The sprouted section of the sweet potato (a slip) can be removed from the sweet potato, placed in water to develop roots and then be planted. Alternatively, you can cut the section containing the slip away from the sweet potato and plant both the slip and a piece of the sweet potatoes directly into the soil.
Unlike regular potatoes, you can't just plant a whole sweet potato in the ground and expect a crop; it will rot underground. Sweet potatoes are grown from sweet potato slips. Slips are the stems and foliage that sprout from already grown sweet potatoes. Twist them off the potato, root them in water, then plant them.
Place the sweet potato in a container of water. Keep the top 1/3 of the potato exposed by placing toothpicks into the sides. The pointed end should be down in the water. In a few weeks a vine with several stems will begin to sprout.
One sweet potato, cut in half lengthwise (producing two halves each with a round base) will sprout slips. These roots, once planted in deep trenches or raised rows of soil, will each yield several sweet potatoes.
Sweet potato varieties are ready to harvest 95 to 120 days after planting in the garden. When the leaves turn slightly yellow they are usually ready to harvest. Because they have thin skins sweet potatoes are easily damaged during harvest so extra care should be taken.
Sweet potato roots continue to grow until frost kills the vines. Roots can be left in the ground for a short while; however, a hard frost can cause damage to roots near the surface. Chilling injury also results to roots when soil temperatures drop to 50°F or lower, and this can result in internal decay in storage.
It is caused by a fungus, Diplodia tubericola. It causes a dry rot of the roots. The decayed tissues, brown at first, turn black and hard. The fungus forms black protuberances on the surface of the potato.
How many sweet potatoes do you get from one plant? Typically, you'll be able to harvest 3-5 tubers per sweet potato plant, which is about 1-2 pounds. But if you live in a warmer climate, you may harvest six or more tubers per plant.
Put your slips into a glass or bowl of water with the roots submerged and leaves kept above the glass edge. New roots will emerge from each slip within a few days. When the roots are about an inch long, they are ready to plant!
If you have a sweet potato sprouting in the cupboard, it might be too far gone for dinner. However, if you plant the sprouting section, called a slip, you can grow your own sweet potatoes in just a few months time. Store-bought sweet potatoes work perfectly well and growing them is simple.
Take cuttings that are about 30 centimetres long, remove all side leaves, except from the tip. Create a slit in the soil and firmly press the soil over the cutting, leaving the tip exposed. Allow 30 centimetres between each cutting. Water them regularly and well until roots develop.
The plant reproduces in three ways: from seed, from the actual storage roots, or from the plant vines. Sweetpotato is cultivated by vegetative propagation. Growers take stem cuttings from the vines, which then root and form new storage roots.
Put a sweet potato in a jar or glass with the pointed end facing down, and fill with enough water to cover the bottom half of the tuber – use toothpicks to help hold it in place if necessary. Place it in a warm, brightly lit spot and change the water weekly. Shoots and leaves should form after a few weeks.
Soil: Sweet potato vine prefers moderately rich soil but is tolerant of different pH levels and soil types as long as soil is well-draining. Fertilizing: At the time of planting, apply a granular slow-release fertilizer according to instructions.
Newly planted sweet potato slips will need to be watered daily during their first week outside. Watering every other day during the second week will help establish plants. Once the plants are established, sweet potatoes can be watered once a week.
In about a week, if you wiggle the sweet potato, you will feel that roots are forming in the soil. Within another week or two, small sprouts will begin to grow from the top of the sweet potato. Once several sprouts have grown to 5-6 inches long, you are ready for the next step.
If your sweet potato is oozing, soft and squishy, discolored, smelly, or have a bunch of sprouts, it's time to toss. If there are only a few sprouts and the sweet potato is still firm you can cut the sprouted portion off, cook and eat right away, or you can plant it!
Place the sweet potato into the jar. Fill the jar with water leaving about 1-inch space between the water and the top of the jar. Keep the sweet potato plant in moderate to full sunlight at room temperature or above 65 degrees. Check the water levels and add more water when needed.
Sweet potato vines thrive best when a balanced slow-release 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 fertilizer is applied. Use either organic or non-organic fertilizer since this plant will not produce an edible crop.
Avoid planting zucchini and summer squash with all other vining plants which include cucumbers and sweet potatoes as well as pumpkins, winter squashes, and melons.
The best time to plant sweet potato plants is after the ground is thawed and after the last spring frost date has passed. If the ground doesn't freeze in your location, then the best time to plant is usually a month after your last spring frost date.
Serious plant losses result when heavy infection occurs immediately after transplanting. Soil rot is favored as soil pH rises above 5.2. Crop rotation, resistant or tolerant varieties and soil fumigation are means of control. Soil rot is widespread and a major disease on sweet potato.
Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable that should be kept in cool, dark place. If stored properly, they can last for several weeks. However, if they are exposed to too much light or heat, they will begin to sprout and rot.
Once all your potatoes are bagged, place them in the sunniest spot in your house. An easy tip for curing sweet potatoes is to place them in a single layer in a plastic grocery bag with holes cut in the bag for ventilation. Place them in a sunny spot in your house.