Going
for a Fall
Crop!
Extending
your Season - Your summer
game plan..
People have asked, "Can I extend the tomato
growing season?" If you feel, you have at least 2 1/2
months of warm climate conditions before the first frost, then you can
go for a Fall Crop.
This is what you can do for the 2nd
Crop...
Start your second crop, approximately mid-summer or 10 weeks before
a frost... by taking small cuttings from the suckers. If you know
someone who has nice Tomato plants,
ask them for a cutting or two or three, etc.,
Please make sure the cuttings go immediately into a glass of water.
There are people experiment with plant cuttings and extend the Tomato
season throughout the year.
Cuttings in a glass of water
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These are the basic steps:
-
Look for some of the sucker shoots on your tomato plants that do not have
a bud on them,
-
Cut approximately 8" of the sucker or new growth.
-
Use a razor's edge to make these cuttings.
-
Put the stem in water for a couple of hours,
-
Plant these suckers directly into your garden or first use a peat pot.
Make sure the soil is loose and moist. Mound the soil around the shoots,
-
Put a basket over the top of the cuttings (@5days) to protect it from the
hot, direct sun.
Water constantly for four days.
Remember, that when you clone, the growing timeline will have to
be extended into fall. In order for these plants to produce abundant
tomatoes, they will have to be protected when the nights start to get cool. |
Root System 4 days in glass
of water.
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Be creative and place a thin protective plastic sheet to cover the plants
at night. And don't keep the cover on during the daylight hours; otherwise,
the plants will burn.
Click for Tip
Cuttings can be had from the sucker shoots or from the top of a mature
plant. Tomato plants can be pruned and people can clone new plants
from this growth.
Note: Organic fertilizer is key for tastey and healthy tomatoes.
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