Post by macmex on May 4, 2022 16:01:24 GMT
Every sweet potato variety is unique, at least to some degree, in how it produces slips (cuttings for propagation purposes). This is just one reason I recommend growing the same varieties for years instead of a single season
What are some of these differences?
Sprouting Time -
Some varieties come out of the ground, at harvest time, already sprouting. Some won't make any sprouts until it's so late in the spring that one might wonder if they're going to sprout at all. If you get one of the varieties which wants to sprout way before you want slips, don't worry about it. They also tend to keep just fine, even if they have foliage while in storage. Just don't keep them in a place with a lot of light and they should keep just fine.
If you have a slow sprouting variety you're first clue will be that, come late winter, you won't see any buds for sprouts on the roots. Then, when you bed them, they may just sit there, even for weeks, without sprouting. To speed things up, give them extra heat. If planted in a tray, try placing them on a heat mat or cheap, water resistant heating pad. You can even cover them with a bath towel, in order to hold the heat in. This is is the main thing to do to speed up or start sprouting.
Heat requirements -
Some varieties which are late sprouters are that way simply because they require HEAT to get started. I've noticed this with Okinawa. It's May 4, and I bedded them March 29 and to date I only have maybe three sprouts. The roots are firm and look healthy but they're just waiting for some REAL HEAT before they get started.
All sweet potatoes require heat for sprouting but some need more of it and that, without interruption (no cool nights) before they really get going.
Quantity of slips produced -
Some varieties make a whole lot of slips. Some don't make that many. On average I would expect about a dozen slips per root, and that, with one round of sprouting. Keep in mind that most roots will produce another whole "crop" of slips, if you pull most everything off. So the questions "How many slips can I expect per root?" needs to be modified with the qualifier of how long a time period are you talking about.
Rate of Growth -
The slips of some varieties practically leap out of the soil and grow as if running in a race. Some grow more slowly. One of my favorites is Ginseng Orange. It's roots are reliable producers of a good many slips, and ... when the slips reach about 8-10" in length, it seems they pause for a couple weeks, remaining at that size. It makes it easy to get beautiful slips for sharing.
Some varieties are just plain rampant growers once they start sprouting. Here's a photo of a tray of Gunlock which I bedded at the end of March.
Can you see the tray? No? We'll it's under that jungle. This "mess" might be prevented by bedding the roots much later, but I don't really see it as a problem.
Some varieties come out of the ground, at harvest time, already sprouting. Some won't make any sprouts until it's so late in the spring that one might wonder if they're going to sprout at all. If you get one of the varieties which wants to sprout way before you want slips, don't worry about it. They also tend to keep just fine, even if they have foliage while in storage. Just don't keep them in a place with a lot of light and they should keep just fine.
If you have a slow sprouting variety you're first clue will be that, come late winter, you won't see any buds for sprouts on the roots. Then, when you bed them, they may just sit there, even for weeks, without sprouting. To speed things up, give them extra heat. If planted in a tray, try placing them on a heat mat or cheap, water resistant heating pad. You can even cover them with a bath towel, in order to hold the heat in. This is is the main thing to do to speed up or start sprouting.
Heat requirements -
Some varieties which are late sprouters are that way simply because they require HEAT to get started. I've noticed this with Okinawa. It's May 4, and I bedded them March 29 and to date I only have maybe three sprouts. The roots are firm and look healthy but they're just waiting for some REAL HEAT before they get started.
All sweet potatoes require heat for sprouting but some need more of it and that, without interruption (no cool nights) before they really get going.
Quantity of slips produced -
Some varieties make a whole lot of slips. Some don't make that many. On average I would expect about a dozen slips per root, and that, with one round of sprouting. Keep in mind that most roots will produce another whole "crop" of slips, if you pull most everything off. So the questions "How many slips can I expect per root?" needs to be modified with the qualifier of how long a time period are you talking about.
Rate of Growth -
The slips of some varieties practically leap out of the soil and grow as if running in a race. Some grow more slowly. One of my favorites is Ginseng Orange. It's roots are reliable producers of a good many slips, and ... when the slips reach about 8-10" in length, it seems they pause for a couple weeks, remaining at that size. It makes it easy to get beautiful slips for sharing.
Some varieties are just plain rampant growers once they start sprouting. Here's a photo of a tray of Gunlock which I bedded at the end of March.
Can you see the tray? No? We'll it's under that jungle. This "mess" might be prevented by bedding the roots much later, but I don't really see it as a problem.
How to Handle LONG slips
I only see rampant slips to be a "problem" when selling slips. This is because some folk only want neat, tidy little transplants. The fact of the matter is that a monster size sprout can easily be cut into multiple cuttings. They can be planted straight away, with no waiting for them to start roots. If the ground is moist they will root so quickly that there will be no delay at all in growth and production.
I was thinking about starting yet another tray of Gunlock roots, but last night, as I got into this one, I realized that it's not going to be necessary. I harvested some of the oversize sprouts, dividing each one into an average of 3 individual cuttings, and set them into their own new holding tray. No doubt they will continue to grow, making more cuttings available as needed. I don't expect as much slip production from this holding tray, as I would get from a tray of roots, but it will still be additional production. If, in a few weeks, I sell any of the cuttings I took last night I will probably have to strip off a lot of roots in order to make them better slips for planting. If I don't sell them or use them before they grow into "monster sprouts" again, I can make more cuttings from them.
Here's a picture of that same tray after I made more than 40 slips in a holding tray. At least I can find the tray now but there's a whole lot more plant material there to work through!
At planting time I sometimes use really long slips to make two plants, adjacent to one another. Here's a photo of one such planting.
I simply stuck one end of the slip in one hole and the other end in the adjacent hole. Both rooted and both produced a good crop!
Do you grow a variety which has a unique growing habit for slip production? It would be great to post here and let others know.
Any other tips or tricks for dealing with especially long or short slips?
I only see rampant slips to be a "problem" when selling slips. This is because some folk only want neat, tidy little transplants. The fact of the matter is that a monster size sprout can easily be cut into multiple cuttings. They can be planted straight away, with no waiting for them to start roots. If the ground is moist they will root so quickly that there will be no delay at all in growth and production.
I was thinking about starting yet another tray of Gunlock roots, but last night, as I got into this one, I realized that it's not going to be necessary. I harvested some of the oversize sprouts, dividing each one into an average of 3 individual cuttings, and set them into their own new holding tray. No doubt they will continue to grow, making more cuttings available as needed. I don't expect as much slip production from this holding tray, as I would get from a tray of roots, but it will still be additional production. If, in a few weeks, I sell any of the cuttings I took last night I will probably have to strip off a lot of roots in order to make them better slips for planting. If I don't sell them or use them before they grow into "monster sprouts" again, I can make more cuttings from them.
Here's a picture of that same tray after I made more than 40 slips in a holding tray. At least I can find the tray now but there's a whole lot more plant material there to work through!
At planting time I sometimes use really long slips to make two plants, adjacent to one another. Here's a photo of one such planting.
I simply stuck one end of the slip in one hole and the other end in the adjacent hole. Both rooted and both produced a good crop!
Do you grow a variety which has a unique growing habit for slip production? It would be great to post here and let others know.
Any other tips or tricks for dealing with especially long or short slips?