by Gena Moore, CFSA Organic Research Coordinator | Apr. 7, 2016 –
Left: Grafted tomato plants. Right: Non-grafted tomatoes in a field severely infested with bacterial wilt.
Photo by Josh Freeman.
Tongue Approach Grafting Technique
Heirloom tomatoes are unique, eye-catching, delicious, and difficult to grow. Because these plants have not been selectively bred for disease resistance, they can be susceptible to pathogens and have low success rate in the field.
One way to combat these issues – and stimulate plant productiveness – is through grafting.
Grafting is when you join two separate objects together, in this case, a rootstock and a scion. By grafting an heirloom scion (the top part) to a disease-resistant rootstock (the bottom part) you can create an heirloom tomato plant that will be more productive and healthy. This grafted plant will still produce those unique, eye-catching, delicious fruits; and more of them!