I am not sure whether I dreamt this, but seem to remember that someone said that you could cut the tops off tomato plants and repot them. Have tried doing a search, but with no luck. Can anyone remember or I am I going mad!!!
I've done it with side shoots, never heard of that way but, you never know ;D
Yes you can.You also can put the cuttings in a bottle of water till the have roots.
I posted this earlier in the summer, but I can't remember what it was in reply to.
I've done it on several occasions when I haven't been able to put the plants out and they've grown too tall and 'stretched'. I just cut the tops off, making sure there's a longish bit of stem (remove a few leaves if necessary) and stick the stems into compost and water. They do look very poorly for a few days and then recover. I tried this because I knew you can do it with sideshoots and it worked. The beauty of it is that the 'new' plant has the maturity of the one you've chopped up.
Lillypad
Would this help with a plant which had blight in the lower leaves?
I think it was Bow Flowerdew who recommended this as a way of propagating tomatoes - take off the sideshoots & pot them on. I've done it & it works.
But they take on all the properties of the parent plant. I assume that includes blight!
Never heard of taking the top off, though. It works with pelargoniums, so I don't see why not, but then you over-winter those.
Many thanks ruud and Lillypad. Some of my Roma on the lottie look as if they are going down with blight so I thought I would try your system with the few long legy ones left at home which I never dealt with. You say to put them into compost and water - does that mean very wet compost or a more liquid solution?
Today i have put some cuttings from my favourite tom in a glas of water.I give them a week for producing new roots,they are mostly quicker.So i extend the growing season,i just start with a lead,this instead of sowing.
I just use ordinary compost watered so that it's just moist.
Right that's one of tomorrows jobs - many thanks.