Pulling potato plants from sprouts

[wingnut]

Try it and Let us know!

[wingnut]

After planting out about 50% "pull starts" last year, it is all I will plant this year. My yields from "pull starts" was FAR SUPERIOR both tuber size and overall yield, than tuber sown plants.

[macmex]

That's GREAT to know!

George
Tahlequah, OK

[Runamuck]

After you pull the sprouts from the tuber, what do you do with them until they go into the ground? Do they have to be started indoors? I have two buckets of potatoes left from last years harvest with sprouts anywhere from 6 to 24 inches long. Where do I begin?

Thanks.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by Runamuck

After you pull the sprouts from the tuber, what do you do with them until they go into the ground? Do they have to be started indoors? I have two buckets of potatoes left from last years harvest with sprouts anywhere from 6 to 24 inches long. Where do I begin?

Thanks.

It would probably be best to go to page 1 of this thread and start reading from there. There are instructions on how to pull sprouts as well as pictures so you can see how the tubers and sprouts look.

[wingnut]

You can also take two node cuttings from the ver tips of the long sprouts. I call them "sprout jacks", and usually dip them in a 10% bleach solution then rinse well before being place in a small divot under lights/dome.

[wingnut]

Neither of these techniques work well for real EARLY potatoes like red norland, and work best with late season such as french fingerling.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by wingnut

You can also take two node cuttings from the ver tips of the long sprouts. I call them "sprout jacks", and usually dip them in a 10% bleach solution then rinse well before being place in a small divot under lights/dome.

Interesting. After cutting the two nodes from the tip of long sprouts, I'm assuming the end of the sprout doesn't regrow. Do you remove all the sprouts from the potato and let new ones regrow so you can cut the tips again?

This approach isn't quite as messy as "pulling sprouts". I have some potatoes with long sprouts. I might cut a few and give this a try. It is too early for me to be starting plants, but this will be more of a "test run".

[wingnut]

I usually only needed a couple "sprout jacks" from each variety, so never worried about it!

[wingnut]

I will be growing almost 100% pull starts this year. I t is the oly way to go with most mid-late season types, especially di-ploids.

[NathanP]

When do you start the tubers sprouting, and when do you plant out?

I have also been wondering how you overwinter the diploids? 20 of the tubers I received from you had no sprouts on them yet, so obviously they stored well however you did it.

[wmontanez]

NP,
I began mine to sprout April 1st but maybe is best mid-March...

[NathanP]

Here are some of my pull sprouts.
This is Satina



And this is CIP396256

[oynamak]

Am I too late to the Party?

[greenthumbomaha]

I started mine too early and they were growing onto the ceiling. You are not too late in my book.

- Lisa