does anyone know about growing plants from sweet potato's???

I was told that if you buy a sweet potato and put one end in a cup of water that it will root and because a pretty houseplant, Is this true?? And if so does anyone have any pictures of what one would look like.

I am embarressed to say this but i went to the grocery store today and bought a small sweet potato and put it in some water... I am a big ole sap when it comes to houseplants, and will try almost anything :o)

I have two going right now in my laundry room. One is sprouted and more than 12 inches tall the other I just started a few days ago. I would put a pic on here if I could figure out why my computer won't recognize my digital camera or my scanner printer fax machine. I am thinking that an up close confrontation with a sledge hammer may be the only thing the computer will understand. Barb
PS I use toothpicks on 3 sides to to hold the potato at the depth I want it in the water.

Barb,
Thank you...so glad i am not insane in trying everything that i hear. I was told that they grow to be beautiful plants however you must keep them in water, is this true or would I be able to put it is potting soil. I did put toothpicks in mine as well.

Thanks, Char

A few years ago I took one that had sprouted on its own and planted it outside. By the end of summer it had grown into a beautiful plant above ground and even tho I dug it up too early I even had baby taters off of it. If I had started it earlier and dug it later I think I could have had some sweet potatos big enough for lunch.

Do you use the whole potato? We have some in our pantry. Now we're having lots of fun with avocados (my husband had to start one to take to work after our other one was successful), and I bet we'd get a kick out of this, too!

Don't worry, Red Princess, I try everything, too. When I was little we used to grow popcorn kernels! Now I want to try olive pits and mandarin orange/tangerines. :)

What I do is take 3 or 4 toothpicks and stick them around the center of the sweet potato so it will "hang" in the vase, allowing the roots to go down and the foliage to go up. Keep the water level just below the toothoicks. Make sure you use a BIG vase, they grow lots of water-greedy roots and the top gets heavy......a big heavy vase keeps the messes down!

K

Danak, Yes i was told to use the whole potato and do like the others said and put toothpicks in it. i cant wait till mine gets roots, I am so excited.

If anyone else knows anything bout this could you please let me know if you can plant them in potting soil. i was told that it grows into a beautiful plant...but does it also produce sweet potato's or is that a silly questions...lol

Thanks,
Char

I've got to try this one too. Thanks Char

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case5/c5hgi.html

Cheryl,

YW, hey is something else to do with plants. And thank you for the pic. i have looked on the web trying to find pics of the sweet potato and did not find anything, although i did not very hard.

I will take pics of mine and post as they progress. i think that will be interesting if we all can do that and see each other's progress....

Char

Char I am a sucker too- I will keep anything as a houseplant! I'm going to go buy a sweet potato today to try:) Ya know another fun one, is planting a shelled garlic clove. I've done that before- it's kinda stinky lol but fun. Thanks for the idea! Susanne

I just got my sweet potato in the water today.

2 weeks and still nothing new on mine. But it doesn't look bad either so I'll leave it alone for now and check it again in another week or so.

Is your house warm and do you have it where it will get some morning sun? This will speed things up.

K :~D

I see you have alot of responses to your question about growing sweet potatoes as a plant.....in the "old" days when we couldn't afford houseplants, my grandmother - in - law introduced me to sweet potatoes. I had the most beautiful one on the block! Now I still grow them and last year I had a wild idea......I put the one I had in the kitchen window in the top filter of our Koi Pond......it went crazy! And we live in Southern AZ......it lasted until frost. I have one sprouting as we "speak".......they are fun!
I love the Kachina Girl! Wish I had thought of that one!

My sweet potato is doing good, gots lots of roots on it, will take a pic and include with this. Mine has been in water since April 1st. I changed the water about every 3-4 days, I have it sitting on my counter in indirect sun..Good luck with yours Cheryl and let me know how it is doing :o)

Char

I also have these things sprouting from the top. i think they are called "eyes" that is what we call them on regular potatoe's so i am assuming that is what they are. But after i look at the picture it, they look pretty like a leaf is trying to bloom...OH MY i am so happy, I am growing one, I am growing one.... :o)

Char

Yup. Stand back, it's started! Remember to watch the water, they drink tons once the tops start to grow.

K

It's warm and bright but probably not much direct sun. I'm not changing the water either so I'll do that.

I don't think you need to change it unless it gets murky or yucky looking (technical term). Pretty soon it will drink it so fast you won't have a chance to change it. You will probably be watering it daily!

K

i just looked at my sweet potato and WOW did it grow since i took that picture a couple of days ago. It like doubled is size.Will take a pic later and post it.

Char

.......told ya! K :~D

I have a root!!!!! One white root about an inch long :)

well i told you i would take a pic..so what it is a couple days late lol...better late then never I say hehehe...this thing is growing faster then I can take a pic of it.

I just wanted to know if i could plant this is potting soil/dirt or do i have to keep it in water and find a bigger container for it. It is growing into quite a plant...I love it :o)

Char

I think it looks pretty neat like it is. got any Mr. Potatoehead pieces?

Cheryl, in less then a month it looks like this..imagine what yours will look like :o) Thinking bout getting another one and growing it....althought my sister has one that she put in water about 2 weeks before me and her's looks nothing like mine...it is twice the size of my tator and it does not have anything growing from the top or hardly any roots...i told her maybe cause it was so big and mine is just a little one. It was alittle smaller then the my hand...cant wait to see what it looks like in a couple of weeks.

Char

In just one day that one root has grown longer. This is so perfect for kids because it seems they can almost watch it grow daily (one it starts of course)

You'll probably have to move it to a bigger cup because of the size of the root mass.

I planted two sweet potatoes today in a planter. I hope they do something for me :) This is an experiment for me. I didnt' suspend them in water, I just stuck them under the dirt... Time will tell.

My mom used to have sweet potato vines spread all the way across the kitchen! They are pretty plants...

look how much it has grown since i last posted..WOW


Char :o)

Mr. Potatoehead pieces......Ha ha ha that's great! Too funny!
K

Hey All...I've been watching and reading this thread from the beginning and of course I tried the sweet-potato growing-in-water thing along w/ the rest of you. I even had an extra one of those hourglass shaped glasses for putting bulbs in (w/ water) and had used it for the sweet potato...it was perfect. The potato had been in there a few weeks, and had a couple of small roots growing down - it was doing well. Until this morning...I come down to have my morning coffee, guess where that potato was? All the way on the other side of the kitchen floor and no more roots on it either!!!! The cats had had a field day w/ it during the night. GRRRR, those pesky critters! But, at least the glass it had been in didn't get broken. Time to start over again, sigh.

had my for about three months some of the runners are around three foot

deschazkody, that is beautiful, cant wait till mine get that big...Been growing mine for about a month and it has bout 20 sprouts on it and most of them are about 4-5 inches long...love it

Thanks for sharing a pic of yours...is it planted in potting soil..cause i just took mine outta water this past weekend and put it is some.

Char :o)

That's it Kbuzz....hang it from the ceiling like Deschazkody did! Your cats will need ladders! LOL

K

I think mine is a runt. Either that or once it starts it'll never stop lol. It's been a month since I first put it in water and it has roots but it's still bald.

I think I'll have to...seems every plant I keep inside is slowly getting put on either a stand or hung. It's always "just a matter of time" before the cats get to it.
Cheryl, don't worry bout your's being a slow grower. I think mine is too, and on top of being slow, it had to start it's roots all over again after the cat mishap, lol.

Do they have their own Grass Bowl? I use a low, wide terra cotta pot and a plastic saucer. Fill the pot with soil and either get "Cat Grass" seed, or regular Perennial Rye seed, or this last time I had DH bring home a hunk of lawn sod! Grow the grass in the pot next to a window. My cat leaves all my other plants alone and prefers her "personal" plant. She does the mowing and I do the watering!

K

Kachinagirl, thanks for the suggestion. I actually did get them some a few months ago, planted 2 of those big plastic gallon sized icecream containers full of it, and they liked it a lot. It deterred them a good amount, but having 5 cats btw me and DBF, not enough! lol. Then, since it wasn't that important of a plant to me (it's only plain old grass right?), I let the watering go, and it died. I definitely need to get some more though, and will, b/c anything that helps on keeping my cats from eating plants is worthwhile :).
Katherine

Yep, 5 cats would be hard to keep ahead of!
K

Finally!!! My potato has little red nubs on top!

Has anyone ever just put the potato in dirt? I had a couple of small ones so I put them in dirt (covered up) in a pot. Haven't seen anything growing yet... You wiser than me folks out there, will they grow covered in dirt? It seems to me that that's the way to farmers do, cover the pieces in dirt...

Help, and thanks!