Growing Sweet Potato Slips

[hopalong]

I'm trying to grow slips by the "suspend a sweet potato over water using cocktail sticks" method but am not quite sure what to do and haven't managed to find Eristic's (?) useful photos on this in an earlier thread.

Should the more pointed end be facing downwards? Problem is that it's hard to tell which end is which and there's nothing resembling an "eye" yet.  Sorry to be so dumb....

[hopalong]

[telboy]

hopalong,
tried last year with 'tesco jobies' - complete waste of time. Would really like to have a go again - this summer could be a winner!!!!

[grannyjanny]

I read somewhere it was the pointed end but left a message on here. I had a potato with a very pointed end but the rounded end had roots on so it is that end I have in the water. I bought organic ones from the supermarket. I think the thing you are looking for is on wiki under newbies.
Janet

[Eristic]

Here you go:

Sweet potatoes

Personally I do not agree with torturing the tuber and find the softly softly approach gives better results. As to which way up, some are more obvious than others but when it is obvious that it is upside down it is a simple matter to turn it around.

[manicscousers]

as I understand it, there is no root end, the tubers swell on the roots, I just cut one in half, put the pointy end of each in the water with cocktail sticks through the middle  ??? does that make sense ?
sorry, I was going to post a pic but my subs seem to have ran out  :-\

[soliphant]

I wanted to grow these but it sounds as though its a bit more complicated than the usual potatoes.

Maybe i need to do a lot of research.

[ceres]

I've found that the sharply pointed end is usually the top.  The potatoes underground are attached to the main roots by a very thin root to the pointed end.  The blunter end is usually where the tapering tail of the tuber has been lopped off when harvested.  But it doesn't really matter if you get it wrong.  I did one year and the slips start growing in the water so just turn it the other way up.  To get them going fast, you need around one third to one half the potato in the water.

When the slips are a few inches long, gently peel them off the potato with a small heel of skin attached and pop them in a glass of water and they'll root very quickly.  You can then pot them on.

Edited to add - they need a long growing season which is why getting them going quickly is important.

[hopalong]

Many thanks, as always, for these very helpful replies.  I think I'll try both the "torture" and the "softly softly" method.  I'm sure I'll get slips one way or the other.

[Plot69]

Here you go:

Sweet potatoes

I put mine in a jar a month ago. Quoting directly from that site...

Now the really hard bit. You have to wait. And wait. And sometimes wait even longer.

Nothing is happening yet so what I'd like to know is, am I still in the first wait period, the second wait period and roughly how long have I got to go until I reach the final waiting stage?

[Mushy Pea]

Hi Folks,

We tried this last year but it took too long for the slips to grow.  :(



This is as far as ours has got to. It is still just the same. We kept it going over the winter & will try again taking the slips of later this year.  ;)


MP

[ceres]

They really don't take long.  Mine have been set up for 4 weeks and I have lots of roots and the slips have started forming.

[Mushy Pea]

I wonder whether the type of sweet potato matters.

Ours was a "Tesco" one probably from South America and it may be a tad cold up here in the North East for it.  :o

MP

[ceres]

Last year I used a Tesco one too.  I've had best success putting them on a warm sunny windowsill.

[debster]

one of mine has got long roots and the first slip growing
;D