How to grow sweet potatoes: Certainly, many people enjoy eating sweet potatoes but may not know where to find the right variety of plants. Today, I'll guide you on how to propagate sweet potato vines and how to plant them.
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Propagation method: Buy sweet potatoes from the supermarket. Choose the type you prefer. After purchasing, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut them into 1*1 inch pieces. Make sure you have enough soil to plant the sweet potatoes because they sprout easily. Plant these cut pieces under a layer of soil about 1.5 inches deep and water them every 2 days. After about 2-3 weeks, sweet potato shoots will emerge. Wait until the shoots have at least 3 true leaves, then pull them up and take them for planting.
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Soil preparation: Sweet potatoes do not thrive in clayey soil. The soil should be loose and well-draining. If your soil is clayey, add sand. Since sweet potatoes are tuberous plants, they don't like excessive water. You need to create raised beds, at least 15 inches high, with good drainage. Regarding fertilizers, you can use organic ones, but choose those with high phosphorus and potassium content. Avoid nitrogen-rich fertilizers.
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Planting: Once the sweet potato tubers have sprouted into shoots with at least 4-5 true leaves, pull them up and bury the base of the shoot in the soil. Don't bury them too deep; 4-5 inches is ideal.
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Care: Initially, provide plenty of water to the young plants as they require a lot of moisture. After about a month, when the sweet potato vines have spread, lift up the branches of the plant to prevent them from rooting, as this reduces nutrient concentration in the tubers. Also, sprinkle some organic foliar fertilizer to boost plant nutrition in preparation for tuber formation. After 2 months, you won't need to water the plants frequently; keep the soil slightly moist as sweet potatoes require less water at this stage.
While sprouting sweet potato slips, you can also plant vegetables such as mustard greens on the sweet potato beds because mustard greens only take 30-40 days to harvest, whereas sweet potatoes take about 3 months
After about 3 months, sweet potatoes will begin to flower. When the flowers fade, you can harvest them and enjoy the sweet potatoes you've grown yourself. Good luck!
Additionally, if someone wants to grow sweet potatoes, you can cut branches from the sweet potato plant and give them to them; it will save a lot of time for propagation.
Important note: in areas where sweet potatoes have been previously grown, it is advisable to wait at least 1 year before replanting sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are relatively susceptible to viruses and diseases, so we should not plant them twice in a row in the same location.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I'm also a sweet potato enthusiast!
This is the most recent time I have planted sweet potatoes.
