How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips

Sweet potatoes are delicious, nutritious, and best of all, easy to grow. All you need to get started with your very own sweet potato plant is a jar, some water, and a sweet potato. A single sweet potato can grow up to 20 slips, which are vines that sprout from a sweet potato. Each sweet potato slip can then be removed and planted into the ground for a new sweet potato plant of your own! Read on below to find out everything you will need to know about how to grow sweet potato slips.

 

 

Table of Contents

  1. How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Water
  2. How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips
  3. How to Grow Sweet Potato Plants

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Water

The first step in starting your own sweet potato plant is to grow a sweet potato in water. Find a jar and fill it with water. Place your sweet potato in the jar, but make sure that at least the top third of the sweet potato is exposed to the air. The thinner end of the sweet potato should be placed in the water. It does not need to be submerged completely to grow the sweet potato slips. An easy method to keep the sweet potato from falling into the water completely is by using toothpicks or chopsticks. Impale the sweet potato where appropriate and let the toothpicks hold the sweet potato above the jar. It is advisable to place the sweet potato jar in a sunny spot, as this will speed up the process.

Within a few weeks, you should notice roots beginning to form in the water. In addition, the sweet potato portion above the water should begin sprouting sweet potato slips. It is advisable to replace the water every week or two to keep the water clean. Once the growing sweet potato slips are 6 inches or longer, you will be well on your way to your very own sweet potato plants.

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How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips

So now you have several sweet potato slips at your disposal. Carefully cut off these sweet potato slips at their base. With these sweet potato slips in hand, remove all leaves close to the base and place them in water. No leaves should be submerged, and just as with the sweet potato in the last section, you will need to keep the top half of the sweet potato slip above the water level. After leaving your sprouts in the water, you should be able to notice roots forming within a couple days. Place the roots in a sunlit location and keep them warm to expedite this process. As with the sweet potato jar, you will need to replace the dirty water every week or so.

In a few weeks, the roots should be several inches in length. Finally, you have grown your sweet potato slips and are ready for the final process – planting!

How to Grow Sweet Potato Plants

With the sweet potato slips ready to plant, it is time to prepare. Each sweet potato slip will grow into a new sweet potato plant. To keep the slips from growing into each other, it is advisable to plant these slips about a foot or a foot and a half apart. Dig a hole that is several inches deep, enough to fit the entire root system for each sweet potato slip.

Sweet potatoes prefer to grow in sunny and warm locations. In addition, the soil for growing the sweet potato slips should be well drained and slightly acidic to grow in ideal conditions. Keep your new sweet potato plants well-watered and cared for and you will be able to reap the rewards – home grown sweet potatoes! It should take around 4 months from planting to harvest. If you notice your sweet potato plant yellowing, it is probably time to dig up your newly grown vegetables. Also, if you decided to keep your original sweet potato spud, you can keep it growing sweet potato slips for as long as you want. A single sweet potato is all it takes. What are you waiting for?

Gardening on a budget? Also, see: https://gardenersguide.net/how-to-start-a-garden-on-a-budget/

 

 

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