Sweet Potato slips?

[Jennifer L.]

I have two sweet potatoes from the store that sat on my kitchen counter for the better part of 18 months (this gives you some idea of my house keeping skills). This spring I decided to see if there was anything left to them, as the root end halves were getting kind of dried out and woody feeling, and stuck them in a glass of water. After a few weeks they started to sprout and put out roots and now the sprouts are from four to six inches long.

What do I do now? Do I break the sprouts off and put them in a new glass of water and let them grow roots? Or do I leave them on the root and just break them off of there when I plant them?

In any case, when I do plant them, do you put the majority of the slip underground and just leave a few tip leaves showing?

I've never done a thing with sweet potatoes, so any help appreciated.

Jennifer

[Backfourty,MI.]

I would plant the rooting end in the soil up to where the sprouts & leaves are coming out. I don't think I would cut anything off. Usually I order my sweet potato plants from Gurney's & they come bare root & I just plant the root end & keep the kind of dry top above the soil & they grow.
I do mound up my dirt & plant them in a hill & make sure there's NO chance of FROST still to come your way. Sweet potatoes don't like to be cold.

[Paquebot]

Twist off each sprout when it gets about 6" long. Put them in water and they will form roots. Each sprout will then be a separate slip. You could also root them in loose damp starting mix but you've only got 2 weeks to play with. Then you'll be planting them.

Martin

[Jennifer L.]

OK, thanks. I didn't think it would be too complicated but having never done a thing with them before, I wondered. I'm looking at it as this year's garden gamble.

Jennifer

[Backfourty,MI.]

That is the good thing about this forum, there are always people to help. Thanks Paquebot, I always buy my sweet potato plants & I would have planted the sprouts right on the peice of potato.

[Mutti]

Actually I've forgotten to check my slips and had them growing roots down the side of the potato --when I twisted the spout off had a already rooted plant! I always start my slips way early continuing to remove them as they get 6" or so and have actually gotten over 50 plants off one big potato! Most of the time I pot them up in the greenhouse like everything else and they do just fine one it gets warm enough to plant them out. DEE

[ceresone]

You know, in all my years of gardening, I've never started sweet potato slips?
I wasnt sure how to do it either, and since I ordered slips this year, I'm hoping to start my own next year.
Thanks for the question--and thanks for the answer.