Probably everyone knows that you can graft a branch of one garden plant onto another of the same genus, for example, a peach onto an apricot. As a result, 2 types of fruits will grow on the resulting tree. This also works with garden crops. You can combine tomato and potato. As a result, tomatoes will ripen at the top of the new plant, and potato tubers will grow underground on the roots. This is not at all difficult to achieve.
What you will need:
- Tomato seedlings;
- green potato bush;
- knife;
- cling film;
- clothespin.
The process of connecting a potato and tomato bush
For the experiment, you need to plant a tomato bush close to the potatoes. This can be done directly in the garden bed, or you can use a white bag filled with soil.
Only one branch is required from a potato bush.
The lower leaves of the plants are removed. Then you need to make an incision on the potato stem at an acute angle from top to bottom. It is cut halfway so that the bush does not break off. An incision is made on the tomato stem at the same angle, but from the bottom up.
It is necessary that the notches be at the same level so that they can be joined.
Next, the split stems are connected with notches and wrapped on top with cling film. It will work better than rigid grafting tape. Then the connection is strengthened with a clothespin. In this form, the plants are left to grow together.
After 10 days, it is necessary to cut off the potato stem above the splice, as well as the tomato root below it.
As a result, we get a plant whose top is a tomato and its bottom is a potato. It should be tied up so that the growing fruits do not break the graft.
Now all that remains is to water the new plant, and also make sure that late blight does not destroy it.
Soon tomatoes will ripen on it, which will have a slightly unusual taste.
Afterwards, closer to autumn, having dug up the stem, it will be possible to collect potato tubers as well.
