Sweet Potato Vine Experiment

I found an experiment online.. Putting sweet potatoes in water to grow vines. 3 pototoes/Jars/toothpicks... It has been over a month... They sprouted roots some time ago.. Fact is the jars are full of roots trying to come out of the jars.. but STILL no sprouts from the top of the potato. and Yes, the potatoes were some I bought at the grocery. I'm wondering if I should have gotten them from the Farmers Market or a fruit stand.

Since the roots are present and very wild. I'm am thinking of just potting them up and placing the pot in my bed that I already have Sweet Potato/Blackie in, right out in the sun. What do you think?

Daisylovn, How are you doing with your SP? I am not sure that your SP will sprout some of the SP in the stores are treated so they won't sprout. You have a great opportunity with your Blackie OSP for next year. There are several threads over in Propagation Forum on starting OSP from potatoes that your OSP may make this summer. Just dig them up this fall and save them for next year. It's very easy to do and I get tons of sprouts that turn into great plants. Here is a pic of some of my starters from earlier this this spring and a link to one of the threads on starting them.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/809595/

Thanks HollyAnn,

I did go ahead and pot two of them up.. the 3rd one was rotting so I tossed it.
The very next day I noticed a sprout above the soil. They have been growing each day but they seem to be "slow growers" in comparision to my other types of Sweet Potatoe vines. I assume it is due to the treatment you mentioned possible.

My Blackie grows like a weed. Just a very attractive weed. lol

Fortunately in my zone I don't have to dig them up.. they just come back next year! : )

This message was edited Jul 28, 2010 8:29 AM

LOL Didn't think of that with you in a much warmer Zone. They would be perennials for you.

I had one from the grocery that I started during the fall of 2010. It was slow going, and I thought that it might have growth inhibitors, also. It sat for a month in water with toothpicks as you described. Since it hadn't rotted, eventually I started rinsing it in tepid wate every day - within a week it had root nubbies popping out and a week later, it's first tiny leaves... but what worries me is, if it DID have growth inhibitors, then what did the ones I ate do to me?!