subject: How To Effectively Raise Sweet Potatoes [print this page] Sweet potatoes are usually confused with yams even if they do not belong to the same species. The latter are categorized as monocots and shares a close relationship with different grass varieties and lilies. More than ninety-five percent of yams are cultivated in the African continent.
Sweet potatoes are categorized as dicots and share a close kinship with the morning glory genome. This type of crop requires warm weather to thrive like in the southern portion of US. Cultivating sweet potatoes are very easy by following these steps.
MATERIALS NEEDED IN RAISING SWEET POTATOES
The materials needed are garden plot, sweet potatoes or slips, H2O and mulch. Start before the last cold temperature before you transfer the potato slips outside your garden. This crop is not raise from seedlings but they are cultivated from cut vines known as slips. Pick some healthy sweet potatoes from your local supermarket. You can cultivate numerous bushels of potatoes from the slips that you have acquired from a few potatoes.
Raise the slips from the crops that you have bought from the supermarket. There are different ways to accomplish this. Place a wet soil inside a pot. Dig a hole and then bury the crop halfway.
You can also use stick toothpicks in the middle portion of the plant to hold it up in a container full of H2O. Carefully cut off the slips from the mother potato when it is 6-8 inches long. Handle the vine slips carefully because they are very fragile and easily breakable.
Transfer the slips outside your garden when the temperature is around seventy degrees and there is no possibility of a cold weather. Carefully place the vine slips on their side with most of it half buried in the soil. Plant it in rows. The crops should have a space of twelve to eighteen inches. Remember that the vines of the crop will spread throughout the ground so they will require a big amount of space in your garden plot.
Apply black mulch around the black slips to help retain H2O in the soil. The mulch will also draw additional sunlight that will help keep the slips warm. Do not forget to harvest your crops before the temperature drops outside. This type of crop is ready for harvest after 4 months. Dry it on the land for 3-4 hours after harvest.
Cure the potatoes for another ten to fourteen days in a room with warm temperature and balance humidity. After that, they should be stored in a room with cool temperature until it is ready to be used. Help the slips to grow by putting the mother potato on H2O heater or in an area that has a high temperature.
After the potato vines spread throughout the ground, only a minimal amount of weeds will be able to develop on the ground so it is very simple to remove them. Do not permit any frost on the crops because it will severely damage them. In the event of an unexpected drop in temperature, separate the vines from its roots. This will stop the spread of decay to the potato roots.
Dig the crops immediately after the frost. Rodents love to eat the roots of sweet potatoes. They have the tendency to dig in the ground and feast on the roots of your crops. You have to take necessary precautions to drive them away from the plants.
You can ask a professional for some tips regarding this matter or ask your local gardening store for some ways on how to prevent rodents from damaging your potatoes.
