When Darius was here she started these two in the glasses. They are lovely as plants but I would really like to split them each in half and put 3 in the ground to grow more potatoes and keep the 4th as an ornamental in a pot.
Can anyone tell me the proper way to accomplish this with no fatalities?
Thanks,
Molly
:^))))
I suggest that you bury one of the potatoes [half way between vertical and horizonal] . Cover the top of the potato leaving the leaves uncovered. Keep slightly moist and the sprouts should quickly root in about 10 days to two weeks. Then break off the sprouts at the potato body and plant in a ridge. If any shoots are extra long, consider cutting them back to 6 inches or less.
Any clipped off shoots probably would root in a jar of water in 7 days or so.
Keep the second plant for an decorative plant.
Wow! Those have really grown fast.
Indy gave you good advice, They also produce good sprouts in the glasses of water. I have never found the need to root them in the ground. When the sprouts are 6 inches or so, just pull them off and transplant them in the ground. A sligh tlist(ridge ) is recommended. IYou can also cut off lenghts of vine and transplant them. Keep the ground moist for about a week and they should take right off.
Indy and Farmerdill,
Thanks for the great advice, it sounds quite simple. But please forgive me for being such a simpleton.
A sprout is the eye, turned into a vine? If I am correct in making this assumption, then one plant has 7 vines growing out of the top of the potato in the glass. So I cut the sprout/vines off the potato and plant it? What do I do with all those nice hairy roots in there?
My apologies, although I am not a big city girl, I have basically lived my whole life in the city/burbs and never even grew a potato in a glass, not even as a little girl.
Darius and I planted regular seed pototoes but they are not now, nor have they ever been in a glass of water. They went right into the ground after we cut them in pieces.
Thank you for your patience. (Ishould probly copy and paste this phrase for future reference since I am pretty new to any serious veggie gardening).
Molly
:^)))
Sweet potatoes are roots not tubers, so "eyes" are not readily discernable like on an Irish potato. Just gently tug side ways the young plant that is growing from the top part of the root. Those lower in the water will have roots that come with it. Those higher out of the water may not show roots. No matter, they root and grow readily when placed in good earth. Don't cut, pull! The exception will be if the sprout has grown to a foot or so, If that has happened just cut in two and plant both pieces of the vine. One sweet potato will produce a dozen or more slips. Just remember these are totally different than Irish potatoes.
Molly,
Yes, the sprouts are called slips once they are removed from the potato. I always put those slips in water [2 inches] and they root in about a week. I personally prefer rooted specimens. Mine never rooted while on the potato unless they were buried. But if buried outside, they will be very healthy slips with nice rooting. All those hairy roots you see are likely fron the mother potato and they do not help root the slip.
If the weather is hot, cover the planted slips with an up-side down 4 to 6 inch plastic pot for 2 days and rewater.
Farmerdill,
Thanks so much for your help. I will do this tomorrow, remembering not to cut. Glad you told me that. Or maybe this evening. We are hoping for rain tomorrow!!!!!!
Molly
:^)))
Indy,
Thanks, I will do that. And it is hot. Hoping for that rain storm in Gainesville to make a turn and come this way.
Molly
:^)))
If you don't have enough plastic pots, Here is a trick from my youth, which I still use. Remember in those days there were not plastic pots or soiless mixes. All tranplants were grown in beds and transplanted bare root. The kids got the job of "bushing " transplants in hot dry weather. A dreaded task but not as bad as thinning corn. Basicly we were sent to the woods with our trusty Barlow pocket knives to cut small branches, which were stuck in the gound to shade the plant.
When the plant grows up through them, they are just left to be incorporated into the soil.
