Rooting tomato cuttings is super easy and a great way to quickly add tomatoes to your garden, especially if you really love a certain type of tomato in your garden and wish you had more of them. Taking a cutting and rooting is a clone of the original plant so it’s a great way to multiply plants that are doing really well in your garden or are showing to be disease resistant. Or if you want to share your favorite tomato plants with friends or family members.
This is a great super easy garden project that can be done again and again. Want to slip in some fresh plants to replace spent ones toward the end of the garden season? Root some cuttings from your already established plants!
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How To Grow Tomatoes By Rooting Tomato Cuttings
Didn’t start enough tomato plants this spring? Not a problem! You can easily multiply your plants by rooting tomato cuttings from your existing plants.
This is also a great option if you already planted and then are expecting a late frost try this and you’ll have back ups available when and if you need them.
Before we teach you how to do it, we wanted to answer some often asked questions about propagating tomatoes -don’t worry it is way easier than you think!-.
Can You Propagate Tomatoes By Cuttings?
Taking tomato cuttings is an easy way to propagate your favorite tomato plants in your garden to create clones of the original plant. This is a great way to add extra tomato plants without having to start from seed and it doesn’t hurt the orginal plant.
Can You Replant A Broken Tomato Branch?
Yes! A broken branch on a tomato plant can be made into an entirely new plant by rooting the tomato branch in water to propagate it and then placed in soil. This is a great way to save a limb accidentaly broken off.
Will Tomato Cuttings Root In Water?
Yes, tomato cuttings will root in water, it’s a very easy method of propagation for tomato plants. In a flash it will be rooted and ready to go in a pot or out in the garden.
How Long Does It Take For Tomato Cuttings To Root In Water?
Rooting tomato cuttings takes about 1-2 weeks, you will see new roots coming out, and these newly propagated tomato plants are ready for transplanting into the garden, or in a pot.
Rooting Tomato Cuttings Tutorial
Rooting tomato cuttings is quick and easy on your part (the hardest part is waiting for them to root), that can be fun to get the kids involved in or just because you really love tomatoes and want a few more. You can also do this if you’ve had storms damage your plants and break off limbs etc.
To root tomato cuttings you’re going to need a few things:
Rooting Tomato Cuttings Step 1
Choose a large 6-8 inch sucker shoot on your tomato plant that doesn’t have blossoms on it, and gently prune it from the rest of the plant with a sharp pair of scissors or pruners. If you absoultly have to you can use your fingers to break it off, just be very careful. If you pick longer suckers and they do have flowers on them remove the flowers before rooting tomato cuttings. If you are doing multiple varieties make sure to keep track of which ones are which because this can quickly get confusing.
Rooting Tomato Cuttings Step 2
The next step in rooting tomato cuttings is to place your pruned suckers into a clean jar (I use a canning jar but you can use whatever you have on hand) filled with fresh water. You want enough to cover a good portion of the the stem so that it will have a good root system. Make sure you label the jar with the tomato variety, especially if you are rooting multiple types at a time… trust me you won’t remember- I’ve done this multiple times.
Rooting Tomato Cuttings Step 3
The last step in rooting tomato cuttings is to leave them in the water jar and place it in a sunny spot until roots appear. A good place to place them in a sunny window. Make sure you change out your water when needed.
Growing Tomatoes From Cuttings
Once your tomato cuttings have rooted well in the water transfer them to a pot with well-watered organic potting soil (you can put them directly in the garden but I have found it better to get them a little more established before moving them out. Keep the soil moist as your new tomato plants establish themselves. When you are ready to get them out in the garden you can follow our tutorial for how to plant tomatoes.
Tips For Rooting Tomato Cuttings
Here are our best tips for rooting tomato cuttings:
- Change the water out regularly in the jars to keep it from getting nasty.
- Remove the lower leaves so the stem sits better in the water.
- Keep the jar filled with water so the plants can root well.
- Once they have a good amount of roots going move them into pots.
- Keep them in a sheltered place while they get established.
Before you go, check these out!
