Though your first tomatoes of the year are barely ripening, it’s already time to start thinking ahead to the second growing season in North Texas. Propagating fall tomatoes from cuttings is a fun and easy way to get a jump on the next season using existing plants.
What You’ll Need:
Clean garden snips
Labels and marking pen
Small containers
How to Take the Cuttings
It’s a good idea to remove all suckers from indeterminate tomatoes in order to direct energy into fruit production. If you’re already doing this, you already have cuttings! Next time you are out in the garden tending to pruning tasks, save your pruned suckers.
— Cut a sucker (the tender growth from a leaf axil) that is about 6-8 inches long.
— Remove lower leaves and cut top leaves in half. This will leave enough leaf surface to sustain photosynthesis, but direct the plant’s energy into producing new roots.
— Place sucker into a labeled container filled with water. I like to use clear, plastic party glasses.
— Set the container in a sunny windowsill for several weeks until roots begin to grow from the stem.
Follow along with me! Once my cuttings are rooted, I will post Propagating Fall Tomatoes from Cuttings: Part 2 and show you how to pot the cuttings up.
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