The Great sweet potato experiment! 2010

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Cazzy

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #135 on: June 08, 2010, 23:24 »
And although I don't know whether there is a top and bottom to sweet potatoes, I always felt mine was upside down lol, no idea why, just a feeling.

There's a slight flat on one end where the stalk has been removed. My successful one was stalk upwards. The failure was stalk down. I tried both ways, as I thought it wouldn't make any difference, but have a suspicion I may have just proven myself wrong. I'll definitely make a point of making sure they're stalk upwards next year!

Thats interesting, i'm sure the more pointed end of mine was in the water but I couldn't say for sure now
What if the Hokey Cokey IS what its all about...

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Craig69

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #136 on: June 09, 2010, 09:04 »
Is it too late to start this now?
I have only just seen this thread & i put one the otherday in a jar of water on the windowsill to see what happened.

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Trillium

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #137 on: June 09, 2010, 16:15 »
It's too late to expect a crop this year but you'll definitely be ready by next march to pinch off a few 'slips' to pot  on, ready for planting out next May.
Sometimes the sweet potatoes can be extremely slow to sprout, other times very quick. I have the same 2 potatoes going for 2 years now and have slips already for next year.

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aelf

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #138 on: June 09, 2010, 17:04 »
can I just check with those of you who had had good results - do the slips push out their own roots? Mine have lovely shoots but no roots! the roots are just on the 'mother' plant :blink:
There's more comfrey here than you can shake a stick at!

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pairofacres

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #139 on: June 09, 2010, 21:00 »
My first shoot put out decent roots, but none of the ones which followed did. Let them grow to 2-3 inches, then twist them off. Stick them in another pot of water (Heinz baked bean snap pots are ideal !) and they should develop roots in a few days. As they do, fill the pot with soil, let them settle in for a week or so, then transplant into the ground.

I transplanted a couple at a time, covering them with a cloche and keeping them very wet until they'd "found their feet". After a week or so, they seem perfectly happy on my fairly exposed plot.

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Trillium

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #140 on: June 09, 2010, 21:43 »
I simply twist or pinch the slip off the potato and pot it directly into moist potting mix, then keep it lightly moist. Takes about 3 weeks to see little rootlets, which is after a few leaves fall off first, but more soon take their place. If the potting mix isn't moist enough, it doesn't encourage the new roots on slips.

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aelf

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #141 on: June 10, 2010, 09:40 »
Thanks guys, I'll wet-pot them on at the weekend  :)

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beanqueen

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #142 on: June 10, 2010, 19:24 »
Mine is in a bag of compost in the greenhouse and growing like mad!

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1st time veg grower

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #143 on: June 16, 2010, 11:46 »
Thanks to noshed I am in on the experiment! WOO! :D

I am hopefully going to try a range of places, if the slips all survive being potted up etc.

Looking forward to seeing what happens!

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jamima

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #144 on: June 16, 2010, 12:21 »
Wanted to grow sweet pots for yrs so gonna have a go got a old pot in veg draw so here goes ! 8)

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harry

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #145 on: June 16, 2010, 12:39 »
I cut a grow bag in half stood them on  end and planted one in each they're growing like mad. I have two more  just potted they have just started to take root.  :D ::)
Hurray finally retired
two plots now 31A and 35A

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jamima

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #146 on: June 16, 2010, 12:56 »
Oh that sounds easy i'm going along with that, will keep you posted  8)

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Trillium

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #147 on: June 16, 2010, 16:13 »
To look at the slip you snap off, you wouldn't think it would root, but they do. They just need a few weeks and you'll find a 4" pot full of roots. When I potted a few of mine as giveaways I had only 2" pots and the roots quickly burst out of that, so be aware that small containers are simply too small.  :happy:

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aelf

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #148 on: July 12, 2010, 16:56 »
Time for an update?

After weeks of waiting, I finally grew some slips from the tuber. 2 of these were cut off and later planted up. They are both now healthy-looking baby (only 3" tall) sweet potato plants which I intent to nurture over the winter and plant in tubs in my greenhouse next May/June.

It all took a lot longer than I thought but I'm determined to harvest sweet potatoes at some point  :)

How are yours doing?  :)

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pairofacres

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Re: The Great sweet potato experiment!
« Reply #149 on: July 12, 2010, 19:36 »
Mine have been loving the sun, but I can't water them as much as I'd like, as we're on a hand pumped borehole and other stuff on the plot needed watering more. In an ideal world, I'd probably give each plant a good soaking daily, but they've had to get by with a water once a week.

They're just starting to develop some decent runners, but attract the attention of the pigeons on the plot. They clearly don't like the taste, but are obviously too stupid to remember the fact and keep coming back, poking a couple of holes in the leaves then flying off again.
sweet-potato.jpg
sweet-potato2.jpg



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