Received Tom taters sampler today! - Page 5

David Marek · February 13, 2011

Wendy, Those look great!

For our purposes here, my background is in propagating bedding plants from cuttings. With that said, progress report on mine so far: My light source is from 2 regular T12 4 foot fluorescent tubes, on 14 hours a day. After I put the whole tubers on the light stand the sprouts almost stopped developing quite abruptly and both the tuber skins and sprouts turned purple. The sprouts are between 1/4 and 1 inch long with knobby looking things at the base that look like they want to become roots. The sprout tips are still tight, no leaves. The tubers are starting to shrivel so I put a clear cover over them and moved them a bit away from the lights.

My plan: I expected to have enough of a sprout on the tuber to cut a 1-1.5" tip with a bit of leaves starting to form, then stick it in a peat type potting soil- done in a similar way to, say, a zonal geranium, jade, sedum, etc. This would leave the "mother tuber" intact to produce another set or two of sprouts to repeat the process. Each batch would *in theory* have a different maturity date (?). The plan would be to eat the early ones and save the last batch planted (therefore last to mature?) for next year.

I see you have lots of roots already- which usually means a sigh of relief for me. The section taken from the tuber should help it to really take off. Let's say they do take off, (yours should) my plan B (maybe more like plan B, section 1,

if I ever get there) would be to then take cuttings from these established seedlings (cutting of a cutting, of sorts... but don't mess up all your nice heathy new plants), stick those new cuttings in soil, repeat.... do you see where the exponential ("rapid") increase starts to kick in?

Anyway, at week 4 my tubers are burning up their energy without much to show for it so far. I will be putting the tubers in a tray of soil very soon, where they should be happier. I will try cutting apart some of the larger tubers, that looks like it works well.

wmontanez · February 13, 2011

Hi David,

Cool! Well I am all in for experimenting. Thanks for sharing those ideas!

I really do like to keep Skagit Valley Gold in a constant production mode if I can. I am thinking that by staggering the planting dates this year then I can have tubers to save for seeds much later than last year without worrying too much of the dormancy. I have 9 seed tubers now that all look similar to the one I took the spouts. Now I will have to try to take cuttings from one plant and see if I have sucess. I've done this with coleus, geraniums and mint.

If this fails I have some rooting hormone for trying a second time later in the season before tomato planting starts. Once I have all the plants in the ground the experiments fade since my gardening time is tied up.

PD. I am using T8 flourescent lights on 12-14hrs a day. My soil media is soiless potting mix with a sprinkle of mycorrizae.

Wendy

David Marek · February 14, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmontanez

Once I have all the plants in the ground the experiments fade since my gardening time is tied up.

I call that reality setting in. I couldn't agree more.

I don't think I mentioned I have some mycorrhizae powder from BioOrganics, I'll try some of that too.

wmontanez · March 12, 2011

Quick update: My SVG cuttings keep growing, the 2 initial cuttings started to form roots of their own and the main potato plant produced 2 new shoots each from the 2 nodes I left in each plant so I cut again for a second wave of 4 cuttings. I might do a third round and stop because I am getting busy with spring preparations in April and won't have too much time to continue to care for these cuttings. I took pics to upload this weekend.\\
How's yours David Marek and Emanuelle?

David Marek · March 13, 2011

The active SVG eyes popped as soon as I planted them in a 1020 tray with soil, watered them, and put them back under lights. Some of them got moldy rather fast, so in the future I will not put a clear tray on top for 4 days. Sprouts are about 4" tall and leafy, so cuttings will be taken any day now. I might try rooting a few in water- it works well for some other plants. Glad to hear you got some secondary sprouts, Wendy.

I checked on my 1st year TPS tubers in storage in the root cellar last week. Most of them look good, I am overall pleased. The purple valley (I think.... anyway it was one of the dark ones- they are all labeled but I was pressed for time) had a bunch of sprouts 4-6" long on mostly large marble size tubers, but they are not shriveled. They might not always be so early to sprout- the plants died down early last year, so they were probably dormant for 4 or 5 months.

wmontanez · March 14, 2011

Pictures of the cuttings that are rooting plus new cuttings.

Medbury Gardens · March 15, 2011

They've taken well Wendy

cuttings is something ive never tried

**Tom Wagner** · March 15, 2011

Reminds me to relate to my work with potato cuttings.

Back in the mid 70's when I was a horticulturist/trouble-shooter with a 20 acre greenhouse operation...where I was in charge of fertility, pesticides, growth regulants, and experimental propagation.....I had a few moments to experiment with B-Nine growth regulant on potato cutting amongst the mums. I would cut up potato plants with one leaf left on the cuttings. I would dust the cut end with Rootone and stick in small cell trays to root. Once the cuttings rooted...I would spray them with B-Nine to keep the shoots short and stocky. Within 6 weeks the cuttings would tuberize and be harvested. The tubers would be like mini tubers and were great for increasing varieties that were rare.

I did this for tomato vines as well. If I had a special hybrid or F-2 vine that was a one of a kind tomato....I could make hundreds of cuttings and put them into the field later.

This year I am cutting up rare potatoes and placing them in a shallow layer of peat/lite to get pull sprouts like sweet potatoes. Unlike what Wendy is doing...pulling off the sprouts early and rooting...I can pull the same sprouts as they emerge and have roots on them. I can pull sprouts for many weeks getting hundreds of starter potato plants from one tuber.

I should take pictures.

Tom Wagner

wmontanez · March 15, 2011

Thanks Richard. If you try it let me know how it goes. I have done it with tomatoes by removing the "suckers" and after few days in water has a root system. Here's my ever willing experiment buddy (my mom) holding a tomato that she propagated after I told her about it

she had several extra tomatoes from that one.

Tom, one question... when you take the sprouts.... is the tuber capable of producing more shoots from that "eye" again and again until it runs out of storage food? If I am ever in the situation that I have the only tuber of one variety I got at least 2 ways to multiply the plants.

cortona · March 22, 2011

http://books.google.it/books?id=0sx0...series&f=false

http://books.google.it/books?id=Oc_-...series&f=false

that are interessant reading about the fast reproducing of potatoes.
Wendy
my mayan gold are growing good in pot along with the unknow pureja and i'm ready to pul out some rooted sprouts from the pot
i've other tubers sprouting in little pot and i've sowed a large number of your tps saturday in single cels trays, i hope that it can grow in little plants for the end of april's general transplant.
a friend have sent me some other tps and i'm waithing for this and i've recived more trys from another friend so i'm ready!
photos wen i find the charger of my digital camera!

David Marek · March 30, 2011

As long as we are posting here...cellphone pictures! Shown is community tray and dixie cups.

TZ-OH6 · March 31, 2011

I think that is what I did last year with little SVG tubers (too small to cut up). They had lots of sprouts coming off of the eyes (too many) so I potted the tubers and then after the sprouts leafed out, I pulled off the little rooted plants.

I too am interested to hear if they would have kept producing from the same eyes after I pulled the little plants off.

**Tom Wagner** · March 31, 2011

Potato eyes are complicated things....even if you de-sprout them....there are secondary side buds...and more that will shoot sprouts if the existing sprout is pulled off. Therefor if sprouted potato tubers are planted in a pot...you can pull emerging shoots of for at least two or more times...by that time the mother tuber is just about spent.

You can get more 'pulls' if you don't tear the eye apart away from the flesh when the sprout is pulled...sometimes carefully cutting or breaking the sprouted plant above the eye will allow the tuber to keep shooting out more sprouts.

The physiological age of the tuber is a factor...a fresh tuber will sprout from the apical eye first and the more dormant eyes will 'wake' up thereafter. I have done about five times 'pulls' that way..several days or a week or so apart.

Tom

wmontanez · March 31, 2011

Looking great David! I think you got many many good looking potato plants there.

I started my tomatoes and TPS now... many seedlings emerging this week...way too many maybe so I got a small window to try your method Tom for pulling plants before spring arrives.

I have 7 SVG tuber seeds left waiting to plant them outdoors for a crop but I am willing to sacrifice one tiny for this. At this rate I have to start thinking to get info on how to make a root cellar!

Medbury Gardens · April 1, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Marek

As long as we are posting here...cellphone pictures! Shown is community tray and dixie cups.

Nice picture off a cellphone never the less David

February 13, 2011	#62
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	Hi David, Cool! Well I am all in for experimenting. Thanks for sharing those ideas! I really do like to keep Skagit Valley Gold in a constant production mode if I can. I am thinking that by staggering the planting dates this year then I can have tubers to save for seeds much later than last year without worrying too much of the dormancy. I have 9 seed tubers now that all look similar to the one I took the spouts. Now I will have to try to take cuttings from one plant and see if I have sucess. I've done this with coleus, geraniums and mint. If this fails I have some rooting hormone for trying a second time later in the season before tomato planting starts. Once I have all the plants in the ground the experiments fade since my gardening time is tied up. PD. I am using T8 flourescent lights on 12-14hrs a day. My soil media is soiless potting mix with a sprinkle of mycorrizae. Wendy __________________ Wendy

March 12, 2011	#64
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	Quick update: My SVG cuttings keep growing, the 2 initial cuttings started to form roots of their own and the main potato plant produced 2 new shoots each from the 2 nodes I left in each plant so I cut again for a second wave of 4 cuttings. I might do a third round and stop because I am getting busy with spring preparations in April and won't have too much time to continue to care for these cuttings. I took pics to upload this weekend.\\ How's yours David Marek and Emanuelle? __________________ Wendy

March 31, 2011	#74
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	Looking great David! I think you got many many good looking potato plants there. I started my tomatoes and TPS now... many seedlings emerging this week...way too many maybe so I got a small window to try your method Tom for pulling plants before spring arrives. I have 7 SVG tuber seeds left waiting to plant them outdoors for a crop but I am willing to sacrifice one tiny for this. At this rate I have to start thinking to get info on how to make a root cellar! __________________ Wendy

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February 13, 2011	#61
David Marek Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: St Charles, IL zone 5a Posts: 142	Wendy, Those look great! For our purposes here, my background is in propagating bedding plants from cuttings. With that said, progress report on mine so far: My light source is from 2 regular T12 4 foot fluorescent tubes, on 14 hours a day. After I put the whole tubers on the light stand the sprouts almost stopped developing quite abruptly and both the tuber skins and sprouts turned purple. The sprouts are between 1/4 and 1 inch long with knobby looking things at the base that look like they want to become roots. The sprout tips are still tight, no leaves. The tubers are starting to shrivel so I put a clear cover over them and moved them a bit away from the lights. My plan: I expected to have enough of a sprout on the tuber to cut a 1-1.5" tip with a bit of leaves starting to form, then stick it in a peat type potting soil- done in a similar way to, say, a zonal geranium, jade, sedum, etc. This would leave the "mother tuber" intact to produce another set or two of sprouts to repeat the process. Each batch would *in theory* have a different maturity date (?). The plan would be to eat the early ones and save the last batch planted (therefore last to mature?) for next year. I see you have lots of roots already- which usually means a sigh of relief for me. The section taken from the tuber should help it to really take off. Let's say they do take off, (yours should) my plan B (maybe more like plan B, section 1, if I ever get there) would be to then take cuttings from these established seedlings (cutting of a cutting, of sorts... but don't mess up all your nice heathy new plants), stick those new cuttings in soil, repeat.... do you see where the exponential ("rapid") increase starts to kick in? Anyway, at week 4 my tubers are burning up their energy without much to show for it so far. I will be putting the tubers in a tray of soil very soon, where they should be happier. I will try cutting apart some of the larger tubers, that looks like it works well.

March 13, 2011	#65
David Marek Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: St Charles, IL zone 5a Posts: 142	The active SVG eyes popped as soon as I planted them in a 1020 tray with soil, watered them, and put them back under lights. Some of them got moldy rather fast, so in the future I will not put a clear tray on top for 4 days. Sprouts are about 4" tall and leafy, so cuttings will be taken any day now. I might try rooting a few in water- it works well for some other plants. Glad to hear you got some secondary sprouts, Wendy. I checked on my 1st year TPS tubers in storage in the root cellar last week. Most of them look good, I am overall pleased. The purple valley (I think.... anyway it was one of the dark ones- they are all labeled but I was pressed for time) had a bunch of sprouts 4-6" long on mostly large marble size tubers, but they are not shriveled. They might not always be so early to sprout- the plants died down early last year, so they were probably dormant for 4 or 5 months.

March 15, 2011	#67
Medbury Gardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Medbury, New Zealand Posts: 1,879	They've taken well Wendy cuttings is something ive never tried

March 15, 2011	#68
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Reminds me to relate to my work with potato cuttings. Back in the mid 70's when I was a horticulturist/trouble-shooter with a 20 acre greenhouse operation...where I was in charge of fertility, pesticides, growth regulants, and experimental propagation.....I had a few moments to experiment with B-Nine growth regulant on potato cutting amongst the mums. I would cut up potato plants with one leaf left on the cuttings. I would dust the cut end with Rootone and stick in small cell trays to root. Once the cuttings rooted...I would spray them with B-Nine to keep the shoots short and stocky. Within 6 weeks the cuttings would tuberize and be harvested. The tubers would be like mini tubers and were great for increasing varieties that were rare. I did this for tomato vines as well. If I had a special hybrid or F-2 vine that was a one of a kind tomato....I could make hundreds of cuttings and put them into the field later. This year I am cutting up rare potatoes and placing them in a shallow layer of peat/lite to get pull sprouts like sweet potatoes. Unlike what Wendy is doing...pulling off the sprouts early and rooting...I can pull the same sprouts as they emerge and have roots on them. I can pull sprouts for many weeks getting hundreds of starter potato plants from one tuber. I should take pictures. Tom Wagner

March 22, 2011	#70
cortona Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: italy, tuscany, town of cortona Posts: 68	http://books.google.it/books?id=0sx0...series&f=false http://books.google.it/books?id=Oc_-...series&f=false that are interessant reading about the fast reproducing of potatoes. Wendy my mayan gold are growing good in pot along with the unknow pureja and i'm ready to pul out some rooted sprouts from the pot i've other tubers sprouting in little pot and i've sowed a large number of your tps saturday in single cels trays, i hope that it can grow in little plants for the end of april's general transplant. a friend have sent me some other tps and i'm waithing for this and i've recived more trys from another friend so i'm ready! photos wen i find the charger of my digital camera!

March 31, 2011	#72
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 846	I think that is what I did last year with little SVG tubers (too small to cut up). They had lots of sprouts coming off of the eyes (too many) so I potted the tubers and then after the sprouts leafed out, I pulled off the little rooted plants. I too am interested to hear if they would have kept producing from the same eyes after I pulled the little plants off.