Tomato Grafting Failure

This winter we grafted Brandywine heirloom tomatoes with a root stock variety called Colossus. The grafting operation went well and we got 60 to 70 survival of grafted plats. Our late frosts, however, prevented planting the seedlings and grafted plants when they were ready for the field. We wanted to plant April 1st but had to wait until May 1st. The seedlings were held too long in the hothouse.

This delay in planting resulted in long lanky transplants (grafted and normal). The normal seedlings were planted on their side with most of the overgrown stem planted underground. These stems will help produce nice roots. These plants are in the foreground and have moderate fruit production.

The grafted plants have grown 50% bigger than the normal plants but have produced no fruit. In the next row (out of picture) are grafted Striped German heirloom tomatoes. They, also grafted with Colossus root stock, have grown vigorously and have produced no fruit.