Strange growth

[Mudman]

I have been staking my tomatoes and training them to a single vine for the past three years and because the vines are so exposed I always notice little differences in plant growth. So this may be common but I just noticed two things today. First, my Soldaki and some other tomatoes are sending out new growing shoots from their branches right between the leaves on the stems. Secondly, my DeBarao is sending out roots (about 1cm. long so far) from the main vine about 2 ft. above the soil line. Any thoughts?

[kath]

Growing Soldaki for the first time and have noticed the same thing. Also seeing a couple other varieties doing the same thing. Wonder if there's a term for it...

[Mudman]

I bet someone here will know the term for it.

[Mudman]

It is my first time too. I have seen new leaves come out of branches before but not whole new vines.

[kath]

It's not a trait I admire since I'm trying to keep plants pruned to a single stem. Also not good are the varieties that keep growing new vines from fruit trusses. Some cherry varieties seem to resent the idea of pruning the most...it seems they grow new vines from everywhere!

[Mudman]

Yep. The ones that come out of the trusses get me too. Don't these plants know the rules? One shoot per branch, that's it.

[Worth1]

Could someone put a picture up please.
The roots coming out of the stems is called root primordia and it is common among many tomatoes.
If they hit the ground they grow and make more roots.

The other thing I have to see.

Worth

[Mudman]

Soldaki


Close up of leaves and new growth




New shoot on Fox Cherry (by the way- far to big to be called a cherry imo)


Root primordia- now that I look at this I have seen it before just not since starting to train plants. But now thanks to Worth I know what to call it.

[Mudman]

This is sort of interesting to me because I have read many post where someone has had a branch break off and asked if they could root it and clone the plant. The conventional wisdom from most experts has been that you can't do this because these branches don't produce new growth. But apparently sometimes they do.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Mudman

This is sort of interesting to me because I have read many post where someone has had a branch break off and asked if they could root it and clone the plant. The conventional wisdom from most experts has been that you can't do this because these branches don't produce new growth. But apparently sometimes they do.

To the contrary, with many plants bushes and such this is exactly how you get new plants.
With the tomato it is easy to do one of two ways, put in water to get new roots or keep in damp soil to do the same.
The latter being the best as the plant doesn't have to get used to being in soil after putting out roots in water.

Air layering is the method of putting a bag with seed starting mix or soil around a stem and keeping it moist.
When new roots appear in the bag and outside the bag you cut the stem below the bag and plant.

Tipping and ground layering is when you put the tip or the side of the branch in the ground and let it root.

And by the way I have Carolyn to thank for the term root primordia.
We all learn from somebody and sometimes ourselves if we pay attention.

As for the strange growth coming from the leaves I have never seen it (yet).

Did a UFO land near by or what?

Worth

[shlacm]

WAYYYYYYY weird looking!!!!! As for the root primordia, I have the pre-root nodules on all of my 100+ plants (or most of them anyway), but haven't had any actually turn into roots... though last year, when conditions were especially wet, a couple plants grew some small roots. It is very humid here in the summer, and my understanding is that that's why my plants are so eager to root in midair!

Worth (& OP): Correct me if I'm wrong on something, but my understanding of the "common wisdom" on rooting broken branches is that if it's just a leaf (or the leaf branch), not a "leader" or main stem, then it will not grow. Which does not seem to be the case AT ALL with the Soldacki shown above!!!

For example, some of my dwarfs have only one main stem, there are no side shoots, no "splitting," just one straight "stalk/trunk" with leaves coming off of them. I wouldn't try to root any of those leaves/stems-of-leaves... but perhaps I could???

[Worth1]

shlacm I dont know if it would work or not.
You can start African Violets with just a leaf.

With these plants it seams likely you could.

Worth

[Mudman]

No UFO, but I do have some spent fuel rods buried under my garden.

[carolyn137]

No, you can root tomato leaves like you can afican violet leaves but it's quite normal to root new tomato plants from sucker/ aka lateral branch cuttings, or even broken branches b'c tomatoes are somewhat unique in being able to form roots from buried stems, which actually is why some folks trench their plants rather than planting them vertically.

Yeah Worth, let's trade some names. Root primordia, aka, adventitious roots is my gift to you, now what are you gonna give back to me that will be new to me.

[travis]

On the Soldaki plant, is there a chance of some very light 2,4-D herbicide drift off the lawn?