sweet potato slips

Beckygoats · #1 05/11/14, 10:43 PM

We are trying to start sweet potato slips and are quite confused. The article i read said to start cut in half, cut side down in a panof water until the plants were 6" or so tall. They showed roots dangling off each of the slips which they said just pinched off the potato. Attached is a pic of what we have. Great plant but the root is off the bottom of the potato in the pan of water, not off the plant. Anyone know what we do next?

collegeboundgal · #2 05/11/14, 11:50 PM

break off each plant individually and place in water. They will sprout roots from the bottom of the plant. Place in soil when roots are 3 or so inches.

Callieslamb · #3 05/12/14, 08:31 AM

I did some for the first time myself this year. It was slow starting, but now they are growing gangbusters. I pulled off the slips and put them in water and it was just a day or so before they were growing roots.

hickerbillywife · #4 05/12/14, 08:40 AM

Can you start these from sweet potatoes from the grocery store or do they have to be slips grown for garden planting?

agmantoo · #5 05/12/14, 09:04 AM

Grocery store potatoes will work. We start the slips under clear plastic by making a raised mound "hill' and then lay the potatoes on the hill very close to each other and then cover the potatoes will rotted saw dust. Small potatoes will create more slips. The entire mound will have small 8 to 10 inch protruding stakes of wood inserted into the mound and the plastic covering the mound. The perimeter of the plastic will be held in place using dirt as an edge covering. The soil will warm quickly and the plastic will keep the area moist and within a matter of days sprouts/slips will form. After the sprouts form over the next few days the plastic is removed to harden off the new sprouts prior tp transplanting.

Beckygoats · #6 05/12/14, 09:44 AM

Thank you all for your help! Can't wait to eat those yummy taters this fall.

FarmboyBill · #7 05/12/14, 04:04 PM

Should you wash store bought STs before trying to get slips off of them?

o&itw · #8 05/12/14, 06:56 PM

Next year, lay them down on their sides and barely cover them with sand or potting soil. The reason your slips don't have any roots on them, is because the bottoms are up in the air.

If you lay them over on their sides now with the bottom of the stems below the water or potting soil line they will sprout roots at the base.

As it has been said, you can stick the tops in water and they will grow roots, but it is easier if they grow them as the foliage comes up. Also, if you lay them on the side, and cover them, they will eventually have sprouts coming out on other places on the potato then just the original stem end, although they will always sprout best their.

When mine sprout (laid sideways and covered in potting soil) I can keep pulling rooted sprouts off the end and latter on off the whole plant. Don't worry about the first slips being a lot farther along than the others, they don't usually take off until it gets really hot, and the others will catch up.