Will a broken tomato branch 'heal' itself?
spaghetina
14 years ago
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John Tebbs
14 years agodigdirt2
14 years agoRelated Discussions
duct taping a broken branch?
Comments (6)If the branch was broken all the way off i really don't think it will work...if only partially broken it might although i have had mixed results "splinting" mine. I have never used duct tape ...I probably wouldn't for two reasons #1 it will be hard to remove and create a sticky mess and #2 it will not allow the branch to breath possibly creating a disese problem. I would suggest useing grafting tape or that brown paper tree wrap and tapeing the end to hold it or just use masking or white artist tape both paper type tapes...and as I said spliting it with a couple of tongue depressors or small dowels helps hold it in place. BUT if it's totally broken off I really think you are most likely waisting your time ...but as the saying goes "it can't hurt" david...See Morerooting broken branch...need advice
Comments (11)Since you rooted it in water rather than in wet potting mix it will need some additional time in a container before going into the ground for best results. The adventitious roots that develop when rooted in water are a different type from the feeder roots needed to survive in the garden soil - which is why rooting cuttings is normally done in potting mix. I would suggest transplanting it into a container filled with a light potting mix or seed starting mix and kept moist for about a week to 10 days before putting it in its final home. This will allow feeder roots to develop. It will droop for a couple of days but then begin to recover and firm up. Keep it in the shade, not in the direct sun. You didn't say how big the cutting was but for future reference a smaller cutting, approx. 6" tall with all the leaves removed except for the top cluster will normally root itself well in damp mix in approx. 2 weeks and can then be planted. Many of us routinely use cuttings to expand our number of plants and you'll find many discussions here about how to' root cuttings' aka 'clones'. Dave...See MoreTomato Broken at Fork in Stem
Comments (9)luckyinK An alternate suggestion: You can take the broken off (or nearly broken off) piece and put it into some moist planting soil to root to make another plant. It'll take about a week to ten days for the new roots to form and the top to begin to grow again. Then you can plant it. In fact, I've removed suckers from indeterminate plants and just stuck them into the ground and left them on their own. They made fine vigorous plants. Tomatoes are incredibly tough once they get going. I doubt that you'll need to start over again with new plants. You can also try to repair them as you describe, but I don't know if that would work since I haven't done it. Somebody else may have and can tell you about their success. BTW, are they determinates or indeterminates? That might make a difference....See MoreTomato branch bent from wind will it recover?
Comments (2)Sumilea, Have no fear. Tomato plants have an amazing ability to heal physical damage...even broken limbs. I don't think you need to do another thing beyond what you've already done. It would have even survived without your care of that branch. Hal...See Morespaghetina
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