Anyone have any experience with grafting?

[Baizanator]

Thought about grafting my plants next year. Obviously I'd need to also grow some rootstock. Are the benefits tangible? I know that foliage diseases are far more prevalent than soil borne diseases.

Growing in EarthBoxes, am I going to even see a difference in results with grafted plants?

Thoughts?

[carolyn137]

http://tomatoville.com/search.php?searchid=1075833

The above link is to a seach done here by entering "tomato grafting" and I highly suggest that you read the thread titled Mighty Matos which may still be here on the first page and has some excellent content, as well as the one just titled Grafting and there are many more links to read where folks who have done so have posted.

[Baizanator]

Carolyn,

First of all, thank you so much for directing me to the search function on the board. I've already perused those threads and felt that creation of a new thread might illicit more recent and additional responses. I've also read the Mighty Matos thread and it is that thread which prompted the creation of this one.

[SEAMSFASTER]

For successful grafting, in addition to knowledge and supplies you will need:

• Plenty of patience
• A lot of time dedicated to the project
• Very steady, surgeon-like hands
• Excellent close-up vision or glasses

I have none of these.

A very good recovery chamber or "hospital" is also essential but an expense I've not been able to justify.

Over the past 16 months I've made approximately 50 attempts with only one success, and I very nearly lost that one as well. It's a graft of a sucker onto rootstock and the plant is now doing extremely well.

From what I've read, the procedure has great value, especially in areas with serious soil-born diseases. Approach it with a humble and teachable attitude and you'll likely fare far better than I.

Hats off to the dedicated tomato growers who are skilled, experienced and successful at grafting!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Baizanator

Thought about grafting my plants next year. Obviously I'd need to also grow some rootstock. Are the benefits tangible? I know that foliage diseases are far more prevalent than soil borne diseases.

Growing in EarthBoxes, am I going to even see a difference in results with grafted plants?

Thoughts?

In my opinion I feel that in your situation it would be a novelty and a waste of time.
On the other hand it can help teach you the fundamentals of the art in itself.

You learn with a worthless tomato plant and figure out your mistakes.
Once this is accomplished you can move on to fruit and nut trees.

Here my friend is where grafting comes into its own.

You can graft 2 or more varieties on one root stock thus saving space.
Then there is budding to learn.

You are a young man and I highly suggest you take up and learn this age old art if only for a sence of accomplishment and self pride.

Worth

[Sun City Linda]

My best guess is you may see an increase in plant vigor in EBs, although most plants grow pretty vigorously in SWC enviornment anyway. If I get a chance I am going to play around with it. I plan to use Celebrity and Big Beef as root stock until I figure out if I can succeed. The grafting stock is pretty pricey and I dont want to practice on it.

[Cole_Robbie]

Disease resistance aside, my understanding of grafting was that it allowed a low-yielding heirloom to yield more heavily when grafted onto more vigorous root stock. My plan for next year is to graft some yellow brandywines. I want to try eggplant as root stock, and maybe wild tobacco if I can get some.

It's too bad I can't use the Jimson weed that grows so well in my garden as root stock - it would probably make the nicest plant you'd ever seen...and have poison tomatoes. The toxic alkaloids from the Jimson Weed will migrate into the fruit. I'm thinking that wild tobacco would have almost zero nicotine, but I wonder if a tomato grafted onto commercial tobacco would make tomatoes with nicotine in them? There is an old episode of The Simpsons where Homer tries farming and ends up crossing his tomatoes with tobacco, creating "tomacco."

Here are some grafting links:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=16538&page=2
http://loghouseplants.com/gardennews...N-grafting.pdf
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/S...toGrafting.pdf
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/S...toGrafting.pdf
http://awaytogarden.com/tomato-graft...irloom-success