Going to try to grow sweet potatoes this year.

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Laurie19 Caledonia, OH(Zone 5a) Apr 12, 2008

The thing is, i've heard a few ways to get them started. The one way I decided to do it was with slips. I read on the internet that you put them in a cup wait for them to take root and get a few leaves and then pinch or cut the stalks off the top, and then plant them in may. I just want to know if there is anything wrong with what I am going to do?

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Apr 12, 2008

Are you growing your own slips? Personally I just plant the slips in the ground, water the plant and get out of thier way. As someone said in another thread, roots are nice, but I have never noticed any difference in the long run between a rooted, non rooted slip, or even a vine cutting. Those things are tough. If you are growing your slips, just pull them off the potato when they are six inches or so long and plant them. Note sweet potatoes do better on a slightly elevated list than on flat ground.

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Laurie19 Caledonia, OH(Zone 5a) Apr 12, 2008

thanks its sort of an experament to see if I can do it, and if it doesn't work this time, I'll keep trying
Laurie

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lizday Lethbridge, Australia Apr 17, 2008

Hi , from my experience, we tried what you are doing but was not successful. Told by a New Zealand farmer to just plant the whole sweet potato, water well, and wait. Once the warm weather came I had about 15 shoots per sweet potato- takes a while, I had nearly given up.. I then lifted the potato, cut off the plants carefully, replanted. They all grew. He also told us that the Kiwi growers just keep tipping the wandering vine part back on top of itself. Last year I did this and got heaps of sweet potatoes, one was 1.9 kilos! We grew them in a very deep mulch area - previously had years of gum tree mulch and added some multi fertilizer.

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Laurie19 Caledonia, OH(Zone 5a) Apr 21, 2008

I had thought about doing that, the thing is I started one in water as a fun experiment, and it grew so I wanted to have more than one sweet potato so i started a few more and so I'm going to plant them. I was told that the potato would rot if you planted it in soil, but I dont see how if it has roots and I dont over water it. if I am wrong some one please tell me
Thanks, Laurie

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Apr 21, 2008

It does not make any difference whether you start them in soil, sand or in water as long as pull the slips and replant them. Soil of course needs to be warm or they will rot. You can can plant the whole potato, but then you would just have a mass of crowded plants. Ok for ornamentals, but not good for production of edible roots.

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