{"id":2784,"date":"2026-09-17T14:28:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=2784"},"modified":"2026-09-17T14:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:33:11","slug":"why-graft-eggplants-on-tomatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/why-graft-eggplants-on-tomatoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Graft Eggplants on Tomatoes (Results &#038; Photos)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;2784&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Why You Should Graft Eggplants on Tomatoes (Results \\u0026amp; Photos)&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Thread Summary: Grafting Eggplants onto Tomato Rootstock<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Problem:<\/strong> Eggplants are highly susceptible to soil-borne fungal diseases like Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, which cause the plants to droop and die prematurely.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Solution:<\/strong> Grafting an eggplant scion onto a vigorous tomato rootstock. Tomatoes generally have much stronger, more disease-resistant root systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Results:<\/strong> Complete immunity to wilt, massively oversized bushes, and a harvest that extends deep into the late fall (October\/November). The root mass of a grafted eggplant is remarkably larger than a non-grafted one.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pro Tips:<\/strong>&#8211; <strong>Timing:<\/strong> Expect a 5\u20137 day stall in growth due to grafting shock. You must sow your eggplant seeds about a week earlier than usual to compensate.\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Method:<\/strong> The &#8220;tongue approach graft&#8221; is highly recommended.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Rootstock Choice:<\/strong> Any tomato variety with a known massive, vigorous root system will work. Some growers prefer using cheap bulk F1 Hybrid seeds (like Bobcat F1) for guaranteed disease resistance, while others save money by using robust OP (Open Pollinated) tomato varieties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Marin@M (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,158 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Domodedovo, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I want to graft all my eggplants this year. Based on my experience last season, the plants completely stall for a while after grafting. Between repotting together with the rootstock and the trauma to the stem\u2014that stress takes 5-7 days to recover from, at best. I usually sow my eggplants in the first days of February, but now I&#8217;m planning to sow around the 25th of January to make up for that lost time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">S<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Siverka (Lyudmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,139 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kasimov, Ryazan Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Marina, hello. Could you explain what exactly grafting eggplants achieves?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Lyudmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I&#8217;m interested too, could you give us some more details? Have you posted your results anywhere?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Marin@M (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,158 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Domodedovo, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p>On 1\/9\/2021, Siverka said:<\/p>\n<p>Could you explain what exactly grafting eggplants achieves?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I tested the graft on the Aragorn variety. I grew 1 grafted and 1 non-grafted right next to each other. Not only is the eggplant completely immune to wilt when grown on tomato roots, but the difference in bush vigor and overall yield was massive. And keep in mind, I used the smallest, scrawniest leftover eggplant seedling for the graft\u2014basically a runt I just felt bad throwing away.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>On 1\/9\/2021, Aleksan9ra said:<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m interested too, could you give us some more details? Have you posted your results anywhere?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I loved the result. The only thing I realized is that an eggplant graft takes much longer to heal\/take hold than a cucumber graft. I have a photo here from October 24th (I was amazed myself)\u2014it was the only plant left that still had over 10 fruits on it with perfectly healthy foliage. I finally pulled it out with great effort on November 11th. I ripped off half the roots in the process, but even from what&#8217;s left, you can see just how massive the root system was!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/IMG_3852.JPG.14302d10153326d5d5a9be7632314d0c.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/IMG_3852.thumb.JPG.427e4f1bdad6c45c4f2de7928f4f9f46.JPG\" alt=\"Grafted eggplant bush loaded with fruit in late October\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/IMG_3943.JPG.ba6ce6e33c248d14c07d64d1e09f2b55.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/IMG_3943.thumb.JPG.7060c26f2e962d00bb094bf5c5f62723.JPG\" alt=\"Massive tomato root system from a pulled grafted eggplant\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">S<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Siverka (Lyudmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,139 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kasimov, Ryazan Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Marina, that is an incredibly interesting technique! What variety of tomato did you use as the rootstock?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">galka68 (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (24,651 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Belarus (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>One of our local growers here has been successfully grafting eggplants onto &#8220;Bobcat F1&#8221; tomatoes for a long time now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Marin@M (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,158 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Domodedovo, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p>On 1\/9\/2021, Siverka said:<\/p>\n<p>What variety of tomato did you use as the rootstock?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I just used a leftover, scrawny tomato seedling for the rootstock too. This past season, I started paying very close attention to the root systems of all my tomatoes when I was pulling them out of the greenhouse in the fall. My top pick for future rootstock is the Solobre variety. It\u2019s a powerful, beautiful plant with exactly the kind of root mass you want. I used the tongue approach graft method.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Marin@M (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,158 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Domodedovo, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p>On 1\/9\/2021, galka68 said:<\/p>\n<p>eggplants onto &#8220;Bobcat F1&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But Bobcat is an F1 hybrid. I don&#8217;t really see the point in wasting expensive hybrid seeds just for rootstock when a strong OP (Open Pollinated) variety works just as wonderfully.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">galka68 (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (24,651 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Belarus (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p>On 1\/9\/2021, Marin@M said:<\/p>\n<p>But Bobcat is an F1 hybrid. I don&#8217;t really see the point in wasting expensive hybrid seeds&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Well, I buy bulk hybrid seeds by the 5-gram professional packs, or sometimes get them for free, so for me, it&#8217;s not a problem at all! )))<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Thread Summary: Grafting Eggplants onto Tomato Rootstock The Problem: Eggplants are highly susceptible to soil-borne fungal diseases like Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, which cause the plants to droop and die prematurely. The Solution: Grafting an eggplant scion onto a vigorous tomato rootstock. Tomatoes generally have much stronger, more disease-resistant root systems. The Results: Complete &#8230; <a title=\"Why You Should Graft Eggplants on Tomatoes (Results &#038; Photos)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/why-graft-eggplants-on-tomatoes\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why You Should Graft Eggplants on Tomatoes (Results &#038; Photos)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[769],"tags":[773,770,771,772],"class_list":["post-2784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eggplants","tag-fusarium-wilt","tag-grafting-eggplants","tag-tomato-rootstock","tag-verticillium-wilt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2784"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2786,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784\/revisions\/2786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}