Sweet potato plant

[LVVCHAP]

Last year when I started a plant I put it soil after a while. So far this year I have left it in just water and a light fertilizer. I haven't read anything about what to do after you start them. So I guess my question is what are you supposed to do after they are growing?

 

[jojo54]

I have my plant sprouting in water and when the sprouts get to be several inches long or more you twist them off and put them in water to root. I use little pill bottles for that. When the sprouts have rooted, you plant them in a fair size pot until it is time to plant them in the garden.

Here are a couple of previous threads on sweet potatoes fyi.
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27819

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/view p?id=27287

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27471

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do mine a little differently. I put them in water and leave them there until I am ready to set them out in the garden. I do not repot them or go out of my way to root them. When it is time to set them out in the garden, I break them off and plant them.

I do try to start them early enough so they have a few roots when set them out, but I have set them out in the garden with no roots and they live and do fine. I admit I was surprised at how well those rootless ones did the first time I tried it. You almost have to try to kill them for them to not live if the ground is warm enough and they have even a little water. They are a warm weather plant and will not do well if the ground is not warm.

If the slips get longer than I want while they are in the pot, I cut them back. They will sucker out whether I cut them back or not once they are planted. When I put them in the garden, I only want the slips 6 to 10 inches long. I have not tried setting out slips that are a couple of feet long, but I don't want the slips to have to support a large amount of top growth before those roots are established. That is just the way I do it. I do not have any proof that there is any problem with setting out the long ones. It just feels wrong to me. Of course, planting those slips that had no roots felt wrong too and they did fine.

This is my complicated expensive set-up for the Japanese and Garnet that I got from a local natural foods store. I have Beauregard and O'Henry slips coming the end of this month.