My tomato plant almost fell off the balcony yesterday

I was watering my plants on my third floor balcony in Chicago when a strong gust of wind hit. My biggest cherry tomato plant, in a 5 gallon fabric pot, tipped right over the edge. I grabbed it just as it was about to go over, but the main stem snapped halfway. I quickly used some garden tape and a chopstick as a splint. It's been 24 hours and the plant looks okay, but I'm worried. Has anyone else had to splint a broken stem and did it recover?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade27121d ago

Taped mine back together last year with just some cheap medical tape and a straw when a squirrel snapped the main stem on my best plant. It actually ended up being the most productive one of the season by a long shot, so don't give up hope. @noah917 is right that it's not a death sentence at all, the plant will reroute nutrients through the splint if you got it lined up right. Just keep an eye on the leaves for wilting the first few days and water it normally, that's what made the difference for me. Yours should be fine if the leaves still look perky after 24 hours.

brookepark1mo ago

Remember my first splint job looked like a toddler's art project. Plants are way tougher than we give them credit for though. Just give it time and don't mess with the tape.

noah9171mo ago

I used to think a broken stem was a death sentence, but I've had a few bounce back with that exact chopstick splint method.