Botanical Interests
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Product Details
Product Details
Improve your favorite heirloom or prized tomato's performance by grafting it to 'Fortamino'! This rootstock provides your tomato with a better leaf cover that helps prevent sunburn (fruit scald), increases flowers per truss and fruit weight, and improves resilience to stress and heat resistance. 'Fortamino' grafting also improves your tomato's disease resistance to Fusarium crown and root rot, Fusarium wilt, leaf mold, tomato mosaic virus, verticillium wilt, root-knot nematodes, and tomato spotted wilt virus.
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- Variety Info
- Sowing Info
Variety Info
Family: Solanaceae
Type: Tomato Rootstock
Native: Andes
Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
Exposure: Full sun
Variety Info: Fortamino' is a rootstock tomato that is used in grafting to other tomato cultivars to add heat resistance, improved leaf cover, increased flowering, increased fruit size, and disease resistance to Fusarium crown and root rot, Fusarium wilt, leaf mold, tomato mosaic virus, verticillium wilt, root knot nematodes, corky root rot, and tomato spotted wilt virus.
Attributes: Fusarium Crown & Root Rot Resistant, Fusarium Wilt Resistant, Leaf Mold Resistant, Tomato Mosaic Virus Resistant, Verticillium Wilt Resistant, Root Knot Nematode Resistant, Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Resistant, Frost Sensitive
Sowing Info
When to Sow Outside: Not applicable.
When to Start Inside: RECOMMENDED. 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting. Transplant when air temperature is 45°F or warmer, usually 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date. Ideal soil temperature for germination is 70°–90°F.
Sprouts in: 5–10 days
Plant Seeds (Depth): 1/8"–1/4"
Space Seeds: Transplant 1 every 24"–36"
- Mark C.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 starsJul 11, 2026Initaly not impresses. Currently very impressed
I grafted 2 each Cherokee Purple/Fortamino, Brandywine/Fortamino and Paul Robeson/Fortamino and 4 each of the same but not grafted. During, what I'll call the "normal growth" period I did not see any notable difference, so I had pretty much decided grafting was not worth the effort.
However, here in central South Carolina we are now in the "All tomatoes must die' period of extreme heat and humidity. Accordingly, all my plants are dead or dying....Except for the two Cherokee Purple grafts and one Robeson graft. The grafted Purples are still growing like weeds, mostly disease free and producing fruit and flowers. My trellis is 7-1/2' tall. Both the Purples are over the top and one is now tied to the trellis strings from it's deceased neighbors. Stretched out it would be over 12' tall. The other Purple is 9'+ and the Robeson is about 8'. I have no idea why the Cherokee Purple/Fortamino grafts work so well for me. I assume it's some kind of favorable genetic compatibility.
I have been growing these varieties for 9 years and I've never had them survive, much less produce, in the heat of summer. At this point, I'm planning to graft a bed full of Cherokee Purples next season. They're already my favorite and if the grafted ones can survive a South Carolina summer, they are like found money. ;)
EGEpic GardeningJul 11, 2026Hey Mark,
Wow, what an amazing transformation story! Your initial skepticism followed by such impressive results really shows the true value of grafting with Fortamino rootstock. It's fascinating that the Cherokee Purple/Fortamino combination worked so exceptionally well for you - those 12'+ plants surviving and thriving through a brutal South Carolina summer is absolutely incredible! The fact that your grafted plants are not only surviving but actually producing fruit and flowers when everything else has succumbed to the heat and humidity really demonstrates the disease resistance and vigor that Fortamino brings to the table. Your experience perfectly illustrates why grafting can be such a game-changer, especially in challenging growing conditions. A whole bed of grafted Cherokee Purples sounds like it's going to be absolutely spectacular next season - what a fantastic discovery after 9 years of growing! Thank you for sharing this detailed journey with us, it's exactly the kind of real-world success story that helps other gardeners understand the potential of grafting. Keep on growing 🌻
- Lisa G.CT, United StatesVerified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 starsJun 4, 2026Grafted tomatoes worked!!
I really had no idea what I was doing but watched YouTube videos and gave it a try!!
Grafted some heirlooms on to this rootstock - 3 out of 5 worked!!
Also grafted a black hybrid with a striped hybrid - why not try it - 1 out of 3 survived I had plenty of plants to try with
Which best describes you as a gardener? BeginnerWho do you grow for? YourselfHow do you prefer to grow? Raised Bed - EliasVA, United StatesVerified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 starsDec 16, 2025Expensive
I have a couple of orders from Botanical Interests; the germination was so perfect. I tried other rootstocks for comparisons purposes. Based on the results, Fortamino was the best (production, vigor, etc ), but it is expensive (including shipping), for 2026 i will use Estamino(Harris seeds), which is cheaper and reasonable (no shipping). I will miss the beefsteak too.
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateWho do you grow for? Community GardenHow do you prefer to grow? In GroundEGEpic GardeningDec 22, 2025Hey Elias,
Thank you so much for the fantastic 5-star review and for taking the time to share your detailed comparison experience with Fortamino! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that you found Fortamino to be the best performer in terms of production and vigor - that's exactly what we love to hear about this rootstock variety.
We totally understand your concerns about the cost, and we really appreciate you being so honest about that aspect. Rootstock seeds can definitely be an investment, especially when you're doing trials and comparisons like you've been doing. It sounds like you've put in some serious work testing different options to find what works best for your growing situation!
Your feedback about the pricing and shipping is really valuable to us. It's always helpful to understand how our customers are weighing the performance benefits against the cost considerations, especially when you're planning ahead for future growing seasons.
We're so glad that the germination has been perfect for you with your Botanical Interests orders - that consistency is something we really strive for. And it sounds like those beefsteak results were pretty impressive too! Your detailed comparison work will be super helpful for other gardeners who are trying to decide which rootstock might be the right fit for their needs and budget.
Keep on growing 🌻️
- MarkVerified ReviewerRated 4 out of 5 starsNov 16, 2025Great for grafting
I bought some of these about 3 or 4 years ago before Botanical interests prices increased so much. I had about 90% germination and about 60% of the grafts took. I'd say that is pretty good! I miss shopping at Botanical Interests, but to be honest they are pricing themselves out of my budget. They do have some neat seeds, and these were a cool experiment.
Which best describes you as a gardener? ProfessionalEGEpic GardeningNov 24, 2025Hey Mark,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with these — a 90% germination rate and 60% graft success is fantastic, and we’re glad the experiment was a fun one for you!
We completely understand concerns about pricing. The cost of our seeds is directly tied to the incredible work our partner farmers put into producing varieties that meet, and often exceed, strict USDA standards. Growing high-quality seed requires significant time, labor, and resources, and while we do everything we can to keep prices accessible, we also want to ensure you’re receiving the best possible quality.
We truly appreciate your past support and hope you’ll continue to explore with us whenever it fits your budget. Thank you again for taking the time to leave such thoughtful feedback. Keep on growing 🌻️
- CAITLIN C.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 starsMar 1, 20255 Stars
The fortamino packet said it contained 10 seeds with likely 80% germination, but mine actually had 11 seeds and 100% have sprouted! Very excited to see what happens with my first attempt at grafting this season
