Sweet potatoes - Page 3

RebelRidin · May 16, 2012

Tracy, if they look decent to start they should hold well if not in direct sunlight. I would leave them in the shade/indirect light the whole time or just let them have a few hours of early morning light. I would expect them to handle a week to ten days wait easily so long as you change the water regularly and keep it from getting too hot. I think you are right that you don;t wnat them too bunched up either.

I am sure you know that if you want that manure to get past this then just like the compost pile you don't want to get it "too wet". Given your location and your experience with manure that's probably not likely but I thought it wouldn't hurt to say I'm really sorry to hear you are having trouble.

I am still waiting on my plants. I have a narrow bed to work with so I am going with Bush Porto Rico.

kath · May 16, 2012

Sorry to hear about your slips, Tracy- if you haven't pulled them, I'd just keep watering and shading them to make sure they're really goners.

What RebelRidin said. In water, they'll just grow nice roots and be perfectly happy. When I let my sweet potatoes sprout in a jar of water to sprout slips in late winter, I break the slips off of the potato when they're 6-8" long and then stick the bottoms in another jar of water. They stay in that jar until they get planted out- for weeks. When there are a whole lot of roots in the jar, they can drink the water up pretty quickly though. Until that time, they won't mind being crowded. My slips are in the sunny greenhouse now waiting for roots to be long enough to plant out because I started the process too late this year- duh. They are ok in the sun but got used to it during a cloudy stretch of weather.

Glenn at Sand Hill Preservation has planted sweet potatoes into mid June and still had a crop, so I wouldn't rush them until the soil is ok. Keep us posted.

kath

Tracydr · May 16, 2012

I think the 5 I planted yesterday are probably goners. They looked pretty cooked. I have the rest in the shade in buckets.
Really, 30 was probably more than I needed. I'm just disappointed that I lost all of an entire variety. Liberty is the variety I lost.
I wet the manure this morning, but not soaked. I'll dampen it again twice a day and hope it gets through the hot stage ASAP.
I was shocked when I checked this morning and just about burned my handed!
Should have plenty of time, assuming the slips stay healthy. Our heat lasts until October, most years. We don't usually get frost until December, sometimes later.

desertlzbn · May 16, 2012

I tried to start slips, but many of my sweet potatoes just rotted in the water, I am not sure why. I ended up just planting the whole potato in the garden, and have dug it up 2 times to get the slips off of it.

RebelRidin · May 16, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by kath

Sorry to hear about your slips, Tracy- if you haven't pulled them, I'd just keep watering and shading them to make sure they're really goners.
...

I agree with Kath. Afford them what chance you can. Sweet potatoes can be one of the unhappiest looking things you will ever transplant.

RebelRidin · May 16, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertlzbn

I tried to start slips, but many of my sweet potatoes just rotted in the water, I am not sure why. I ended up just planting the whole potato in the garden, and have dug it up 2 times to get the slips off of it.

I had a similar experience. Mine didn't rot but they were very very slow to sprout and very few sprouts. Someone suggested that the ones in the grocery may be treated to reduce sprouting and extend shelf life. Next time I want to try starting slips I will go to the organic market for the roots.

DogsandDirt · May 16, 2012

Tracy, I don't know how long the manure will take to compost but from what I've read on this forum, fresh manure can take several months. If you don't have anywhere else to put them, I grew sweet potatoes in Smart Pots last summer with pretty good success. I think I was a little too stingey with the water, trying to prevent rotting, which I think affected the production. Or maybe it was the horrible 100+ degree weather....

Tracydr · May 16, 2012

This shouldn't be fresh manure. It's dried, pulverized and has been in the paddocks for months. It had been rained on a few times but not as much as usual and hadn't been composted properly. There was some fresh mixed with old but I've used it like this many times before without a problem. I mixed it with a bunch of clay so it's not like it was straight horse manure, either. I don't know why this happened, unless it's just that it's so darn hot outside.
I suspect it won't take too long to quit composting. At least, I hope not!

Lcottomsvcs · May 17, 2012

Hi Tracy,

Your slips should be good for awhile so long as they are watered. They might start putting out roots, however. IMO, disturb them as little as possible until planting time.

My neighbor and I ordered 200 slips of Centenial to share, I will be putting in about 100 of them this next week. This year a big portion of my garden will be devoted to sweets. They keep well for us wrapped in newspaper and stored in a plastic bin in the spare closet.
I don't know of any way to speed up the composting process, if it stays hot, the manure should cook down pretty quickly. Good luck, hope this resolves quickly for you.

Lora

Tracydr · May 17, 2012

Thanks, Lora.
I'm starting to think it was actually the straw mulch that is composting, rather than the manure. How weird is that? Could the heat and watering have really made the straw heat up like that? I've never seen my straw heat up so much.
I pulled the straw back and watered well to cool off. Looks like maybe a couple of slips will pull through. The rest aren't even there, or at least the tops melted.

seab3196 · June 28, 2012

Hi Tracy. I grow Sweet Potatoes. for my roadside produce business. I have 3000 slips set out now. It's been said if you can't grow Sweet Potatoes you should give up growing anything. They are hardy plants once they get started. You will find a wide range of advice on how far apart to plant them and distance between rows. I grow mine at 14 inches apart in 3 ft wide rows. Let me explain the purpose of hilling. As the potatoe grow in the ground they have to push the soil around them to the side. If they are on a hill say 12 inches wide, it is easy for the potato to push the soil to either side 6 inches. If they are in flat ground they have no where to push the soil to grow. They can only pack it harder into the surounding soil. in clay or heavy soil this is quite a strain on the potato. When it's to much the potato will grow long and slinder like a root, instead of a nice chunky baking size potato. No more than you are planting I'd sugest some sort of shading to help cut down
on the hot baking sun. Sweet Potatoes handle heat very well. They like 90 to 100 degree heat if they have water. Not sure how they will do at 110 average. If you can grow Tomatoes there, you can grow Sweet Potatoes. Oh and a half a day sun is plenty.
I grow pole beans between my tomatoes to give them extra shade in summer when
the tomato vines don't give enough protection to the tomatoes to keep them from being sun scaulded. Been doing it for years. It works great.
good luck
charlie

May 16, 2012	#31
RebelRidin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Posts: 993	Tracy, if they look decent to start they should hold well if not in direct sunlight. I would leave them in the shade/indirect light the whole time or just let them have a few hours of early morning light. I would expect them to handle a week to ten days wait easily so long as you change the water regularly and keep it from getting too hot. I think you are right that you don;t wnat them too bunched up either. I am sure you know that if you want that manure to get past this then just like the compost pile you don't want to get it "too wet". Given your location and your experience with manure that's probably not likely but I thought it wouldn't hurt to say I'm really sorry to hear you are having trouble. I am still waiting on my plants. I have a narrow bed to work with so I am going with Bush Porto Rico. __________________ George _____________________________ "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure." Thomas Jefferson, 1787

May 17, 2012	#39
Lcottomsvcs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 123	Hi Tracy, Your slips should be good for awhile so long as they are watered. They might start putting out roots, however. IMO, disturb them as little as possible until planting time. My neighbor and I ordered 200 slips of Centenial to share, I will be putting in about 100 of them this next week. This year a big portion of my garden will be devoted to sweets. They keep well for us wrapped in newspaper and stored in a plastic bin in the spare closet. I don't know of any way to speed up the composting process, if it stays hot, the manure should cook down pretty quickly. Good luck, hope this resolves quickly for you. Lora __________________ Gardening is not a rational act. Margaret Atwood

May 16, 2012	#32
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Sorry to hear about your slips, Tracy- if you haven't pulled them, I'd just keep watering and shading them to make sure they're really goners. What RebelRidin said. In water, they'll just grow nice roots and be perfectly happy. When I let my sweet potatoes sprout in a jar of water to sprout slips in late winter, I break the slips off of the potato when they're 6-8" long and then stick the bottoms in another jar of water. They stay in that jar until they get planted out- for weeks. When there are a whole lot of roots in the jar, they can drink the water up pretty quickly though. Until that time, they won't mind being crowded. My slips are in the sunny greenhouse now waiting for roots to be long enough to plant out because I started the process too late this year- duh. They are ok in the sun but got used to it during a cloudy stretch of weather. Glenn at Sand Hill Preservation has planted sweet potatoes into mid June and still had a crop, so I wouldn't rush them until the soil is ok. Keep us posted. kath

May 16, 2012	#33
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I think the 5 I planted yesterday are probably goners. They looked pretty cooked. I have the rest in the shade in buckets. Really, 30 was probably more than I needed. I'm just disappointed that I lost all of an entire variety. Liberty is the variety I lost. I wet the manure this morning, but not soaked. I'll dampen it again twice a day and hope it gets through the hot stage ASAP. I was shocked when I checked this morning and just about burned my handed! Should have plenty of time, assuming the slips stay healthy. Our heat lasts until October, most years. We don't usually get frost until December, sometimes later.

May 16, 2012	#34
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	I tried to start slips, but many of my sweet potatoes just rotted in the water, I am not sure why. I ended up just planting the whole potato in the garden, and have dug it up 2 times to get the slips off of it.

May 16, 2012	#37
DogsandDirt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Dallas/FortWorth, TX Posts: 116	Tracy, I don't know how long the manure will take to compost but from what I've read on this forum, fresh manure can take several months. If you don't have anywhere else to put them, I grew sweet potatoes in Smart Pots last summer with pretty good success. I think I was a little too stingey with the water, trying to prevent rotting, which I think affected the production. Or maybe it was the horrible 100+ degree weather....

June 28, 2012	#41
seab3196 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: locust grove ga Posts: 8	Hi Tracy. I grow Sweet Potatoes. for my roadside produce business. I have 3000 slips set out now. It's been said if you can't grow Sweet Potatoes you should give up growing anything. They are hardy plants once they get started. You will find a wide range of advice on how far apart to plant them and distance between rows. I grow mine at 14 inches apart in 3 ft wide rows. Let me explain the purpose of hilling. As the potatoe grow in the ground they have to push the soil around them to the side. If they are on a hill say 12 inches wide, it is easy for the potato to push the soil to either side 6 inches. If they are in flat ground they have no where to push the soil to grow. They can only pack it harder into the surounding soil. in clay or heavy soil this is quite a strain on the potato. When it's to much the potato will grow long and slinder like a root, instead of a nice chunky baking size potato. No more than you are planting I'd sugest some sort of shading to help cut down on the hot baking sun. Sweet Potatoes handle heat very well. They like 90 to 100 degree heat if they have water. Not sure how they will do at 110 average. If you can grow Tomatoes there, you can grow Sweet Potatoes. Oh and a half a day sun is plenty. I grow pole beans between my tomatoes to give them extra shade in summer when the tomato vines don't give enough protection to the tomatoes to keep them from being sun scaulded. Been doing it for years. It works great. good luck charlie