# Lifestyles & Discussion > Freedom Living >  Instead of using non hybrid seed, why not just propagate your best hybrid plants?

## Rael

Why not do that and just keep propagating your best plants over the fall and winter indoors, and plant them in the spring? That way you could have already selected and cloned the best tasting, best growing plants.

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## youngbuck

> Why not do that and just keep propagating your best plants over the fall and winter indoors, and plant them in the spring? That way you could have already selected and cloned the best tasting, best growing plants.


Yes, that's the best way to perpetually have high quality stuff growing for you.

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## steve005

> Instead of using non hybrid seed, why not just propagate your best hybrid plants?


but if you start out with a hybrid plant, it is already missing dna that a non-hybrid is not missing, ie nutrition. So why not start out with what our ancestors left off with and keep doing what they did, which is exactly what you say to do with a hybrid; pick the best tasting one that grows good

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## Dr.3D

I'm crying right now.... my upside down tomato plant broke off in the wind yesterday. 

I guess you could propagate your best hybrid plants but if the same thing happens to them that happened to my tomato plant, you would be out of luck.

I really like heirloom seeds, at least if something happens, you can plant some more of them.  Besides, it is pretty hard for me in my climate to keep any kind of a plant over the winter.

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## PaulaGem

> I'm crying right now.... my upside down tomato plant broke off in the wind yesterday. 
> 
> I guess you could propagate your best hybrid plants but if the same thing happens to them that happened to my tomato plant, you would be out of luck.
> 
> I really like heirloom seeds, at least if something happens, you can plant some more of them.  Besides, it is pretty hard for me in my climate to keep any kind of a plant over the winter.


Tomatoes root easily - get some rooting hormone and strip off the bottom branches and plant the broken part right side up.

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## dannno

Dr. 3D - 

Also make sure to dip the main branch straight into the rooting hormone, and get it into the parts of the branch that are wet/exposed like where you stripped the bottom branches off. Roots will grow out of any of these areas if you hit them with some rooting hormone. You can even take a razor and make a few little slices toward the bottom, and cutting the stem diagonal where it broke helps give more surface area for roots to spring out of as well, you will probably want to do this if it has dried out any.

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## Dr.3D

> Tomatoes root easily - get some rooting hormone and strip off the bottom branches and plant the broken part right side up.


I think it's too late, it's already all wilted down and looks dead.

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## dannno

Spray it with lots of water, it needs water. Put some dish soap in the water that you spray it with, it will act as a wetting agent. Probably about 1/4 tsp/gallon

Get those bottom branches off and put the main branch in water immediately.

Get the rooting hormone tomorrow if it looks like it might make it, then do your dipping and planting. Water and spray often, keep in a relatively warm, humid environment indoors if possible, near a window. 80 deg. and humid is optimal.

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## Rael

> I think it's too late, it's already all wilted down and looks dead.


Yeah if it looks dead it probably is. 

I had a similar experience yesterday. Sorta. 

I had several seedlings that I had been neglecting because I already had too many plants. They were dried out and had white fertilizer salts built up on them. all of them died except this one pepper seedling that looked perfect. I kept ignoring it and it didn't die and I thought, damn, this is a tough plant. I probably should grow it.

Then later when I was about to transplant it I accidentally broke the stem in two =(

I dipped it in rooting hormone and stuck it in perlite. I'm going to name this plant Lucky if it survives. =D

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## dannno

I chop plants up and keep their parts alive and root them. It's called cloning. Fun stuff

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## Rael

> I chop plants up and keep their parts alive and root them. It's called cloning. Fun stuff


This is the first time I have tried it. I have perlite with an aquarium pump pumping air into the mix. I stuck in a tomato and another pepper plant in it. I think I'm going to try cloning my hibiscus and philodendron too.

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## dannno

Chop about half the length of the biggest leaves off with scissors. This will make them light so the plant doesn't have to support them as much, both gravitationally and with sustenance. 

You're focusing on keeping the center of the node alive where future growth occurs, so the stem needs to be able to supply enough water to the plant while it develops roots. You don't want to give your plant nutrients because you don't want them to grow during this time. You want them to focus on staying alive.

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