Growing Sweet potatoes from tubers

[veggiechicken]

What an exciting life that woman must lead Are the roots coming off the shoots as well as off the belly of the SP?

[Bigmallly]

I have no idea but I'm gonna start leading an exciting life & try it for myself...........

[veggiechicken]

Got yer video camera handy?

[BarleySugar]

I potted up the whole tubers (see post13), but they were only small to begin with. The shoots grew, then rooted from the stem. I didn't take them off the tubers until the shoot had a good system of roots. The tuber itself didn't really throw any roots. I noticed Homebase had plants in today, and mine are quite a bit bigger than those, so I'll see whether I get any decent ones this year. If not, I probably won't bother again.

[Bigmallly]

Just thought I would reignite this thread incase anyone else fancied joining in. The whole SP in the glass was started on July 5th & the half SP in the tub was started on July 12th. The whole SP appears to have just 2 roots approx 2' long with hundeds of tiny rootlets..........coming off them whereas the half SP has about 6 smaller roots.

[veggiechicken]

Wow, BM!! They're impressive!! I have 2 lots potted up in the GH and 2 more new SPs in water. One on its belly, although I make it turn turtle daily, and the other in 2 halves. Nothing yet... although there just might be some little white roots starting.......

[veggiechicken]

I went into a polytunnel yesterday with a sweet potato bed at least 8'x8'. The SPs covered the ground completely and were about 1' high, not an inch of soil to be seen between them. Maybe something to consider when planting them out next year (I hope)
I wonder whether they could be grow around beans or sweetcorn? In fact whether they can be grown outside at all?

[Feral007]

Might be time for me to start chopping the ends off SP's then. Love eating them, and the seed place I like has sold out of them and won't have them in again till next year......prob because the beggars are so hard to get going by the sounds of it.

[veggiechicken]

Update - I have 3 sweet potato plants growing in pots from the 4 halves started at the beginning of the year. Of the latest batch, I've tried two on their bellies in water and both have rotted - won't try that again. The pointed end of the halved SP is starting to root but not the round end.
AND I've just bought some white flesh, red skinned SPs grown in Honduras from Morrisons. They're next up for the experiment

[Ananke]

The one I started in a glass of water is now in my greenhouse border and the slips are about 2ft high. I had removed 3 slips a few weeks ago and potted them up, those ones are about 6 inches high.

Soooo, i'm thinking no sweet potatoes this year but i'm going to keep potting on the slips and try and get an early start with them in the greenhouse next year.

Veggiechicken, I watched a trial last year on youtube, (i'll try and find a link for you) I'm not sure where the girl was based but it was in the UK and the ones planted outside didn't fare too well above or below ground, the ones in the tunnel/GH border done much better, the ones in large containers in the GH had plenty top growth but not as many or as big tubers as the border ones. Definately worthwhile doing your own trials though.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Ananke. Did you just take the slips off and put them in water?
My greenhouses are on concrete so I don't really have a border of soil - its about 4" deep, just enough to sit pots on and grow a few salad leaves. Maybe I can rig up a mini tunnel for them?
Fun, innit!!

[Ananke]

I just took 3 slips off and put them in pots of MPC, I had read that putting them in water was the way to go but I didn't have any jars etc at the plot. Seems to have worked as they have nice new leaves on them.

You could easily make protection for them. There is a guy on here who puts videos up of his plot and he had BNS growing in a bed which had a perspex frame around it, the tops were hinged so they could be propped open to let air in. I was thinking of trying that next year for the sweet potatoes. Sorry, I don't remember his name but his plot was to die for. Maybe you know who he is?

[veggiechicken]

Maybe I'll take a couple of slips off my largest SP and see what happens. They're about 9" tall. Nothing ventured........I don[t know who you mean with the BNS but shouldn't be too difficult to track down.
Right folks, I'm away to my bed for an hour, then I may be back!!!

[veggiechicken]

Just bumping this again, as its a year since I started sprouting Sweet potatoes. Wondered how everyone else got on with them and whether anyone is going to try growing them this year.

[MartinRSharpe]

I have a few plants from the foliage off last years plants. Just took cuttings before digging up, dipped in a bit of rooting gel and left in water. When the roots had grown a bit transferred to 2L bottles with the top cut off and filled with MPC.