Great Questions. I want to know the same answers also.

I do not have the info that you want Bill, since the first two rooted cuttings that I have ever done are in the ground in my garden right now, however, I do think that is a very interesting question and will be interested in seeing what response you get also. A cutting would be a clone, but what controlls the trigger to ripen fruit ? ?

It seems to me, that it would have to be something about the size and development of any fruit on the vine, rather than a calendar date or DTM time, otherwise a big beefsteak type might be ripening cherry or grape sized tomatoes, if I understand the inference of the question. (Which I may not).

I may be on the trail of that info since someone said that the Large Red Cherry that I took a cutting from looks more like a Husky Red Cherry that is determinate with Rugose foliage. It was loaded up pretty well with clusters of tomatoes. That one and a Big Beefsteak cutting are both in the ground and doing well. I also started some seed that I saved from the LRC and if I can keep the dammed pill bugs and little black ants from eating

while they are very small, Yeah, I know that they are all just beneficials and ate the plants by mistake thinking that they were dead and decaying plant material!
I will plant pot them up in bigger cups and plant them into the ground around mid July to see how they do, mostly out of curiosity and I should have some more room by then cause the Black eyed peas will be done . Meanwhile ~ ~ ~ ":^)
Bill P.

HC

This may be something you have to do with trial and error unless somebody else has already. I've taken a sucker from a Rutgers determinate before the original formed blossoms, and though the sucker is behind on plant size and maybe a week behind on fruitset, I didn't plant the sucker in the same conditions. The original Rutgers is in a container, and the sucker is now growing heartily in the garden.

Though I haven't seen it discussed recently, don't tomatoes set blossoms and fruits, not by a time-schedule, but as much by the convergence of other factors, like # of sunlight hours, lumens and the temperature of soil and air? I'm not sure which is the leading growth-predicter, but I think they all provide a concerted environment for growth.

Anyway, good luck with getting at least a reasonable estimate of the different trials!

I've never had a determ with enough excessive stems that I tried to propagate. Great question! I do know that for me, some indies root better than others (I'm old school, in a vase of water, when it roots, I plant it out). This year I am rooting Goliath and Celebrity and they are working. It takes me about 10 days to get from cutting to planting. Let us know how the determs do, and please try this with several cuttings if you can in case a few don't make it for whatever reason.

Don't know if it's any help, but I grew a 'Celebrity' which is determinate in my greenhouse over the winter.
It looked pretty ratty by April, but had a nice side sucker. I planted the sucker out and it's covered with flowers and tomatoes right now.
So that is two full sets of tomatoes from a Determinate variety.
Nina

Are you thinking of doing it yet this season?

I forget just where you are, but imagine your first expected frost date might be close to mine which is Oct 10th.

I see one site has it listed as 80 DTM. I often find late in the season, I don't even have enough nice sized tomatoes to enjoy them fried up green.
Sue

Bill

I think it depends on where and when you took that "cutting".

If genetically the clock had advanced and the biocemistry was already "telling it" to produce flowers, I doubt the injury response would make it "revert" back to vegitative growth. It might because being cut from the root it would no longer receive the hormonal response to induce the change - again depends on when in that process the cutting is taken. Shoots and roots have an interplay of hormonal signalling that triggers genetic expressions.

Younger side shoots in the lower part of the plant, early on, might have a better chance at not going directly into flower growth.

With many other shrub and tree species, timing and age of the wood is important. I dont recall seeing anything specific about this for tomato in the past. You might try finding such info in tomato grafting info resources.