Cloning Tomato Plants – How to Clone a Tomato Plant the Right Way
Tomato plants are a popular choice for cloning, due to their hardiness and the fact that they grow quickly. Cloning Kratky tomato plants involves taking a cutting from a plant and growing it into an entirely new plant. This can be done by taking a cutting that is at least three inches long with several leaves, ensuring that there is one or two nodes (where the stem meets the leaf) on the stem of the cutting. The stem should then be cut just below this node using sterile snips or scissors, before being dipped in rooting hormone powder and placed in moist soil or perlite.
This clone already had a tomato growing when we cut it. The new fruit did fine and this plant went on to produce a lot of cloned tomatoes!
This clone bloomed about 4 weeks after we cut it. The clone was a very mature cutting as you can see. The roots took off quickly and started to suck down water immediately.
How to Ensure Success When Cloning Tomato Plants
To ensure success when cloning tomato plants, it is important to keep both the water warm and humidity levels high during the rooting period. A heat mat can be used to help keep the water warm (not hot), and a humidity dome or plastic bag can be placed overtop of the container to help maintain moisture. The cutting should also be kept in bright indirect sunlight during this time. Roots will usually form within 10-14 days. Once you see healthy roots, you can then place the plant into a larger container.
Don’t blast the clone with high nutrients or you could burn your plant. As your cutting begins to grow into a mature plant, then it will be time to add light nutrients to the plant.
Cloning tomato plants is an easy process that allows hydroponic gardeners to create many identical plants from one original source. It is a convenient way to quickly increase the number of tomato plants in your hydroponic garden without having to wait for new seedlings to sprout.
With proper care and attention, the cloned tomato plants will produce plenty of delicious tomatoes throughout the growing season. In hydroponics, your season could be forever. Using clones also ensure you have a recurring, rotating crop of fresh Kratky tomatoes.
What You Need to Clone Tomatoes
- Tomato plant cutting (3+ inches long with several leaves)
- Sterile snips or scissors
- Rooting hormone powder
- Moist soil or perlite
- Heat mat (optional)
- Humidity dome or plastic bag (optional)
- Bright indirect sunlight
- Regular potting soil for transplanting
Cloning Tomatoes – Step by Step Guide to Cloning Tomato Plants
1. Take Cuttings from Existing Tomato Plants
Take a cutting from an existing tomato plant that is at least three inches long and has several leaves, ensuring that there is one or two nodes on the stem of the cutting.
2. Use sterile snips or scissors to cut your clones
Use sterile snips or scissors to cut just below this node, then dip the cutting in rooting hormone powder. The snips or scissors should be sharp and have a fine point to better cut your parent pplants to be cloned.
3. Place the Cutting in Warm Medium and Keep Warm
Place the cutting in a warm, damp rock wool cube or into warm (not hot) water. Keep your cutting in a warm, humid environment using a heat mat, humidity dome or plastic bag.
4. Cuttings for Clones Love Bright, Direct Sunlight
4. Keep the cutting in bright indirect sunlight during this time until roots form (usually 10-14 days).
5. Transplant the rooted cutting into a larger pot with regular potting soil, then care for it as you would any other tomato plant.
With proper care and attention, cloned tomato plants will produce plenty of delicious tomatoes throughout the growing season! Enjoy!
