Way, way back at the beginning of summer I put a sweet potato in a jar of water. I now have two sets of leaves sprouting from the sides like chits on a normal potato.
Now what do I do with them?
You pull them off and put them in a tiny glass of water until they grow roots (they are very quick) then you could plant them out in a safe place to grow on a bit.
Before the frosts, you could pot them up and keep them indoors until next year - late May works for me.
That's what I do, anyway. I've got plenty growing up sticks and I hope they are growing potatoes (I'm sure it's not a good year, though) but like you I had a few little sprouts and decided not to throw them away.
Thank you. They took so long to do anything, months and months in fact. I'll try to keep them going until next year if I can and then I'll plant them out.
Just in case there is anyone who doesn't know: about now is the time to cut off pieces of your biggest sweet potato plants - stems with leaves - and put them in jars of water to grow roots.
Then you can pot them up, keep them indoors, and have bushy plants for putting in the ground next May. No further need to try to make the potatoes themselves grow sprouts.
Watch out for a spider mite sort of thing that chewed the leaves of mine up badly last winter.
If you are going to take cuttings do the job properly. Stop messing with water and put the slips straight into compost. Trust me they will root a lot quicker in compost.
Take your choice. I rather like watching the roots growing. I've got a glass jug by the sink so I can admire it as I wash up, and when they're looking good, I put them into compost, confident that they will get away quickly.
is it time to pull these, it's getting quite cold here, can't cover them, they're everywhere, up and along ;D
one lot, back left
I'm not intending to dig mine until October half term, as they are in the big greenhouse.
:-\
thanks, saddad, will leave them a while, just firkled some for tea, wide 'fingers' at the mo ;D
just taken lots of cuttings to try to keep them over winter