (IMHO).

For grafters who cannot find DE, may I suggest trying perlite or coarse sand?
Follow published instructions for propagating cuttings.

Rick

[Delerium]

Originally Posted by b54red

I'm still trying to figure out what is the best length of time to leave my totes closed before I start leaving the lid partially open. In the past when I was using potting soil I couldn't leave them closed for even 3 days without rot starting on the stems and if I left them closed longer the leaves would also get rot. Now that I am using the Optisorb in my cups and having far less of the rot problem I am going to try leaving one closed for a full 4 1/2 days. I just cracked it open and left it and will open it further later in the day if I don't see much wilting. I'm hoping by leaving them closed up for 4 1/2 days I will reduce my lose from wilting which can sometimes be devastating.

I find the Optisorb far superior for holding the grafts during the healing process because it doesn't hold as much water so you have less problems with rot. I have also found that I have far fewer bad grafts caused by too much water wicking up through the rootstock and pushing the scion away. The only downside I see of using Optisorb is the looser large granules don't always support the stem as well so I sometimes have to brace them with a skewer.

Bill

Rootloops suggested a great idea for the healing chamber which is used in mushroom cultivation called the shotgun chamber. It's basically holes drilled on the sides of the clear totes to allow air flow (aka FAE - Fresh Air Exchange) while still maintaining high humidity (with perlite at the base of the tote) which can be done using DE as well. Air flow is critical IMO to avoid dampening off and rot issues. When i do my grafts i don't do total darkness I allow ambient light to get through the healing chamber (faster recovery than going from total darkness to ambient light or cfl lighting) and i try to get air flow in to the container within the 2nd day. Like for instance - once i have done the grafts the first day i mist the sides and keep the lid closed but as soon as we hit the 2nd day i will allow air in to the container for at least 30 mins to 1 hr (since the scions are hydrated they are less likely to wilt). I keep an eye on them for that first hour of open lid air just to monitor if they will will or not. If they don't wilt i leave it open as long as i can before misting the sides and covering the top. Allowing this air flow in is the key to successful grafts. As long as you have your DE pre-soaked before grafting, having your scions and rootless rootstock hydrated then you can introduce air flow to your humidity chamber right away. That is the key to getting successful grafts to take sooner than all the other methods I've seen so far. Every time i see grafts with soaking water all over the leaves of newly grafted plants.. i cringe knowing they are going to fail in the back of my head.

Also a little trick i do with fragile grafts that have no backbone support especially those stacked multiple grafts - i lean them right to the edge of those little clear containers for support - the grafting clip can lay on the rim of the container so it kinda supports the graft from tipping over. This takes care of 2 things - i can bury the rootless grafts all the way down to the base (for more stem to root) & Edge of the container which adds support and stability to the grafts and a place for the grafting clip to stay stable and not move around as it lays on the rim of the container (especially smaller younger grafts).

I am totally impressed with what can be done to Tomato seedlings started from seed at almost any stage to graft. The picture i posted above (with the clear tote younger grafts) these tomato plants barely had true leaves with no roots and still healed and grew in to healthy transplants. It just amazes me how hardy a tomato plant is and the amount of punishment it can take from grafters like us. Who would of thought you could add scions to petioles.. then when i figured out vertical grafting i was impressed at how easy it was to combine 3 or more plants to one plant. There is no boundaries to tomato grafting.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by rwsacto

For grafters who cannot find DE, may I suggest trying perlite or coarse sand?
Follow published instructions for propagating cuttings.Rick

Thank you for the perlite suggestion. I have a big bag used in my container mix. Will give it a try and report back. Thanks again.
Sometimes you can get too close to a problem and 'can't see the forest for the trees'.

[b54red]

Delerium, I always open my healing chambers for a short time to allow in some fresh air at least a couple of times a day after the first day closed up. You were right about leaving them closed up for so long. At the end of the 4 1/2 days I left the chamber cracked but I had to remove a couple of grafts that had rotted where they went into the DE. Leaving them inside the extra day and a half didn't seem to improve the wilting that occurred a few hours after leaving the container open. Besides the few with rot at the base I didn't have any of that nasty fungus further up the grafts like I used to when using potting soil so that was a relief.

I have been doing around 25 grafts at a time and my success rate seems to be averaging around 70% but I'm sure that will drop as the weather gets hotter and the bacteria and fungus gets thicker in the air down here. I think I could have done this better 10 years ago before arthritis got so bad in my hands.

I have now so many completed grafts that there is no way to even plant one of each so I am going to try using the single stem method on at least one bed. I am going to mix in the different rootstock to see which do better with this method. I am looking forward to how that super vegetative Multifort rootstock does when trained to one stem. I think I'll end up coiling the stem at the base and lowering the plant as it gets above the top of the trellis and see how long it will get. I did that just a little on plants with more than one stem but it was too difficult to lower the plant with multiple stems. I think it would be easier with a single stem plant.

Bill

I keep getting the message from youtube that the video is unavailable?

Cheers.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Delerium

I know we have a large forum thread on Tomato Grafting and sometimes it can be pretty overwhelming with all the information. I created a short How-to Video on how i Tomato Graft. Hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RImyE...JwRx9t6IfAbK-8

the video is no longer available.

[rick9748]

I can not get any of your YT to play?Help

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by rick9748

I can not get any of your YT to play?Help

They've probably closed their YouTube account. The original post with the video link is almost four years old.

[BigVanVader]

He took the vids down a long time ago.

[Delerium]

I wanted to redo the video since I have changed many things since that upload 4 years ago. Just never got around to filming it because I'm a slacker lol. Bill and BigV has a new thread on grafting and them two guys are experts and super helpful. I lost a few grafts this year last week due to heavy winds and rains.. just replanted a bunch more outdoors yesterday.

[TechGuy]

thanks Delerium for sharing your experiments. I grafted a Brandywine to Dester without roots and to my surprise it has worked.