Hi All,
I thought Iād do an update on my sweet potato quest.
Hang them in containers of water, let them root and produce shoots. There is a top and bottom so look for evidence of growth of either buds (top) or root nodes (bottom). If nothing is evident, leave them out in a sunny warm spot until something develops. This is one of the reasons for getting a real early start. If the slips get too long, cut them back and use the cutting to start another slip by sticking it in water to root.
Theyāll look like this after a few weeks or so.
Cut or break the shoots off below a leaf node and root in water.
Looking pretty good. They should be about a foot long when you set them out. Note the stem on the right is red not green. Itās a different variety of sweet potato. These were generic SPs so I have no variety names, sorry.
Hereās some pieces I threw in water just to see what happens.
I canāt believe how fast and sure these things root.
Hereās a piece of stem I threw in some water for a week or so. Look at those roots! Starting at the right make your cuts on the stem section between leaf nodes
Each of these will grow more roots and the leaf node will grow into a stem and become a slip for planting out. Unbelievable!
I will plant these out around the first week of June. They need heat so I canāt rush them now. I got a late start and the slips will be smaller than I would like. Weāll see how it works. Small potatoes are better than no potatoes.
Iāll keep you posted.
Pepe