Cross posting from Plant Trades - sorry!
I know that most of you live in US but i was wondering if there are any brave souls who would be interested in sending tubers of Ipomoea batatas (any of them) to me in Spain.
It would be easier for a European but I don't know how common they are in the EU. Where ever you live, I would be interested in doing a trade of some kind. Please D-mail me if you are up for this. Lizzy
Ipomoea batatas
Is that sweet potato? I remember its something you can eat but not completely sure!
Mike
Yep! I would be interested in the ornamental rather than the food types as I think I could raise some plants from supermarket ones. Anyone had success doing this? I'm going to give it a go anywhay!
I have some but right now it is into winter and they are pretty sad looking. I don't know if they actually develop a tuber, but they are easily propagated by cuttings. I took some cuttings off of my ones in the garden before it froze, and brought them inside. Once they get going in the spring I would be glad to send you cuttings to root,
Beth
B1ZZYL1ZZY,
Did you get your tubers?
Hi Dale
I did receive some Blackie tubers but they seem very reluctant to sprout.. We have been getting some really cold and wet weather here in Spain so that might be the reason. Most of them have rotted or withered at one end and I am worried that it will spread. There seems to be very little good firm flesh left on them. Should I cut off the withered parts?
Inexplicably, the tubers of edible sweet potato which I bought from the market have been sprouting for months...no idea why they should be any different.
When I have a bad tuber I gently wash away the soft parts and let the remainder dry. Then I soak in peroxide for a couple hours, after they have dried for a couple days. Then replant in fresh soil. You might want to wait until the weather is warmer to replant. These sweet potatos should not be started in water, like the edible kinds are.
Good luck.
I discovered yesterday that the tubers were pappy and useless inside. I kept them overwintered indoors. Bloody shame as a lot of effort was taken to send them all this way from the USA. We are now well into spring and getting some warm days. Still cool at night though.
Do you think cuttings would survive the trip? Could we mail small plants? Mine aren't big enough to have tubers...but I could take cuttings. I don't know if there are customs regulations about shipping plants with soil.
Beth, I have sent plants, bulbs and cuttings to the EU. Well rooted cuttings should make the trip. Try not to send soil. My best success has been to gently wash all the soil off, leaving as many roots as possible, then into a zip lock. It is a good to remove all but 3 leaves and not send active growth. I send them in tubes labelled 'poster'
Sorry guys...missed your replies as I have been off line for a bit. I really don't know if cuttings would survive the trip. It depends how well rooted and how well packed they are. Dale - do you think they would be the kind of plant to travel well? It would be lovely to have just one plant - I would treat it like a queen and let it develop into propagating material itselfLOL
I had once an unrooted cutting sent to me from Mitjo in Finland. The cutting did not only survive the trip down to South America, but is now mother of many Fuchsia-babies.
Good luck and Happy Gardening!
B1ZZY L1ZZY, I think rooted cuttings would survive without leaves. As long as they get there within 7-10 days. I have had cuttings lose all their leaves and still live long and prosperous lives.
Let me see if I can find you a small tuber. This is not a good time of year, they are growing very fast and usually the tubers are huge. Fall is when you can find a small fresh starter tuber. I will check and see if I can find a stem that is starting to root.
What color leaf are you looking for?
Hi Dale that is so nice of you. I don't really mind what colour - whatever you can find would be great! When it gets near the time let me know and I will d-mail you with my addy.
Lizzy,
I was at one of my suppliers yesterday, looking around the fringe of their waste piles. The plants they toss because they didn't sell are often put in a pile, to save on disposal costs. After digging around I found a couple tubers for ornamental sweet potato. I got 3 small (shipping size) tubers in two colors, one is 'Margarita', the other is 'Blackie' see http://davesgarden.com/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=sweet+potato+vine&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search I will post them this week (today is Sun).
In your address the words 'Valls Planets' appear, what does that mean?
Here is Margarita, top of the pot>
Hi Lizzy,
Pleased you found someone with tubers rather than the little plants i tried to send.
As a back up i'm growing the ones i didn't send to see if they make tubers.
I only have a couple of each types and they are only little babies!.
Good luck
Mike
Hi Dale
Sorry I didn't check in sooner about this. What fantastic luck to find those tubers - you are ACE! Mararita and Blackie are top of my wish list!!!
I will d-mail you my address if you don't have it. Valls means valley and Planets means little plain - so "little plain in a valley" it's just an area of Javea and it is Valenciano which is a local dialect in this part of Spain. Wish you didn't ask now???;)
Mike - it was not your fault about those plants...our little post lady didn't do them any favours, I reckon!!!!
Got your address, will post them in the morning.
Thank you so much Dale. Is there anything you really would like from Spain? You only need to ask.....Lizzy
No probs.. thats life!