Jo,

Since the concept of grafting tomatoes onto a rootstock might be new to you, I've linked some info about it below.

I haven't done it myself, but I've thought about trying it for several years now. Grafting onto better rootstocks works for fruit trees and roses, among other plants, so why not tomatoes?

I hope Gary and Jay have some ideas about whether this might work or not, or perhaps they know someone who has tried it.

FYI-Johnny's Selected Seeds sells a couple of kinds of rootstock seeds and the grafting clips as well.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Grafting Tomatoes

coincidentally, I was at the Kerr Center in Poteau last week. George Kuepper Is doing a trial on grafted tomatoes. I think they had Cherokee Purple and brandywine grafted. I asked him if he thought there was a difference, but he really wouldn't know until all the data was compiled, but didn't think there would be a whole lot. I told him that I thought grafting would be good for nematode resistance, but their clay soil is really not where I would think nematodes would be a problem.

Anyway, they should have some kind a report soon. I also saw the seeds for grafting varietes in Johnny's. but they are a bit expensive.

Here is a link that might be useful: Video Grafting Tomatoes

Have you seen this one?

Here is a link that might be useful: Automatic Grafting Machine

Dawn I will write more later. About time to do chores. I do know a few that have grafted for different resistances including nematodes. Overall it seems to help. Like with everything varying degrees of success. I had never seen them in my garden. Like I said earlier in a previous post. Of all the plants I've pulled so far I have seen one plant with nematodes this year. Have always heard that they wouldn't survive here. I still think they must of came in on the plant. Will know more when I pull the rest of the plants. Jay

I do know that some of my plants in the same beds are still hanging in there, and some completely bit the dust. The Brandywine is BARELY hanging in...barely. It was full and lush and lovely until it actually started to fruit, and then it declined rapidly. I have several cherry tomato plants that still look great, so the grafting idea is really intriguing to me. I have one or two other full sized plants that are doing okay-ish, but I can't check them right now because it is FINALLY raining! YAY!

Jo

Jo,
When I have time I will try to see if I can find any of the information I've read. I can also ask on a few of the other forums and chat sites I visit when I have time to do either again. Cherry rootstock is one that some have used. I will try to find out how it worked for them on the nematodes. The man in TX who has done more research on nematodes than anyone else I know no longer posts online. And I lost his email address in a computer crash. Jay

Gary, I knew if anything was going on in the research world in our state, you'd know about it. I look forward to seeing the results from the Kerr Center's research.

Carol, I knew that grafting robots existed, but had never seen one. Wasn't that amazing? Now, if only they'd create a robot we all could afford that would travel up and down the rows of our gardens pulling weeds.

Jay, I figured in anyone in the heirloom tomato world was experimenting with grafting, you'd know who it was and what they were doing and what results they were seeing.

I don't think nematodes will survive your cold winter temps? And, I certainly hope we are right in believing that. I, too, would assume your nematode-infested plant was infested when you bought it. I've always wondered if nematodes could be brought into a garden in infested seedlings, and I guess they can. It probably wouldn't have happened in "the old days" when we were kids and soil fumigants were used so much more than they are today (and even in some home gardens back then).

Jo, First of all, hooray for the rain! We had a very light sprinkle here early this morning but not the heavier rain that some of y'all have had sometime since midnight.

I have toyed with the idea of grafting for a couple of years, but haven't had a real reason to try it, other than curiosity. As I was thinking about your nematode issue there, I finally asked myself what I would do if I had nematodes in my soil, and the quick answer was that first I'd grow in containers but then, secondly, that I'd try grafting so I could grow endless numbers of varieties without spending a king's ransom to fill up 100 to 200 very large containers.

I was trying to think of an easy way to make a chamber that would be high humidity for those first few days and I came across a thread on the Tomato Forum where one of the posters used an aquarium placed upside down over the young grafts and just lifted it a few times a day to mist for humidity. We have one of DS's old aquariums in the garage, so that would work for me. I think I'd leave the aquarium upright and put either a plexiglass or plastic sheeting cover over the top of it because I'm such a klutz that I'd likely drop the aquarium onto the grafted plants and smash them all to smithereens if I had to lift it several times a day in order to mist the air.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Grafting Tomatoes

I checked even though it's still raining (almost an inch so far, yay!) and Celebrity and Jet Star are my non-cherry varities that are still doing well (especially Celbrity).

I am fearful that grafting would be beyond my skills or require too much knowledge/ Equipment, but I am absolutely researching.

If I could grow ten HEALTHY plants, I think that would be enough for my family. We mainly use them for fresh eating (I don't can), but I do make sun-dried tomatoes when we have a large surplus. SO I may consider growing tomatoes in containers next year too. I already spent a small fortune on the soil mix for my raised beds, so a few containers can't be that much worse.

Jo

Jo,
In addition to Celebrity there are several others that either are resistant or tolerant of the nematodes. Some of the more popular are Early Girl, Better Boy, Goliath, Park's Whopper, VFN and an op I like called Atkinson. Any of these can be used for rootstock. I have seeds for He-Man rootstock which some consider one of the best. Another is Maxifort. Those who graft have encouraged me and said it is easy. That usually means I will have trouble. I'm thinking I will do some experimenting next year. I'm going to link a thread at the GW Tomato site a year ago. Read the post by Mulio and his links. He is very knowledgeable and the links are worth reading in my opinion. Brazon Valley who used to post at GW had major problems and did some very informational research. I will see if I can find some of it. Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: Nematodes

Jo, I think the grafting process would be pretty easy. You just cut each stem at a 45 degree angle, line up those two cut ends together, and put the clip on. It sounds so easy that a caveman (or cavewoman) could do it....

The harder part would be to keep the humidity just right in the first crucial days, and also you'd need to follow a pretty strict schedule of gradually exposing the grafted plants to increasing light levels and decreasing humidity levels. Still, I think you could do it. It wouldn't be that different from gradually hardening off seedlings raised indoors to sunlight in preparation on moving them outside permanently at planting time.

Good heavens, you're raising live human beings and you're thinking grafting two tomato plants toegether might be too complicated? Nope. I think grafting vegetable plants will be a piece of cake compared to raising children.

There are hundreds of hybrid tomato varieties with the Mi gene which confers tolerance of or resistance to nematodes, and Jay listed some of my favorite nematode-resistant varieties. I'll type you a longer list, but it is going into its own thread, so we can find it more easily the next time someone needs that info.

Dawn