Clone a tomato plant (and fill your garden for FREE!)

Step 2 Your mother plant

The first step to cloning is to make sure the plant you are taking cuttings from is healthy and has not been affected by disease.

Now take a look at your plant where a large branch comes off of the main stem of the plant.
Where the branch comes off of the stem forming a "v" there will be new growth. This "start" or new growth is the target of our cutting.

This "start" if left on the plant will continue to grow and produce more branches. It has what is called "nodes" to start blossoms and new branches.

Important note: Selecting starts from the bottom stems of the plant have a better chance of producing roots because of increase in natural rooting hormone in the plant. ( I have had luck propagating starts from all areas of the plant though.)

Comments

[marushkalynn]

Tomato plants do not need to be cloned, all the little nodules on the stems are the beginnings of roots. You can break a stem off stick it in dirt or water and it will take root.

[tech industries]

You said we should cut it where the branch forms a "V". Where exactly do you cut off the clone? Before the V starts (near the main stem), or after the V on one of the branches coming off, or, right at the V, cutting it in two? In other words, should the clone look like:

1. --<         (before the V)
or
2. ---            (after the V)
or
3. /      \       (the "v" split in two)


Thanks for your help

[redhawk44]

Always cut at the very bottom of the intersection with the main stem and be sure to include the small bud like new growth. Doing this will remove the need for growth hormones as they are already there in the bud.

[tonysoprano6379]

 I always cut the clone right at the base of where it, "v"'s from the main branch!
Hope this helps....

[MadManMoon]

It's a little late in the year, but with an eye towards next spring...

When you refer to the "clone", are you referring to what is also known as a "sucker", or the offshoot from the stem between which the sucker grows?

(for reference, see this image)