Sweet Potato Slips

Durgan · March 26, 2014

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NMOIG 26 March 2013 Sweet Potato Slips
My first attempt at growing sweet potatoes. The quality sweet potato was purchased from the supermarket about six weeks ago. It was placed in water in bright sunlight,in a warm place to produce slips. Slips being the green shoots that grow from the main body. When they reach about six inches long they will be removed and placed in water to produce roots. The slips will then be planted in the outdoor garden about the first of June in my Zone 5. The sprouts or slips are very slow to start but are now growing about a quarter inch a day. This planting procedure is different from the typical potato planting method where part of the tuber is planted.

Geezer · March 26, 2014

Looking pretty darned good! I just so happened to have an extra sweet potato from the grocery and this looks like a wonderful project to try myself.

I may not know what variety I have, but if it works and tubers taste good........

Evil Ed

kath · March 26, 2014

That's the way I start mine, too. This year after the slips have produced some roots, I may try potting them up in ProMix to see if there will be less transplant shock.

I heard that sometimes the potatoes from the store have been treated with sprout inhibitors.

kath

Durgan · March 26, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by kath

That's the way I start mine, too. This year after the slips have produced some roots, I may try potting them up in ProMix to see if there will be less transplant shock.

I heard that sometimes the potatoes from the store have been treated with sprout inhibitors.

kath

I tried growing slips a couple of years ago and got nothing from store potatoes, so thought about trying again. So far so good and there is almost two months to go before planting in the outdoor garden. In looks like I will have about six slips and I have the room to grow them outdoors. My zone 5 is probably not the ideal climate to grow sweet potatoes, so it will be interesting to see what is produced.

kath · March 26, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durgan

I tried growing slips a couple of years ago and got nothing from store potatoes, so thought about trying again. So far so good and there is almost two months to go before planting in the outdoor garden. In looks like I will have about six slips and I have the room to grow them outdoors. My zone 5 is probably not the ideal climate to grow sweet potatoes, so it will be interesting to see what is produced.

Do what you can to keep them as warm as possible. I've read that hilling up a row and covering it with black plastic/landscape fabric ahead of time makes them happy and it seems to work for me. Plant out is usually at the end of May and I've got huge tubers by Sept. but usually leave them in until just before frost. A lot depends on what variety yours turns out to be since some are earlier than others. Hope you have good luck with them. They produce a LOT of food and store well into spring in conditions easy to provide.

kath

recruiterg · March 27, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durgan

I tried growing slips a couple of years ago and got nothing from store potatoes, so thought about trying again. So far so good and there is almost two months to go before planting in the outdoor garden. In looks like I will have about six slips and I have the room to grow them outdoors. My zone 5 is probably not the ideal climate to grow sweet potatoes, so it will be interesting to see what is produced.

Buy your sweet potatoes from an organic grocery store. Commercial sweet potatoes are treated with a chemical that prevents slips from growing.

wmontanez · March 27, 2014

This is a Maine Sweet Potato guide of sorts for our Northern Climate
http://www.mofga.org/Publications/Ma...1/Default.aspx

I had some good results with Koimo (Korean or Japanese variety) and Frasier White.

Durgan · March 27, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmontanez

This is a Maine Sweet Potato guide of sorts for our Northern Climate
http://www.mofga.org/Publications/Ma...1/Default.aspx

I had some good results with Koimo (Korean or Japanese variety) and Frasier White.

Looks like these people have a winner. Most encouraging from my point of view.

FarmerShawn · March 27, 2014

I get my slips from Sandhill Preservation, and they have lots of great information on growing sweet potatoes and making your own slips, as their vision is to keep many of the heirloom varieties going by encouraging others to propagate them. I have had success with early varieties in my zone 4-3 location most years, so zone 5 should be no problem. I have not even tried to make my own slips yet, mainly because I don't have good storage conditions, so I haven't been able to keep any roots in good enough shape come spring to use for slip-making.
Shawn

There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

stoneridge4030 · April 2, 2014

Hey ! I just thought i would share some info on the way we harvest sweet potato slips. To keep from transferring diseases from the seed potato to the new plant we cut the slips just above the soil line instead of pulling the slips from the seed potato. The slips are transplanted to the row and will put on root in about 5 to 7 days. After the new plants begin to vine good you can take more vine cutting and transplant those in the same way. I hope this is helpful !!!

Brian

Stvrob · April 5, 2014

What I do is bury the sweet potato about 2/3rds in light soil, (laying horizontally) and keep it warm and moist, then when the slips appear, I just reach under the soil and snap them off the sweet potato, usually they have a little bit of root already. They are fun to grow, and super productive. The vines will try to root wherever they touch the ground, I was always told to hoe them out of the ground when they try to do so, otherwise you get lots of small potatoes spread all over the place. Others may have different ideas about growing fewer, but bigger potatoes.
They seem to thrive in the heat of summer in the South, when everything else is overwhelmed by heat and humidity. I hope they do well for you in Ontario.

peppero · April 5, 2014

I have grwon slips from supermarket potatoes a few times with no problems . Perhaps they are not treated.

jon

Geezer · April 9, 2014

The one sweet tater I started from a Meijer grocery store has started producing roots. No sign yet of leaves, but it's a start.......

.

Evil Ed

P.S.
I've got three more on hand from Kroger. I thinl I'll try them too.....

kath · April 11, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geezer

The one sweet tater I started from a Meijer grocery store has started producing roots. No sign yet of leaves, but it's a start.......

.

In my limited experience of suspending the potato in water, the roots show up just a bit before the slips begin to emerge, so it should happen soon.

kath

Durgan · April 11, 2014

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MBLFZ 11 April 2014 Rooting Sweet Potato Slips
Potato slips were removed from the potato, placed in water in a small cup to enable the shoot to produce roots. A total of eight slips were chosen. My first attempt at growing sweet potatoes.

March 26, 2014	#1
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	Sweet Potato Slips http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NMOIG 26 March 2013 Sweet Potato Slips My first attempt at growing sweet potatoes. The quality sweet potato was purchased from the supermarket about six weeks ago. It was placed in water in bright sunlight,in a warm place to produce slips. Slips being the green shoots that grow from the main body. When they reach about six inches long they will be removed and placed in water to produce roots. The slips will then be planted in the outdoor garden about the first of June in my Zone 5. The sprouts or slips are very slow to start but are now growing about a quarter inch a day. This planting procedure is different from the typical potato planting method where part of the tuber is planted.

March 27, 2014	#7
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	This is a Maine Sweet Potato guide of sorts for our Northern Climate http://www.mofga.org/Publications/Ma...1/Default.aspx I had some good results with Koimo (Korean or Japanese variety) and Frasier White. __________________ Wendy

March 27, 2014	#9
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	I get my slips from Sandhill Preservation, and they have lots of great information on growing sweet potatoes and making your own slips, as their vision is to keep many of the heirloom varieties going by encouraging others to propagate them. I have had success with early varieties in my zone 4-3 location most years, so zone 5 should be no problem. I have not even tried to make my own slips yet, mainly because I don't have good storage conditions, so I haven't been able to keep any roots in good enough shape come spring to use for slip-making. Shawn There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

April 2, 2014	#10
stoneridge4030 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: north carolina Posts: 8	sweet potato slips cut instead of pulling Hey ! I just thought i would share some info on the way we harvest sweet potato slips. To keep from transferring diseases from the seed potato to the new plant we cut the slips just above the soil line instead of pulling the slips from the seed potato. The slips are transplanted to the row and will put on root in about 5 to 7 days. After the new plants begin to vine good you can take more vine cutting and transplant those in the same way. I hope this is helpful !!! Brian

April 9, 2014	#13
Geezer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Brownsburg, IN Posts: 293	The one sweet tater I started from a Meijer grocery store has started producing roots. No sign yet of leaves, but it's a start........ Evil Ed P.S. I've got three more on hand from Kroger. I thinl I'll try them too.....

March 26, 2014	#3
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	That's the way I start mine, too. This year after the slips have produced some roots, I may try potting them up in ProMix to see if there will be less transplant shock. I heard that sometimes the potatoes from the store have been treated with sprout inhibitors. kath

April 5, 2014	#11
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	What I do is bury the sweet potato about 2/3rds in light soil, (laying horizontally) and keep it warm and moist, then when the slips appear, I just reach under the soil and snap them off the sweet potato, usually they have a little bit of root already. They are fun to grow, and super productive. The vines will try to root wherever they touch the ground, I was always told to hoe them out of the ground when they try to do so, otherwise you get lots of small potatoes spread all over the place. Others may have different ideas about growing fewer, but bigger potatoes. They seem to thrive in the heat of summer in the South, when everything else is overwhelmed by heat and humidity. I hope they do well for you in Ontario.

April 5, 2014	#12
peppero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: selmer, tn Posts: 2,944	I have grwon slips from supermarket potatoes a few times with no problems . Perhaps they are not treated. jon

April 11, 2014	#15
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MBLFZ 11 April 2014 Rooting Sweet Potato Slips Potato slips were removed from the potato, placed in water in a small cup to enable the shoot to produce roots. A total of eight slips were chosen. My first attempt at growing sweet potatoes.