[johnfh]

Many thanks Trillium - you are a star!   

[Trillium]

Rainie, the 7" stem is fine. It'll seem a bit leggy for a while but will soon split and bulk up.

For everyone ready to set them outside when it's warmer - do be sure to slowly harden them off as you would anything else, but try to keep them sheltered and warm rather than in open cold as you do so. I wouldn't recommend hardening them under a cloche as those can get hot unless you're ventilating at the same time.

[dig4victory]

Ah-oh!    Nothing doing in the sprout region of my potties yet but I have noticed a green growth on the bottom of the jar - do you think I should dump this spud?

Does anyone change the growing water at any time?

My jars are on the kitchen windowsill.

Thanks 

[Trillium]

I haven't changed my potato water at all, mostly because much of it evaporates and I need to top up. Rooty bits at the bottom is a good sign that you'll soon see sprouts. If it looks more like green slime, then carefully rinse everything off and keep trying. Wouldn't hurt to try another potato. If Jay can get sprouts in 3 weeks......

[JayG]

If Jay can get sprouts in 3 weeks......

They've come on quite well since I last showed you my tiny chits! The two on the left have been potted up for about a week and are hopefully rooting, "mummy" potato is on the right.

I'm planning on growing 1 per old compost bag (black side out to absorb more heat?) filled with a spent compost/growmore mix to about 18-24" and placed against the south-facing wall of my house in late May/early June .

(Trillium: it's a plan, but is it a good one in your opinion?) 

[dig4victory]

Thanks, I'll rinse off and try with fresh water again.

My pots have a covering of white, very fluffy looking rooty bits(?) where they are under the water.  I'll keep looking for any sprouts.

P'raps my pots are extra stubborn 

[JayG]

Thanks, I'll rinse off and try with fresh water again.

My pots have a covering of white, very fluffy looking rooty bits(?) where they are under the water.  I'll keep looking for any sprouts.

P'raps my pots are extra stubborn 

I had heard that supermarket tubers might have been treated with an anti-sprouting chemical so I soaked mine overnight in a bucket of water first (not claiming it will work but it might be worth a try!) 

[rainie]

Just a quickie to mention the plant i have potted up in new compost. It has tiny beads on it, not clear, not white, opaque maybe? They look like the size of grains of sugar but oval in shape, each separate from each other. On stem and leaves, underside and topside. Same on a chit still attched to the potato. Are these dreaded whitefly eggs or something? I can take a photo but unsure when i will have time to post it.
Compost is shop bought this year, came from the gh but nothing in there has these'attachments'.

  Didnt know how much i had grown to love my sweet potato chits. dont want them to be poorly.


modified to add... have been on google, found greenhouse whitefly. As my leaves have the shiny surface too,i think i need to rid the plants of the whitefly. Shall i get ayellow sticky thing from the shed and put it near the plants on the window sill? Shall i wash the plants with mild soapy water?

On a good note (i think) i have roots growing from where the leaf joins the stem. Do i allow these to grow down into the soil?

[JayG]

Has anyone planted out their rooted chits/shoots into their final growing location yet?

The reason I'm asking is that my plants (reply #64 in this thread) have rooted so quickly they are now showing signs of becoming root-bound in their 5" pots and look like they are about to take off across the kitchen (slightly scary!) 

Remembering Trillium's very helpful threads over the last year or so I think it is way too early to put them outside although I do have a (cold) greenhouse.....................

[Kristen]

Am I too late?

I only put mine half-in beakers of water about 3 weeks ago, maybe 4. I still have no roots, but today I can see some tiny chits

I expect mine were sprayed with "Don't Sprout" at the Supermarket Probably should have soaked in a bucket of water for a couple of days

[JayG]

Am I too late?

I only put mine half-in beakers of water about 3 weeks ago, maybe 4. I still have no roots, but today I can see some tiny chits

I expect mine were sprayed with "Don't Sprout" at the Supermarket Probably should have soaked in a bucket of water for a couple of days

If yours grow at the rate that mine did I think your timing could turn out to be better than mine (don't really want to clutter up the greenhouse with them but from what I gather it's still way too early to risk them outside, even in a very sheltered spot.)

[mumofstig]

I expect mine were sprayed with "Don't Sprout" at the Supermarket Probably should have soaked in a bucket of water for a couple of days

I did that and mine just went mouldy...........next year I'll try to find organic ones!

[Trillium]

If your sprouts are outgrowing your pot, Jay, then repot into larger pots as it really is still too iffy to plant outside. And a cool greenhouse will only slow them down. Remember, these are not related to our regular potatoes.

If you plan to use grow bags, make them as large as you can because the roots do need a lot of space, not to mention the large top growth to shade the root area. Unlike squashes, you don't want to trim any sweet potato top growth.

As for no-sprout, my new tubers this year still haven't done a thing after a month and a half so I'm glad I still have the tubers going from last year and I'll snap off those. At times sweet potatoes can be a real trial 

For those who still don't have any roots at the bottom of their potatoes, change the water from time to time and carefully rinse the potato bottom. You'll usually see chits after the bottom roots appear, and if your potatoes are slow, then these might be your sprouts for next year. Some mail order places will offer sprouts ready to go so it's another option if you're keen to grow them this year and have no luck with your own.

[SusieB]

B and Q have pot grown Beauregard plants; they are much more advanced than the mail-order ones I have had previously.

My sweet potato has been in water since january and is only now showing a few roots.  I reckon any sprouts will be too late to have a good long growing season.  I was pleased to see the b and q ones, but they are not cheap at £2.98 each. 

Can I take a cutting (or 2) from this plant, or would it be better to bite the money bullet and pay for a couple more??

And, can anyone tell me how many plants to a normal size grow bag?  Or is it better to plant in a pot?  I want to grow it/them in my greenhouse, and the soil in the ground is very poor.

Many thanks for any advice.

[Trillium]

The tuber I started this year is dead slow at starting up as well so you're not the only one.

I'm not sure what you want to take a cutting from. Unless there are actual sprouts, there is nothing you can propagate.

When we do take off sprouts, its usual to start them in pots as this will help start them off early. Once they're a reasonable size, they can either be put into grow bags, one plant per bag, or into really large pots, one per pot. The resulting tubers from each plant can be quite numerous if they get the right conditions: good soil, lots of sun, regular watering, and 4 months of warmth. Inside a greenhouse or hoophouse/cloche will help a lot. What many people don't realize is that the top growth is also quite massive and shouldn't be trimmed back.