Cuttings from Sweet Potatoes ?

[PaulZone8b]

We are now harvesting some Georgia Jet Sweet Potatoes we grew from slips we bought online and wondering if I make cuttings from all these vines....if I soak them and get new roots started and plant, will these grow more tubers from these cuttings ?

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes, but there isn't sufficient growing time left on the calendar for new sprouts to produce unprotected. They need at least 100 days of growing time hence would need protection from frosts.

I'm letting those I planted in spring keep on growing right up until the first signs of frost. The "fruit" production is heaviest in the last stages of their growth and cool weather improves the taste, so I like to let them grow as long as possible.

 

[PaulZone8b]

So mine have already gone about 5-6 months in containers , so can I leave mine until my first frost too (which is Nov 6) ? That's still 3 more months.

 

[Meadowlark]

If they were mine, yes, I would leave them until later unless the vines have died. One year I harvested mine early about this time of year and the yield was pitiful.

 

[PaulZone8b]

Thanks ML. I will leave the rest until first frost (around Nov 6). I will also "try" rooting the cuttings, then plant some in the ground (to protect with frost cloth and try to endure until Jan. Other cuttings I will plant in containers again and drag them into the big shed when it gets down to freezing to protect them...and see how it goes. This is still my 2nd winter as a beginner gardener so we will see.

 

[PaulZone8b]

Now I am told from someone else that the vines I have now will not produce new tubers... Only from slips from the actual potatoes, not the vines. Which is it ? People are saying both.

 

[A. Lyric]

Now I am told from someone else that the vines I have now will not produce new tubers... Only from slips from the actual potatoes, not the vines. Which is it ? People are saying both.

I don't have an answer, but I hope you get one so I can benefit from it, too.

 

[Meadowlark]

Thanks ML. I will leave the rest until first frost (around Nov 6). I will also "try" rooting the cuttings, then plant some in the ground (to protect with frost cloth and try to endure until Jan. Other cuttings I will plant in containers again and drag them into the big shed when it gets down to freezing to protect them...and see how it goes. This is still my 2nd winter as a beginner gardener so we will see.

Now I am told from someone else that the vines I have now will not produce new tubers... Only from slips from the actual potatoes, not the vines. Which is it ? People are saying both.

If you are using vines from this year's slips and rooting them and expect to get new tubers this year, I'm betting you will be very disappointed. They need about 5 months (depending on variety) of hot weather to produce tubers. They do not like cool/cold weather.

However, if you plan to over winter those rooted cuttings for next year's garden, that should work assuming you give them adequate protection. They will only produce tubers in my experience in extended hot weather conditions with plenty of rain.

Just for fun I went out today and checked an Asian variety I have growing in the garden since spring. It has some pretty good-sized tubers on it, but they desperately need rain. It hasn't rained here since late May and temps have consistently been over 100deg F .

I'm hoping we get some rain soon and if so, I'll get a good crop by late Oct. but otherwise it will be spotty.

 

[A. Lyric]

I went out today and checked an Asian variety

Is that by any chance Okinawan and purple inside? I have it in a garden notes book as a variety I'd like to try. This is embarrassing to admit, but until I got into gardening, I had no idea there were purple carrots, or garlic different than what WM carries, or green beans
a foot long, etc. I've shopped at a few different grocery stores all my life and if I didn't see it there, it didn't exist. Seed catalogues were
quite the awakening!

 

[Meadowlark]

I have some of those growing also but the one pictured is white inside, purple outside called the Murasaki sweet potato. I don't like the taste of our "native" orange sweet potatoes commonly grown here but the Murasaki are fantastic.

 

[A. Lyric]

but the Murasaki are fantastic.

Taking notes.

 

[talhariaz5193]

We are yacine now harvesting some Georgia Jet Sweet Potatoes we grew from slips we bought online and wondering if I make cuttings from all these vines....if I soak them and get new roots started and plant, will these grow more tubers from these cuttings ?

Absolutely! Georgia Jet Sweet Potatoes are quite versatile. When you take cuttings from the vines and let them root in water, they're often referred to as "slips." Once rooted, you can plant these slips, and they should indeed produce tubers given the right conditions. Ensure they have ample time in the growing season and are planted in well-draining soil. It's a great way to expand your harvest without purchasing more slips online.

 

[oneeye]

Now I am told from someone else that the vines I have now will not produce new tubers... Only from slips from the actual potatoes, not the vines. Which is it ? People are saying both.

You are the one who's going to find that hard to get the answer. Keep doing what you are doing and keep us posted so we can get to the bottom of the question. There are always exceptions to the rule, So keep us posted on what happens at the end. Thanks for thread its a good one.

 

[pepper]

I don't know anything about sweet potatoes, I only eat them at Christmas so I never bothered growing them. But just for fun I checked YouTube for videos on growing new plants from the vine cuttings and there are countless videos of people doing it, and the couple I watched was from very popular gardening channels that probably wouldn't risk losing followers on their channel posting it if it doesn't work.
That said, the little bit I know about growing regular potatoes is some grow much better then others and I've planted ones from the grocery store and never got any potatoes under the plant so it's probably the same for sweet potatoes.

 

[Meadowlark]

I don't know anything about sweet potatoes, I only eat them at Christmas so I never bothered growing them. But just for fun I checked YouTube for videos on growing new plants from the vine cuttings and there are countless videos of people doing it,
...probably wouldn't risk losing followers on their channel posting it if it doesn't work.

There's no question in my mind that it will produce tubers...given enough time in warm/humid/fertile conditions with plenty of water. Time = about 5 months and you can't get that in most places starting in August....no way.

Once again, the use of the term "works" is very vague and can mean just about anything. It can mean anything from "yes it will make roots" to "yes it produces as many tubers as the original slip". No dig "works", a lot of things "works", but in my view that is a very imprecise way of describing something. It's always been a pet peeve of mine, the scientist in me, and often drives me to experiments to determine what "works" actually means in precise terms.

I don't know anything about sweet potatoes, I only eat them at Christmas so I never bothered growing them.

By the way, have you ever tried the "new" varieties like Murasaki, Okinawa, and the other Asian? They are far superior in taste to our "orange" ones in my opinion. Like going from "don't like" to "wow that's good " but taste is an opinion not fact.