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Post by june on Jun 18, 2021 19:35:45 GMT
The Makatea and Kaukura starts which I ordered from Gurney arrived today. I have never bought sweet potatoes this way and I have to admit I am a little uncertain about how to proceed with them. I certainly would accept any advice any body wants to offer. They are not from slips. I believe they are tissue culture clones--thus the delicate size and peanut sized tubers. They look like they have had a 'hard life'. I think the best way to proceed is to harden them off in a shady protected place...I don't think they are ready for 100+ degree full sun just yet.
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Post by macmex on Jun 19, 2021 11:05:37 GMT
I removed the stem, leaving only a few starter roots, and planted mine. This was after I had lopped off the top, which had grown quite tall, and sent it to my friend, who had sent them to me in the first place. He ordered his from the catalog and they shipped to him in March, in Michigan, in the middle of a snow storm. He didn't have a place to keep them until warm weather, so he sent them to me. He told me I could keep half if I'd save them and ship back when weather was warm.
Anyway, what I had left were the cut off bottoms, which grew new leaves, but were still planted in the pots. When I planted mine, I dumped them out of the pots, finding roots, just like you did. I separated the growing stem from the roots, leaving either no roots, or just a starter roots, and planted them as slips. I still have the little sweet potatoes, setting in a moist place, as I suspect they'll sprout and make more slips.
I think that if I just dumped them from the pots and planted them like that, I'd get misshapen roots when I harvested.
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Post by macmex on Jun 20, 2021 21:46:15 GMT
Here's a photo of Kaukura Sweet after being in its place for over a week. The two little plants are really starting to grow!
This is just one of the two.
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Post by june on Oct 19, 2021 16:35:55 GMT
Fall is here--potatoes are dug. Here is an update on the edible/ornamental 'Treasure Island Series'--Makatea and Kaukura plants which I purchased. Both add pretty colors to the garden. I thought Makatea (chartreuse one) had spindley wandering branches with somewhat sparse foliage. Did not bloom. I liked the shorter, more compact form of Kaukura (purple leaf). Both were planted in large mineral tubs (did not use all the space available to them.) I did not plant them until late June, so with more time, they may have produced larger roots. I will not know the taste until they cure for another month or so.
Makatea:
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Post by june on Oct 19, 2021 16:38:05 GMT
Kaukura:
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Post by macmex on Sept 15, 2022 12:15:55 GMT
My experience and opinion, in my second year of growing these, is the same as yours, June. I like Kaukura much more. I don't really think I'd want to grow either, if food was my primary interest, though Kaukura was acceptable as a root. We'll see about this year. Makatea didn't make any root, to speak off, last year. I saved a cutting and replanted it this Spring. It's had time to make roots this year, so we'll see.
Here are some pictures of Kaukura, flowering and mixed in with zinnias.
 [/ur
Here, one could almost think the two types of flowers were coming from the same plant!
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