Potato plants from shoots

[lillian]

Is is to late to pot up excess potato shoots from my seed potatoes?

[lillian]

[cornykev]

I'm not too sure what you mean.  ???   :-\        ;D ;D ;D

[:(]

Do you mean sweet potatoes? To propogate them you pull off the shoots that grow out of the potato and pot them up then plant out when the weathers ok. Ive never heard it being done with ordinary potatoes though. With them you plant the whole potato with the shoots in the ground or in contaners. Its not too late to plant seed potatoes, most people are just starting to get them in the ground around now.

[lillian]

I mean ordinary potatoes. You take the excess shoots off your chitted potatoes and pot them up, as with the sweet potatoes.  Just not sure if I should have done it earlier, any way I'm going to give it ago.

[electric landlady]

I'm not sure if that would work, cos I believe the shoots draw nourishment from the seed potato itself in order to do their first bit of growing so if you pulled them off they might just die. I think they would grow better if you left them on the potato and planted the whole lot. But please give it a go and if it works tell us!

[cornykev]

As EL says the shoots need the seed to feed, cut them in half by all means but I don't think it will work, but good luck and I will watch this posting with interest, queue Tattieman.    ;D ;D ;D

[star]

Many moons ago when cash was tight. I used to cut larger seed potatoes in half with eyes / shoots on both halves. They grew ok......not sure if I got any more spuds though ;)

[lillian]

It's like a dream, but I sure Bob Flowerdew mentioned it on a garden programme years ago and
potato peelings in compost heaps have no trouble producing a crop.

[Robert_Brenchley]

If it works for sweet potatoes, it's hard to see why it can't work for the normal sort. Try it and see.

[Palustris]

Many years ago that is exactly how potatoes were distributed around America, when they were sent by post, in small tubes. Not done any more though.
Edited to add. Just found a piece on it in  an old book You use one of those old potato peelers which can be used to remove the 'eye' from a potato. You slip it gently over the shoot and remove that and the 'eye' and a piece of the old spud, making sure that you get the base of the shoot out cleanly as this is where the roots come from. This piece is then potted up into compost and grown on before planting out in the normal way. Often done for competitions where the weight of potato from a single tuber is calculated for the prize. Never tried it mesen though.

[lillian]

Just found in one of Bob's books that if you want to grow fewer and larger tubers remove nearly all shoots leaving one or two at the rose end(don't know what the rose end is). These rubbed off shoots  can be potted up and grown  on under protection for planting out later on.

I like Bob ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

The rose end is the end most of the shoots come from. At the other end there's often a bit of withered root. It's hard to see on some varieties, obvious on others.

[Tee Gee]

I have never tried it but I see no reason why it shouldn't work!

Just like any tip cutting I suppose.

Then there are the scientists who cut off microspic pieces place them on culture trays, root them and grow them on to raise new cultivars.

Seem to remember a few years ago you could buy potato plants in 3" pots. I guess these were done in culture trays rather than tip cuttings.

Then I know that a few here on A4A root tomato sideshoots and grow them on.....whats the difference?

Very interesting!!

[Tattieman]

The eye of the potato is what produces the chit. The chit then produces roots which are the start of the potato plant so if you cut the eyes out and plant them then they will produce a crop. The actual potato can then be eaten. Potatoes are remarkable things. During the world wars they used to peel the potatoes and plant the skins to produce crops.