How to Grow Tomatoes From Suckers

Mature plants are the best place to get suckers

Suckers are the branches of a tomato that grow out of a leaf axil, where the leaf meets the stem. Rooting these suckers is a cheap and easy way to multiply your tomato crop and prolong your tomato harvest. Since tomatoes all tend to ripen at the same time, growing plants in succession by rooting and planting suckers ensures you will not get stuck with too many tomatoes at once, and can better enjoy a bounty of tomatoes over a longer season.

Things You'll Need

• Tomato plant with suckers at least 6 inches long
• Compost or composted manure
• Epsom salts
• Potting soil (optional)
• Pots (optional)
• Gloves (optional)
• Rooting hormone (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove the sucker from the plant in early morning by bending it outward until it breaks off. Water plants thoroughly before removing suckers to make sure the suckers are turgid enough to pop off easily. The ideal sucker is 6 to 8 inches long. It can be longer, but not shorter, as it needs enough stem to form a good root system.

2. Remove all but the top three leaves from the sucker. This gives you more stem to bury.

3. Dig a hole at lest 4 inches deep and add a handful of compost or composted manure into the bottom. Plant suckers in pots that are at least 6 inches deep. Plant in at least a 5-gallon pot if you are not going to transplant it into the garden.

4. Place the sucker into the soil and cover to 2 inches from the top of the plant. Plant the sucker in a pot or directly into the ground. Rooting hormone is optional, as tomato suckers root very easily without it.

5. Mix 1 tsp. Epsom salt with 1 gallon of water and water the growing sucker twice a week. This will encourage new roots. Water with the Epsom salts for two weeks.

6. Fertilize the established plant after four weeks with the same fertilizer you use on your other tomato plants. Fertilize and water on the same schedule as your other tomatoes.

7. Stake the plant when it becomes tall enough to tie up. Tie with stretchy material, like old pantyhose strips or stretchy nylon or polyester fabric, to keep from damaging the stems.

Tips & Warnings

• You can plant suckers right into the garden instead of starting them in pots.

• Placing the suckers in water overnight may reduce wilting.

• If suckers are planted directly into the garden, wrapping the stem part above the ground in aluminum foil will keep cutworms away. Make sure the aluminum foil is buried 1/2 inch under the soil, as they will cut it off at ground level if they can.

• Wear gloves and long sleeves if you are sensitive to the hairs on tomato plants.

• Wash hands thoroughly after handling tomato parts, as all green parts of the plant are toxic.

• Do not touch your eyes while handling tomato plants.

• Do not smoke while working with tomatoes, and wash hands if you have been smoking, to prevent the spread of tobacco mosaic virus.

References

• New Jersey Tomato Weigh-in: Going for a Fall Crop

Resources

• University of Missouri Extension: Growing Home Garden Tomatoes