Post by macmex on Jul 15, 2022 12:14:44 GMT
Midsummer is a tough time for discussion on a sweet potato forum. This is because slip production and planting is finished, everything is set out and... there's not a lot to see. Harvest is my favorite time. There's a whole lot to see at that time. Right now, however, I do find pleasure examining my sweets. I right now I can observe what varieties are prone to Japanese beetle depredation. I can take notes on growth habit and flowering habit. As able, I have plenty of weeding to do!
Here in Oklahoma we are experiencing more and earlier extreme heat and drought, such as we saw back in 2011. This is bad news for hay production and for a lot of crops but provided that they get irrigation it's not at all bad news for sweet potatoes or okra.
I do need to spend a little dedicated time to making more observations but here are a couple.
This is a photo of Okinawa foliage, the evening of July 14
Seedling #1 from my 2021 seedling experiments has vines nearly as "voluminous" as Okinawa. I find them quite attractive, especially at twilight when the maroon color of growth tips and new leaves is quite notable. I will be very strict about releasing a seedling for public garden usage. If it's not truly good, I won't. I sure hope this one proves itself this year. The main qualities I need to confirm on this are:
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Here in Oklahoma we are experiencing more and earlier extreme heat and drought, such as we saw back in 2011. This is bad news for hay production and for a lot of crops but provided that they get irrigation it's not at all bad news for sweet potatoes or okra.
I do need to spend a little dedicated time to making more observations but here are a couple.
- July 7, I took notes on High Orange. I noted that of all varieties in my garden, High Orange seems most attractive to Japanese beetles. For me Japanese beetles are a nuisance, causing unsightly foliage, but they are not a grave danger to any crop. Yet it's good to note that this variety is more attractive to them than a good many others.
- High Orange was loaded with flower buds as of July 7. As far as I could tell, without doing a careful search, none of my other varieties had started to produce flower buds. Will this be the case every year? Only time will tell. I am, however, fond of growing a few seedlings every year and this makes High Orange a good candidate for breeding.
- Okinawa is making really large vines. It is exceedingly vigorous. "Voluminous" would be a good term to describe it's growth habit. Can't wait to evaluate the root crop in the fall.
This is a photo of Okinawa foliage, the evening of July 14
Seedling #1 from my 2021 seedling experiments has vines nearly as "voluminous" as Okinawa. I find them quite attractive, especially at twilight when the maroon color of growth tips and new leaves is quite notable. I will be very strict about releasing a seedling for public garden usage. If it's not truly good, I won't. I sure hope this one proves itself this year. The main qualities I need to confirm on this are:
- Uniformity of root production. I need to see that it will reliably produce roots, and that of somewhat uniform size. First year, the roots produced on my two plants varied wildly in size and number.
- Uniformity of texture and flavor in cooked roots, and that, from the point of being cured until early spring. I didn't have enough roots to judge from in 2021. The first root I tried was simply wonderful. The only other root I tried, in the spring, was tough and tasteless. I need to know if this variety will be reliable in storage and flavor. If not, then I will eat what I have and start on another seedling trial.
Here's a picture of Seedling #1's foliage on 7/14/2022 in the evening.