How to Turn June Tomato Prunings Into Free New Plants and Even More Homegrown Fruits
It is so simple to plant tomato cuttings in June and extend the season for free
Any gardener growing tomatoes will undoubtedly be scouring plants for side shoots to remove in June. As we all know, this is an essential part of growing vine tomatoes. But don’t just throw the shoots away, as they can be precious tomato cuttings for growing new plants.
Tomato suckers 4-8 inches long can be rooted in water or soil and grown on as new plants at no cost. These new tomato plants will fruit later than your existing plants, but it is a budget-friendly way to extend your season and get more delicious tomato harvests.
If you are growing tomatoes and have never tried this before, I highly recommend it, as rooting tomato cuttings is so simple. You will definitely be pruning tomatoes anyhow, and it takes mere seconds to place the shoot in some water to root.
How to Plant Tomato Cuttings
When you mention taking plant cuttings, most people likely think of shrubs or perennial plants first. But you can grow vegetables from cuttings (yes, tomatoes are technically a fruit, but that’s an argument for another day) to get new plants to add to any vegetable garden.
Vining, or indeterminate, tomato plants (such as these popular Sungold tomatoes from Burpee) need their side shoots removed to focus energy on the main stem. These side shoots grow between the main stem and the leaf branches on these types of tomatoes, and are best removed when they are small.
However, if any suckers have gotten a bit larger, they make the perfect material for tomato cuttings. When you are out pruning tomatoes (which is best done with sharp pruning shears or snips, like these Felco pruning snips at Amazon), hold onto any side shoots that are at least six inches long, as they are ideal.
Remove the lowest leaves from these shoots and place the stem into a glass container filled with water. Place them somewhere warm and bright, but not in direct sunlight, and change the water every few days.
Cuttings from tomato plants will quickly develop small shoots out of the main stem – the plants have a special ability to grow roots along the stem, which is why you should plant tomatoes deep in the soil – and when these are an inch or so, you can pot the cutting up into small pots filled with a quality potting soil.
Alternatively, you can bypass the water stage and try rooting tomato cuttings directly in a container filled with well-draining potting soil, such as this organic potting mix from Burpee.
Once the young tomato plant has developed strong roots in the pot, you can transplant it into its final position, either in the ground or in a large container, grow bag, or raised bed.
The signs that it has rooted well include strong growth, roots popping out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, or resistance when you gently tug the plant by the stem.
What to Shop:
These durable nursery pots are perfect for placing cuttings into. The small drainage holes allow excess moisture to escape and the roots to breathe for healthy development.
Adding rooting hormone to cuttings helps to speed up the development of roots. This powder is suitable for a wide range of plant cuttings.
'Big Boy' is a popular indeterminate beefsteak tomato variety that produces sweet, smooth-skinned fruits in 75-80 days from transplanting tomato seedlings.
Taking tomato cuttings also offers a way to overwinter your loved varieties. If you want exact clones of any plants, which can’t be guaranteed by harvesting tomato seeds unless they are heirloom varieties, you can overwinter tomato plants by letting side shoots develop and taking cuttings as outlined above. Any tomato cuttings can be kept indoors or in a warm greenhouse over winter to plant out again come spring.
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