2024 Grafting Experiences

[Moth1992]

Opening the 2024 grafting thread!

Ill start.
Trying grafting for the first time. Im practicing with supermarket tomato seedlings first.

Tried cutting and regrafting two seedlings on wednesday. Put in a humidity dome in a dark closet for 24h and then put moved to a shaded spot indoors. Today is day 3 and checked on them and I have no clue what is going on. The tomato is exhudating something incomprehensible.




What is going on?

[MissS]

You still have the same problem going on there. Edema. Check out the images here, and then back off watering. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/edem ... -tomatoes/

[Moth1992]

Second attemp was with less humidity. Scions got all limp.

Trying to find a middle ground!

[Moth1992]

Well the experiment with the edema seem to have recovered and the graft is a success. On the other hand the lower humidity ones look like goners, so thats a lesson.

Now (not so) funny part is that my fortamino rootstock seedlings look like crap and hate my indoor conditions ( leggy and scragly) while the seedlings of the tomatoes i wanted to graft on them look healthy and happy. So im not sure this experiment is going the way I was hoping. Still have 2-3 weeks before they are graftable size....

[Harry Cabluck]

This year's grafting was a failure. Lost 18 rootstock and the 18 nice heirlooms. Doggone edema! Next year will start rootstock seeds in diatomaceous earth instead of store-bought seed-starting mix. Remainder of the starts are looking good but no grafts for the upcoming season.

[Moth1992]

Apparently this is a thing @Harry Cabluck . Rootstock hybrids grown indoors under lights are super susceptible to edema and there are several studies about it. Lack of UV light seems to be a big issue.

Here is just one of many I found:

https://vegcropshotline.org/article/ede ... ootstocks/

Well those were some expensive seeds for something i cant start indoors.... Live and learn!

[karstopography]

I wonder if there are any grow lights that supply the correct wavelengths of UV light?

Thanks for sharing your experiences, though, it helps to see the potential negative issues that are possible with grafting tomatoes.

[wxcrawler]

I experienced this last year with Estamino rootstock. I tried to fix this by moving them to a south-facing window sill every couple of days. It seemed to help a little.

[Harry Cabluck]

2107.jpg

Moth1992! Many thanks for the info. Note to everybody...Just remembered the city water here is pH8.5 ish. Tomato plants prefer 6-6.5 ish! Some 25 drops of vinegar in 48 ounces of water helps adjust.

karstopography! Thanks, will investigate UV spectrum of these lights.

Remainder of plants seem to be doing ok. Have been uppotting a few at a time. This is how they looked Saturday, Feb. 25, 2024.

[WayneSheets]

I have rootstock that will be ready in the next week or so. I have had good luck in the past using the method described here:

https://extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ho/ho-260-w.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ufx66Isf88

[Moth1992]

My rootstock seedlings have been banished to fend for themselves outside. If they are so vigorous and desease resistant they better start showing it yesterday.

But I dont think I will pursue grafting after all. They look awful.

My heirlooms are doing beautifully, will repot again tomorrow.