This entire flat of tomato seedlings is destined for grafting. The immediate challenge is, despite each seedling having been started at the same time, differences in germination and growth rate (even between individuals of the same variety) have made for wildly different plant sizes.
Half of these seedlings (the ones that lack name tags) are Estamino, a hybrid variety bred specifically for disease resistance (it’s useless as a tomato and doesn’t produce edible fruit) and used as rootstock. The other half are various types of heirloom. In order for the grafts to hold, I’ll need to match them so that the top portion of the heirlooms I want to grow exactly match the stem diameter of the rootstock below.
This morning, I sorted them into roughly matching pairs. I prefer to graft them all in one go, but that may not be possible given the broad disparity in plant size. A few at the back are ready to graft at any time. A few at the front still need a week or so under the grow lights. More updates soon!