perennial tomatoes

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by sindhooram, May 5, 2009.

  1. sindhooram

    sindhooram Junior Member

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    Hello I have a tomato plant which produced loads of really tasty tomatoes and the thing is that it just came up by chance . It is still healthy but it hasnt been producing tomatoes for some time - there are still flowers but they just fall off.

    Does anyone have experience with perennial tomatoes - should it eventually start to fruit again after a rest period? Otherwise I'd rather cut it down as its taking up quite a bit of space.

    Also I heard that you can take off a piece of a tomato plant - like a new shoot and put it in water to root and then make a new plant. Has anyone tried that and did it work - I mean does the adult plant produce well when it grows? Normally it would seem easier to start from seeds but because the plant I'[m talking about came up without me planting it, doesnt resemble any local tomatoes seen in the shops, and has been far more productive and tasty than any of the ones I planted I'd like to propogate it.

    thanks!!
     
  2. aquifier

    aquifier Junior Member

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    I would try to get seeds from the fruit it produces.
    ....although I must say I've never heard of perrenial tomatoes before, except indigenous bush food and for some reason I don't believe they are they ones you mean.
     
  3. Salkeela

    Salkeela Junior Member

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    I have propagated ordinary tomatoes from side shoots and they grow hte same as the parent.
     
  4. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    you give no indication as to where you are from?

    with tomato's the production and ripening of fruit depends largly on long warm/hot days and short warm nights. so even if you have a mild winter the plant may last all through it but fruit production would be very slow. i have a late tomato out there and i don't reckon the fuit that is on it will do much growing let alone ripening for a while yet.

    capsicums the same i have over wintered them as well and you get no fruit until the summer. be good if we could we would beat the fruit fly menace.

    len
     
  5. sindhooram

    sindhooram Junior Member

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    hello thank you all for the messages. The problem with seed saving is that I saved some before I went away on holiday but with the people staying in my house when I was away they got lost and at the moment it isnt producing.That's why I came up with the side shoot idea.I'll give it a go.
    I live in South India and the climate is warm enough year round for tomatoes to stay alive. But right now it may be simply too hot for fruit production and then the rainy season is coming so i dont know if flowers can set with a lot of rain. So I just wondered if I keep the plant growing it will start producing again when conditions are more favourable, or if they kind of produce for some time and just dwindle. What is the production beahviour of tomatoes if they never get cold enough to die off is my question...I can't seem to find this info on internet.

    thank you once again
     
  6. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    g'day sindooram,

    you can put a little note in your profile that will show you area with you name details on al posts, it is in the user control panels up to the left and click on profile just add in india. so each time you post a question others know were you are from.

    so if you have no real winter then tomatoes will grow at least all year round, and to keep a good plant going use those side shoots for more plants, that is quicker than waiting for fruit to mature and dry and collect seed, then go through germination.

    len
     
  7. scottjunner

    scottjunner Junior Member

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    I've seen many tomato plants sending roots down from stems which touch the ground. Can't see why it wouldn't work.

    Scotty
     
  8. sindhooram

    sindhooram Junior Member

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    thank you all for the replies - I'll try the side shoot thing and see how it works..


    Best wishes to all.
     
  9. sindhooram

    sindhooram Junior Member

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    Hello, I took a small side shoot from the tomato and kept it in water till I saw some small new roots forming. I planted it out and it's growing well - lots of new leaves coming.
    I have seen advertised some tomatoes from USA which are bred to grow well in hot and humid climates like mine and are supposed to be disease resistan. These are hybrids so this would be a good way to keep them going i suppose without having to mail order new seed.
    This may be paranoia but is it possible to be sure these hybrids are bred only by crossing different kinds of tomatoes, and not GM?
    best wishes to all....
     
  10. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: perennial tomatoes

    g'day sindooram,

    if gmo's are used in tomato's i'd suggest it would be the varieties that are gown commercialy, not maybe in those developed for home gardeners. before buying you would need to research the variety and the grower to ensure that what you buy comes from open Xpollinated plants or grafted plants.

    yes those cuttings are good way to keep the plant going in your garden, not sure but each new plant will be a clone of the parent plant.

    len
     
  11. sarathpendekanti

    sarathpendekanti New Member

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    Please let me know more about perennial Tomatos.
     
  12. Raymondo

    Raymondo Junior Member

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    Tomatoes are short lived perennials in the right climate - no winter frosts. Where I live they die with the first frosts of autumn but where my son lives they will keep going for several years, if not struck down by disease, dogs or children! I'm speaking specifically of indeterminate types, not determinates which appear to have a much shorter life span.
     
  13. sarathpendekanti

    sarathpendekanti New Member

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    Thanks for the reply. You mean all the indeterminate types are perennial ?If they are perennial , approximately how many years do they live? Will the fruiting is uniform through out their life.
     
  14. Grasshopper

    Grasshopper Senior Member

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    My tomatoes last a fair while nearly a year in the ground but usually succumb to nematodes.
    Ive had capsicums/chillis for over 4 years.
    Both dont like the wet though. (this year its so dry they are doing well,if I have some water to give them)
     
  15. Yukkuri_Kame

    Yukkuri_Kame Junior Member

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    I have a tomato plant that volunteered in a shady, neglected corner of the yard last year. Never fruited last season but it now has fruit on it. Some kind of juicy, fleshy 'heirloom' type. Anyway, it overwintered, which means surviving a few light frosts last winter and looks healthier than ever, despite neglect, little sun and poor soil. I cloned the plant from a couple of the suckers and will be transplanting to more auspicious locales in the garden. Will also be saving seed. My big hope is for a tomato harvest early next spring.

    I also received seeds from a cherry tomato that is said to have produced for 4 years in a container down in the San Fernando Valley, a few miles (and a climate zone or two) from here. So I am growing those seeds out, too. I'm not much of a scientific breeder, but I will keep saving seeds of any that survive the frosts and produce the next spring.
     

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