Topic: We have roots!!!

[French-Dream]

I pop a sweet potato into a jar of water and left it in the kitchen window about 2 weeks back.....checked it a few times...nothing, until this morning....we have roots 

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[okra]

Great start 

[alkanet]

you are, erm, familiar with Invasion of the Body Snatchers??

[goodlife]

Yes...I can see the likeness...

[French-Dream]

Brilliant....

You've got me worried now......

[French-Dream]

First we had roots.................

Now we have Shoots....    about 6 slips so far.

[goodlife]

 ....and those shoots are almost ready for peeling off and going into compost to root. All those little pumps/eyes will produce for you more and more potential new plants....

...invasion of slips.....

[jimc]

You gardeners over there have almost caught up to me with sweet potato or kumera here down under. I just leave some tubers to over winter in the ground and depending how big the frosts get, -6C not too bad but -9C does cause rot in the upper parts of the tuber.
Our season is fairly late because the soil doesn't warm up too early and slips don't start to show until the beginning of November. As a result I have only had my slips planted for 3-4 weeks when about 200-300 mm long but I would rather 600mm long to curl them up at the planting point.
At the moment most are starting to run.

[French-Dream]

....and those shoots are almost ready for peeling off and going into compost to root.
...invasion of slips.....

I've seen somewhere that when you take the slip of you put them into water also until they have a good root system, then plant on??
Do you plant into compost straight away then Goodlife???

[goodlife]

Do you plant into compost straight away then Goodlife???

Yep...that's what I've done...just sieved multipurpose compost, planted individually in small pots to root and with help of gentle heat in propagator, they've rooted just fine.
I bet you could do same in sand, water, vermiculate..as long as there is moisture.

[laurieuk]

We used to have a member who bought single potatoes of new varieties, took each eye out and grew them, he once  put up 20 plates of show potatoes at our local show all different varieties .

[Digeroo]

20 plates of show potatoes

  Were these sweet potatoes?

[Plot22]

I bought T&M slips this year. I did not take the growing tips out because T&M do not tell you to. Hence the crop was ok but totally not cost effective. I currently have 1 of my own sweet potatoes in a glass producing 10 plus slips. I intend to give it a whirl by buying some from the supermarket and try to produce with those. Not wishing to drop names but I have looked at all the supermarkets to see which is best and concluded that Sainsburys have the most choice. No I don't work for Sainsburys as I have just retired from Asda. They may or may not grow only a couple of quid lost but certainly to purchase slips is not cost effective but they did taste delicious.

[Robert_Brenchley]

On the other hand, once you've got the bought variety, it should be possible to maintain it permanently by growing slips from your own potatoes. It would be worth trying both to see whether market varieties do as well.

[pumkinlover]

I bought T&M slips this year. I did not take the growing tips out because T&M do not tell you to. Hence the crop was ok but totally not cost effective. I currently have 1 of my own sweet potatoes in a glass producing 10 plus slips. I intend to give it a whirl by buying some from the supermarket and try to produce with those. Not wishing to drop names but I have looked at all the supermarkets to see which is best and concluded that Sainsburys have the most choice. No I don't work for Sainsburys as I have just retired from Asda. They may or may not grow only a couple of quid lost but certainly to purchase slips is not cost effective but they did taste delicious.

 I didn't know that you should pinch them out either till I read it on here.
Saintsbury's taste the difference sweet potatoes are really nice.

[jimc]

The way I grow my sweet potatoes is the same as my grandfather did after he emigrated to Australia in 1907, then followed by my father. Not sure if he bought the sweet potato growing method with him or he learnt from others after he arrived.
I have a nursery site (bigger for commercial growers) of just a couple of tubers in one corner of the garden where I have left them in the ground from last season. Frosts play havoc if it goes below -6C which causes rot to set in in the upper parts of the tuber. Unless the whole tuber is destroyed the portion left deeper in the ground will most likely shoot later.
Depending on how early or late the season is going, I usually have slips growing in the last month of spring. Unfortunately this year it was a bit slow because of a lot of low night time temperatures so by the first day of summer I still only had slips about 200mm long. best is for 600mm slips. Anyway I was panicking because unless I can get them in by the first day of summer the growth period is reduced by early frosts in mid autumn, which slows their growth because the onset of real frosty weather doesn't usually start until after the first day of winter.
So my method of growing is as my grandfather used to: dig out a slight depression in the ground then twirl the long slip around in ever increasing circles until you reach the end. Neatly drag soil back over the slip covering the stem and leaving exposed each leaf and the growing tip at the end.  If you only have short slips just bury them in a straight line overlapping the next one beside the former again leaving the leaves and growing tip exposed to light.
The results: at each leaf node there will be a tuber forming root  so all your harvest should be in one place or in one line.
Works for this third generation anyway.

[goodlife]

Oo...that tip is something I need to put in test...I wonder if that would solve my issue with lack of SW?!
I've never had issues to get slips...nor getting them to root.
So...next time I trial them...I need to  start earlier and get them in earlier (which can be challenge in UK)...let them grow longer...plant shallow and burying most of the stem(s) length.
Once this Christmas  hassle is over...I'll be heading to supermarket to get myself 'starter'...

[kGarden]

I currently have 1 of my own sweet potatoes in a glass producing 10 plus slips. I intend to give it a whirl by buying some from the supermarket and try to produce with those.

I think part of the issue is if (and maybe it is commonplace??) tubers are treated to stop then sprouting - that makes supermarket ones much harder to get to sprout, so I would expect you to have much more success with you home-saved one :)

[French-Dream]

This SP is from a supermarket a few weeks back.....maybe I'm just lucky...I'm thinking of have another go then I'll have some spare slips to pass on to anyone on our allotments.

[goodlife]

I currently have 1 of my own sweet potatoes in a glass producing 10 plus slips. I intend to give it a whirl by buying some from the supermarket and try to produce with those.

I think part of the issue is if (and maybe it is commonplace??) tubers are treated to stop then sprouting - that makes supermarket ones much harder to get to sprout, so I would expect you to have much more success with you home-saved one :)

Yes, that treatment is 'bugger' to get rid of. First few tubers that I tried to sprout took months and months before the eyes started to 'open'. Then I started to soak the potatoes ( few days at the time and with few water changes during that time) and gave them good wash with soapy water before putting the potatoes into heated propagator on wet surface... ...it certainly helped and after that the sprouting has been quicker process than without the soak and wash.