Propagate More Garden or Hydroponic Tomato Plants

Can you believe it’s August already? I certainly can’t! The outdoor garden is really starting to crank out the veggies! It’s also a great time to propagate your tomato plants!

For those of us that garden inside too… we may already be thinking, “what am I going to grow inside this winter?” Or you might wonder how to extend your outdoor growing season a bit more when you think your plants are fazing out.

Well, for at least one popular plant that we grow this is extremely easy… tomatoes! It is SO easy to propagate tomato plants! This is a great time to do it, too… in certain cases. And I swear, once you figure this out it is addictive!!

What Kind of Tomato Plants Can I Clone?

If you have the space, you can clone any of your tomato plants. Outside, this is a great way to start a 2nd wave of tomatoes once your existing plants start showing age. This works great if you have a long enough growing season.

I have cloned cuttings from my inside and outdoor plants. I do it all the time when I need to prune, or when plants start to look old and beat up. I have a few plants ready to go for my indoor garden now.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be identifying a couple of dwarf tomato plants and pepper plants in my outdoor garden that I want to take cuttings of for inside. But, if you decide to do the same, please be diligent about cleaning them! Give them a good rinsing outside, then squish them in soapy water inside and rinse well. You do not want to being pests like aphids and spider mites inside… trust me!

How to Clone a Tomato Plant

There is no special process. Just cut off a nice strong, healthy stem, strip off the bottom leaves, and stick the stem in water. As mentioned in my video below, this works best if you can get a stem with air roots aka the little white bumps on it. It will root in like 3 days!

I use these cute Test Tube propagation stations that I purchased on Amazon so I can keep them all in one place, or just pop them a mason jar. Sometimes I use Corona bottles. HA! I like using clear containers so that I can see the roots.

I also have these gorgeous Plastic Rainbow Test Tube ones. I love them!

Can I Clone Tomatoes in My AeroGarden?

Yes, you most certainly can! If you have microdwarf tomatoes that you want to clone for your AeroGarden or similar small hydroponic unit, then you can certainly put the stem in a pod by slitting the side, and sticking it in there. That way the roots will grow through the pod and be established, or you can even use clay pebbles to hold the stem in place. Just be sure it’s a plant that will fit your unit. See my post, 10 AeroGarden Tomato Growing Tips For Newbies, for more information.

Can I Clone Tomatoes in Soil?

Yes, yes you can! This is exactly what I do for plants that will stay outside. Just cut off a nice stem as directed in the video, stick it in soil, keep it very moist and wait for it to root and thrive! My first year this is how I went from only a couple to several Roma plants.

I recently did this with an Orange Hat Tomato cutting from inside and it is thriving on my potting bench.

How Long Does it Take to See Roots?

You will see roots in 3 days to 1 week. Once the plant is established be sure to feed it well. And, the cool thing about cloning plants is you will see fruits much sooner than if you started from seed. They catch up to the mother plant pretty quickly.