Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed.
However, if you want to increase the number of tomato plants in your garden, you don’t have start them from seed. You can propagate tomatoes very easily with the help of existing ones in your garden.
Today, we’ll be talking about how you can propagate tomato plants using stem cuttings. Let’s go!
What You’ll Need
You only need a few things to start propagating tomato plants. This includes a good pair of sharp pruning shears, small jars, and some water for rooting the cutting.
Make sure the shears you’ll use are sharp so you can make clean cuts. It’s also a good idea to sterilize them with boiling water, hydrogen peroxide, or bleach solution beforehand. This helps kill any bacteria or fungi that may be present on your shears.
If you don’t want to root your cuttings in a jar of water, be sure to prepare some seed raising mix as well as some containers where you can place the cuttings.
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How To Take Cuttings
The best time to take cuttings for propagating tomatoes is between May and June when the tomato plants need to be pruned to encourage more growth on the main stem. Not only are you able to keep your existing plants healthy but you can also grow more tomato plants from the stems you’ve pruned.
When taking cuttings from tomato plants, look for the tomato plant suckers. When you look at tomato plants near the top, locate two branches that from a fork. The third stem growing in between the fork is the sucker.
Cut the sucker off with your pruning shears making sure that you have a length of 4 or more inches. Remove the lower set of leaves while leaving two sets at the top.
Repeat identifying suckers, cutting, and removing leaves as necessary.
Rooting Tomato Cuttings
After collecting your cuttings, you’re ready to start rooting them. Fill a jar or similar container with a quarter cup of water. Put the tomato cuttings in the jar.
Keep the jar in a warm place like a countertop or windowsill. If the water level goes down, you can add more water.
It will take about a week for new roots to form.
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Transplanting Tomato Cuttings
Once your tomato cuttings have formed roots, you can transplant them directly into the soil or in containers.
If you are going to replant it in the garden, wait until the day is cooler like early evening or an overcast day to reduce the plant shock.
Other than tomato plants, are there any plants that you have propagated to grow your garden?
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