How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips
How to grow sweet potatoes in your garden that is easy and efficient? We’ll look at two different ways to grow sweet potato slips from sweet potato tubers. Both of these processes are simple and can be done with minimal effort on your part. So, what are you waiting for? Read on to learn more!
What is a Sweet Potato and where did come from
The sweet potato is a delicious root vegetable that is often used in pies and other desserts. However, the sweet potato is not actually a potato at all. It is a member of the morning glory family, which also includes plants such as the Ipomoea batatas. Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America, and they were first domesticated by the indigenous peoples of these regions. The sweet potato was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, and it quickly became popular as a food source. Today, sweet potatoes are grown throughout the world, and they play an important role in the cuisines of many cultures. So next time you enjoy a sweet potato pie, remember that you are eating a vegetable with a long and rich history.
What are the benefits of Sweet potato?
Sweet potatoes are often hailed as a superfood and for good reason. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can provide a range of health benefits. For starters, sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, which can help to promote digestive health. They’re also high in beta-carotene, a compound that the body converts into vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for vision and immune function, and it also helps to keep skin healthy. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of potassium, which is important for heart health. In addition, the antioxidants in sweet potatoes can help to protect against some chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. So next time you’re looking for a healthy option, reach for a sweet potato.
How to grow sweet potatoes slips
There’s no denying that sweet potatoes are delicious. But what many people don’t realize is that growing them is a bit different from growing regular potatoes. For starters, you can’t just stick a sweet potato in the ground and hope for the best. Instead, you need to grow sweet potato slips. These are small sprouts that are grown from mature sweet potatoes. Once you have your slips, you can plant them in the ground or in a container. Just make sure they have plenty of room to grow, as sweet potatoes can get quite large. With a little care and patience, you’ll soon be enjoying delicious sweet potatoes fresh from your own home.
Water Method for growing Sweet Potato slips
Suspend half the sweet potato in a jar of water using toothpicks.
Anyone who has ever tried to grow sweet potato slips knows that it can be a bit of a challenge. One of the most common questions is “Which end of the potato should I put in the water?” Does it really matter which half of the potato is submerged? The answer, surprisingly, is yes. The rooting end should go in the water. Here are a few ways to determine the difference between the rooting end and the sprouting end:
- Look for small thin roots on one end. This is the rooting end.
- One end may be larger with more eyes. This is the sprouting end.
- The end of the sweet potato that tapers is typically the rooting end.
1) You want the bottom (rooting) half to be in the water and the top (sprouting) half above the jar. Roots will form in the water, and sprouts will form in the top part of the potato.
2) Providing warmth (a warming mat or on top of the refrigerator is great) with at least 6 hours of light (you can use a grow light or sunny window).
3) Make sure to keep the water level up in the jar and keep water fresh by replacing it every week or so. Just empty the jar of water and refill it with fresh water. Within a few weeks, roots will develop in the water first and then sprouts will start to form on the top of the suspended potato. Those are your slips.
Soil Method for growing Sweet Potato slips
Trying to determine which end of the potato is up can be a real pain. Fortunately, with the soil method, you don’t have to bother with that nonsense. Just stick the tuber in the dirt and let it do its thing. Of course, you do need to make sure that the potato is submerged in the soil, or else it won’t be able to root or sprout properly. But other than that, this method is pretty foolproof.
- First, fill the pan with potting soil or seed starting mix and moisten the soil enough that you can ring out a bit of water, not excessive but enough like a damp sponge.
- Next, nestle the sweet potatoes in the soil, covering about half the potato going up the sides of the tuber with soil.
- Finally, cover with a lid to lock in the heat (this step is not necessary)
Keep the soil moist as roots and sprouts form. Once again, providing warmth (a heat mat or on top of the refrigerator) and light (a grow light or sunny window) will speed up the process.
In about a week, if you wiggle the sweet potato and it feels snug that tells you the roots are forming in the soil. Within another week or two, you should see sprouts emerging from the top of the potato. At this point, you can remove the lid and continue to water as needed if using.
Once your sprouts have grown to 5-6 inches long, you’re ready for the next step.
In the water method or the soil method, for growing sweet potato slips, the next steps are the same:
When sprouts are about 5-6 inches tall, remove sprouts from the sweet potato by carefully twisting them off the sweet potato.
- Remove any lower leaves from slips and let them “root” in a jar of water. Roots will develop quickly; you should begin to see roots in 1-2 days.
- Place the jar on a heat mat or on top of the refrigerator for warmth and under a grow light or by a sunny window which will speed up the process of developing roots.
- Keep the water level high in the jar. Like when you were growing the slips in water. Make sure to switch out the water about once a week to keep the water fresh. Discard any wilted or rotten slips.
- Once roots are fully formed and several inches long, it’s time to plant.
- Plant rooted sweet potato slips about 12-18 inches apart and 4 inches deep.
- Water newly planted slips well and feed with a starter solution high in phosphorus if your soil lacks phosphorus to ensure the plants continue rooting.
Once you’ve grown and rooted your sweet potato slips and you’re ready to put them in the ground. Learn what to do next here on how to grow and when to harvest your Sweet Potatoes.
-Lana 🙂
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