Maxifort

[Rockoe10]

Would anyone know of a reputable place to purchase these seeds? Looking around and they are out of stock.

[zendog]

I've been buying tomato rootstock seed for the last few years from Paramount Seeds and it looks like they have Maxifort (raw seed) and are a week or so from being back in stock with the pelleted Maxifort. Their prices for smaller volumes are very reasonable for rootstock. They've been my source for DR0141TX rootstock, which I like a bit better than Maxifort since it isn't quite as vigorous but has a lot of the other good properties for grafting with heirlooms.
Here's a link for their rootstocks page, plus the direct link for Maxifort seed:
https://paramountseeds.com/product-cate ... ck-tomato/
https://paramountseeds.com/product/dr01 ... stock_raw/

I also use RST-04-106-T, which is less vigorous than some but adds resistance to bacterial wilt which we have a lot of in our area. That I've only been able to get from NE Seeds.

[Rockoe10]

Thankyou!

[TomHillbilly]

20170727_180023.jpg

Rockoe10---- You aren't going to like what I tell you, but it is so. I doubt you will be crazy enough try it. But it would be easy to do with just one plant.
I only purchased Estamino and Multifort seeds. So this picture is one of those varieties. Which one, I can't say for sure. I had a left over rootstock plant that I didn't have a match for. As I walked over to the fence to toss it away, I looked at small spot I had scratched out for onions. I knew the onions would be gone before long. So I stuck that single plant in the ground with no support, totally unattended. I wanted to see if those plants was a tough as they claimed.
That thing ran limbs in all directions. It was the most stinking plant I ever smelled. I could smell the plant from 20 feet away. It grew all over the place to where I could do no weed management. Some limbs were 18 feet long. The cherries were a weird color, as you can tell. I collected seeds, and grafted on those plants, just for the heck of it. And I grew a single F-2 plant as a visual comparison the following year. I saw no noticeable difference. Both generations had the biggest root system I've ever tried to pull up, at the growth's end.
BOTTOMLINE---- If you grow tired of paying those outrages rootstook seed prices. You might want to experiment with one single ungrafted rootstook for seed purposes. I think I'm finished with grafting, as of this year. I grow too many plants to take care of anyways. Multiple limb grafts on a single plant can be fun as a hobby. I only got into that at the end. PS-- Just a thought???

[Rockoe10]

That is impressive Tom, i will keep that in mind. Infact, I think I'll give it a try. Makes you wonder just how diverse the genetics are of those Rootstock plants. Possibly more so for the disease resistance, but the vigor could be homozygous??? That would still make for a decent Rootstock, one that has slight resistance and great vigor while also Open Pollinated.

On that note, you wouldn't happen to have F3 seeds from those Rootstock plants that you're willing to part with do you?

[TomHillbilly]

A few months ago, I'd sent you enough seeds to do a life time, and mailed them free. I ran out of seed baggies, while collecting seeds. Every variety I doubted I'd ever grow again--I dumped them to retrieve the baggie.
I don't know where you are in grafting. Here was my thoughts on it. At first, I was grafting plants with the single slanted cut method. My plants was sick in recover a long time. I would lose 2 weeks growth, because the shock. Then a I learned the V split cut method. Which is similar to what is performed with trees. My plants were only sick a few days after that. The reason I stopped single stem method grafting, was because of those roots that try and grow at the graft level.
There are two other sizeable gardens within site of mine. Theirs is on level ground. Rain water has no where to go, but in the ground. My main big garden is on slanted slope. All those dog-day down pours run off without getting the ground soaked. This leaves me with one solution. Unless I want to spend a fortune in soaker watering.
All my pepper and tomatoes have a 3 inch solid sewer pipe buried in the ground 1 inch deep at the base. I can walk along and dump a pint of water in each pipe, and move on. The plant's stem is in the pipe's center. I can water 80 tomato plants, or peppers, in 20 minutes. This water won't make my plants grow--but it will keep them alive
THE PROBLEM IS-- It takes hours for that water to soak in. During this time those sucker roots at the grafted cut, is submerged. Those sucker roots come alive, and search for soil, even after the water leaves off them. Its hard for me to get my fingers in the pipe deep enough to pull those sucker roots. It just became more work, than the worth. Therefore I went to grafting the limbs instead. You can grow multiple varieties from one plant. But that is more like a hobby, than a benefit
Bottom Line --- I've got to down size period. I did have one large garden, and 2 small scratched out 20' by 20' spots. I'm giving up both small places. Dropping my taters from 50 pounds to 25. Giving up on watermelons, and cabbage, and ending grafting. Maybe I will enjoy gardening like a did just a handful of years ago. Sorry we mis-timed it on the seeds. Which ever variety of rootstock I grew. The cherries on them aren't eatable. You would spit it out fast. I never knew a tomato plant could produce such a foul taste. Both F-1 and F-2 plants couldn't be pulled up by hand alone. I had to cut some of the roots. Rootstock plants can still get diseased. But don't you doubt about what a root system they can grow.

[Rockoe10]

Well thank you very much. I made a purchase of F1 seed so we'll see where this endeavor takes me. I've been reading up on a style of grafting I'm not familiar with but hope to have success. Its called "Stent" grafting. Its used primarily in the floral business and not much is documented in regards to Tomatoes.

I will also keep in mind about the advantageous roots. I would love a multi-tomato bush, but what about making the graft higher up? It should be possible i would think, especially if Stent grafting is successful. Your thoughts?

I thank you again, I'll keep picking at your brain if you don't mind

[TomHillbilly]

Rockoe10-- Do NOT think I'm a expert grafter. What you are wanting to do might be better. This is a short clip of a guy "cleft grafting." Which worked better for me, than the first method I did for awhile. Only difference is-- this guy uses a razor that isn't as sharp as my old double edge razor blades. And he don't use a screwier stick for support. All the tomato size clips I've seen has a hole in them. Whether it is completely plastic, or the metal wire spring.
Run that stick though that hole into the dirt for support. Those stems get mighty limber during shock. Those plant will fall over. STOP all fertilizing one week prior to grafting. Fertilizer makes for limber stims. PS-- watch videos on how professionals use a recover box. You don't have to build one. I can tell you how to go cheap. With some things you may already have. Smaller single stem graft will need a recover chamber of sorts. Or you will lose a big percentage if you have no containment for recover.

[Rockoe10]

You are an expert in my eyes .
For a healing chamber, i was going to use a ziplock bag over a solo cup......

Also, I read about the use of Superglue to hold grafts together. Have you seen or tried this?

[TomHillbilly]

I know nothing about Super Glue. Clips are cheap on ebay. If you order now, you can get them from China in 6 weeks-- for almost nothing. Just fast feed though youtube videos of tomato grafting--- see what design people is mostly using. They will know what is best, by majority consensus. I did work in a profession, in which our bits for machinery came in a bucket. The buckets was the same diameter as a 5 gallon bucket, just the sides was 8 inches shorter. Those buckets was free, if I wanted them. I took many home and stretched clear rap over the top, and tie a string band around it. 4 plants to a bucket. That clear wrap will be on the bucket for a week. So tape would do also. Or linked rubber bands. Its not like you are going to touch the plants each day. IF you decide you like grafting, you can go in bigger on a chamber construction later.
Or you could buy a cheap box type container at walmart, with a clear lid. Those are under 12 bucks. The main thing is-- after your plants are grafted and loaded in that chamber. They can't be shaken and jarred ANY AT ALL for 3 days. You got to lift and carry them more softly than handling nitroglycerin. Have someone to open doors for you. No sun light for a day. Then shaded sun light only-- for the next couple of days. Then build on direct sun light for just a few minutes --morning or evening, not mid-day. Each day those plants live, they get stronger. Plenty of water in the soil, and even have 1/4 an inch standing in the bottom of the chamber. You want that chamber so humid, that a water mist drops collects on the sides and top, to where you can't even see inside. If those plants live a week-- then you got yer whopped. LOL. This is a container that would work. But I wish the top was clear. I'd say enough light would get it. After 6 or 7 days, the top can come off. Watch for you plants reactions. If they wilt down, then wean them off from the cover being off-- a little at a time. The danger period of graft recover will end. And you can be brutal with those plants after that. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-20 ... te/8282895

[Rockoe10]

That's genius. I've got plenty of buckets and totes sitting around. Thanks a million Tom. I'll let you know how it goes!

[zendog]

Here are mine from last year, probably day 6 or 7 after grafting as they are being slowly brought back into the real world. The rootstocks are in 72 cell trays and I use tall plastic domes over them as the healing chamber. In this picture I have the domes propped up off the trays and the vents open on the top so it still keeps them fairly humid but there is pretty good airflow. I have them full uncovered within 10 days of grafting. I use the 2mm silicon clips (and a few 1.5mm for smaller ones). Using the splice graft with the silicon clips you can get a very good connection between rootstock and scion for grafting. I usually have around 95% success rate, but it has taken a few years of practice to get there.

grafted tomatoes.jpeg

[TomHillbilly]

Zendog-- nice plants, looks like you lost very little growth in the healing down time. Those look healed and ready.

[Harry Cabluck]

Rockoe10: MAXIFORT seeds may be purchased from Hydro-Gardens, Inc. www.hydro-gardens.com. Phone (800)634-6362. Located 6765 Vollmer Rd., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80908-4710. They have a cool catalog, listing the stuff that dreams are made of. Have been grafting here with Maxifort with success for the past four years.

[Harry Cabluck]

Rockoe10: Whereabouts are you in western Pa.? Once grew tomatoes in Greentree, just outside Pittsburgh.

Grafted in cups sq.jpg

[Rockoe10]

Currently at the outskirts of Jeanette, in Westmoreland County. Its a small 'city' but we were able to get a place just outside of town with a yard. Enough for the kids to play and me to garden.

The ground wasn't any good when we moved in, but 4 years later and it's become nice and rich. Wife keeps talking about moving somewhere bigger, but i would hate to leave what I've built .

[Harry Cabluck]

Rockoe10: Very nice country there. You are able to enjoy the four seasons.

[Rockoe10]

Indeed, i can't due without the seasons.