Post by macmex on Jan 16, 2015 9:33:07 GMT -6
Glen wrote:
I have a question about starting sweet potato's. I have plenty of sweet potato's growing in the back yard now. Is there any advantage in using my seed potato since I have slips growing already? I have plenty of seed potato. But, since I grow sweet potato's year around, do I ever need to use them? Do the existing slips ever get tired? Or, can they indefinitely be used? I plant in sections. Every time I dig a section, I have been replanting. I am asking this question because at first, I had no seed potato. Now I have plenty. If I don't need them I will just sell them in the market. People here will just buy em up. Also, I have several large White potato's. Can I just cut them up into peices and grow new vines? Or should I lay them in soil like George did in his fancy photo and cut slips? My first slips came from a single potato, grown in a small ornamental pot. I am looking for the easiest way to do things. Thanx
Read more: seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/19/sweet-potatoes?page=2#ixzz3OzwlnBco
Glen, here are my two cents. If I had vines growing year round, I would almost never start slips from roots. I would simply cut a slip from an existing vine when I needed it. By the way a “slip” is just a cutting. As I understand it, using stem material to start new plants is much less likely to transmit disease or pests, than is using a piece of root.
Now,when I gardened in Mexico, one of my Mexican friends insisted that it was better just to dig the plant, harvest the roots and stick the plant back in the ground to let it grow new roots. We even had a bit of a competition, as I said that starting with new slips would be better, and that one ought to move their sweet potato planting's location, from year to year. He did it his way, and I did it mine. I got a consistently good crop and he got roots with lots of bugs and holes. He changed over to my way. In tropical or sub tropical areas rotation is even more important that in temperate areas.
In regard to the white sweet potatoes, if you have no active vines, then I'd recommend that you plant a whole root, somewhere, as a nursery to get more slips. Then pull slips and plant them where you want to grow the white sweet potatoes. But I would yank the nursery plant once you have the necessary slips. Planting roots or pieces of roots is an opportunity for pests. It's better to take precautions than eventually have to try and get rid of an infestation.
I have a question about starting sweet potato's. I have plenty of sweet potato's growing in the back yard now. Is there any advantage in using my seed potato since I have slips growing already? I have plenty of seed potato. But, since I grow sweet potato's year around, do I ever need to use them? Do the existing slips ever get tired? Or, can they indefinitely be used? I plant in sections. Every time I dig a section, I have been replanting. I am asking this question because at first, I had no seed potato. Now I have plenty. If I don't need them I will just sell them in the market. People here will just buy em up. Also, I have several large White potato's. Can I just cut them up into peices and grow new vines? Or should I lay them in soil like George did in his fancy photo and cut slips? My first slips came from a single potato, grown in a small ornamental pot. I am looking for the easiest way to do things. Thanx
Read more: seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/19/sweet-potatoes?page=2#ixzz3OzwlnBco
Glen, here are my two cents. If I had vines growing year round, I would almost never start slips from roots. I would simply cut a slip from an existing vine when I needed it. By the way a “slip” is just a cutting. As I understand it, using stem material to start new plants is much less likely to transmit disease or pests, than is using a piece of root.
Now,when I gardened in Mexico, one of my Mexican friends insisted that it was better just to dig the plant, harvest the roots and stick the plant back in the ground to let it grow new roots. We even had a bit of a competition, as I said that starting with new slips would be better, and that one ought to move their sweet potato planting's location, from year to year. He did it his way, and I did it mine. I got a consistently good crop and he got roots with lots of bugs and holes. He changed over to my way. In tropical or sub tropical areas rotation is even more important that in temperate areas.
In regard to the white sweet potatoes, if you have no active vines, then I'd recommend that you plant a whole root, somewhere, as a nursery to get more slips. Then pull slips and plant them where you want to grow the white sweet potatoes. But I would yank the nursery plant once you have the necessary slips. Planting roots or pieces of roots is an opportunity for pests. It's better to take precautions than eventually have to try and get rid of an infestation.
