Tomatoes: planting those 'suckers'

primal1 · #1 07/06/06, 06:52 PM

For years now, i grow a few of each kind of tomato I want and get them in the garden as early as possible. When they get good and strong and they start shooting out all those little 'suckers', is my time to triple or quad my tomato patch. Does anybody else plant the 'suckers' they pull off?

Reason i'm asking is because when i tell people i do this they look at me in total disbelief... well, recently my boss 'accidentaly' sprayed his tomatoes with roundup and of course was all depressed he wouldn't have any this year. I showed up with a bunch of suckers from my plants and again they all looked at me like i was nuts, sure enough the next day the suckers i stuck in the ground were lookin all healthy as if they had been there since seedlings lol.

So from all you tomato experts out there, why isn't this a common practice?

Red Devil TN · #2 07/06/06, 10:00 PM

I have no idea, I've been doing it for years and have been told for years 'it isn't worth it' or 'it won't grow right'. The tomatos I've harvested sure seemed worth it and well grown to all who ate 'em!

Paquebot · #3 07/06/06, 10:10 PM

It IS common in some cases. What limits the practice in the northern zones is often growing time. Seed savers, with limited seed available, will often do that. I've done it a few times and had the "sucker" plant quickly catch up to the parent. That was when I wanted a certain number of plants but had low germination or other loss. I simply put them into a pot with a light potting mix. Within a week, they can go into the ground with a good root system started.

Martin

rwinsouthla · #4 07/06/06, 11:29 PM

Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for suckers. I normally plant Big Boys, Celebrity, brandywine, sweet 100. I haven't bought a seed or tomato plant in about 10 years. I pull suckers for my spring plants in December. I put them in my greenhouse and grow them up to about 2 feet and super thick roots and bases. I usually pick my first tomato in late March. For my summer plants I pull suckers about two weeks after I plant in February. Those get planted in Late May. Then, for fall tomatoes, I sucker some in July, and plant those in early September.

We're lucky to have such a long season. With a little work, you'll never have to buy a plant again.

primal1 · #5 07/06/06, 11:47 PM

AH, so glad i'm not alone

rwinsouthla, you got it goin on! I'll bring some suckers in this fall!

Michael W. Smith · #6 07/07/06, 10:40 AM

I did it for the first time this year! I had bought some plants from a greenhouse but didn't get enough to fill the garden. When I mentioned to my wife about going back, she started complaining about how we would have time to can let alone pick the tomatoes. (Last year, we had got so busy, most of the tomatoes and whole garden went to waste.)

This year looks to be as busy, but I'm determined to make spaghetti sauce - I'm down to my last jar of home-made!

I didn't even take the time to put them in a pot - I just pinched them off the plant, dug a hole in the garden, and planted. They wilted down for several days and I figured that they would die, but lastnight I noticed new leaves are coming on them.

Will they produce or let alone "catch up" to the ones they came from? I don't know - but it didn't cost me anything but a little bit of time!!!

(And just so you know, my wife still doesn't know that I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

)

primal1 · #7 07/07/06, 12:14 PM

nice work Michael W. Smith, yup they will catch up in no time

Things always get too busy come fall here too, I just throw the whole tomatoes into ziplock bags, throw them in the freeze until I find time to turn them into sauce... even the green tomatoes so i can make chutney later down the road

Pony · #8 07/07/06, 04:40 PM

Well, I never did that before, but I was thinking about this post when I accidentally broke a branch off one of the tomato plants today. I stuck it in the ground. I've had that work at the flower farm, so it should work in the garden, right?

And next year --- I'M planting SUCKERS!

Pony!

Dahc · #9 07/07/06, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by primal1

For years now, i grow a few of each kind of tomato I want and get them in the garden as early as possible. When they get good and strong and they start shooting out all those little 'suckers', is my time to triple or quad my tomato patch. Does anybody else plant the 'suckers' they pull off?

Reason i'm asking is because when i tell people i do this they look at me in total disbelief... well, recently my boss 'accidentaly' sprayed his tomatoes with roundup and of course was all depressed he wouldn't have any this year. I showed up with a bunch of suckers from my plants and again they all looked at me like i was nuts, sure enough the next day the suckers i stuck in the ground were lookin all healthy as if they had been there since seedlings lol.

So from all you tomato experts out there, why isn't this a common practice?

I'm not an expert but I plant suckers every year. I have to get TSWV resistant plants and they are more expensive so I cheat for my hydroponics system and fill it up with suckers.

My grandma used to just stick them in a glass of water. In the hydroponics system, they never even wilt while they're rooting and it only takes about 5 days to see top growth.

stormwalker · #10 07/07/06, 05:29 PM

I planted my tomatoes real deep and pushed the sucker as far away from the main stem as I could. I waited a week or so and carefully dug down, cut the sucker stem and had me another plant already rooted!

Oxankle · #11 07/09/06, 11:19 AM

Must be a common thing.

I root suckers in water on the N. windowsill in the kitchen sometimes. I usually do that when I want to start new plants for fall. Those that are too late to bear in spring and summer will load down in the fall garden here. Wish I had a greenhouse--I'd be right in there with the La. kid.
Ox