Starting your own plants from slips, also known as sweet potato slips, is a fun and rewarding way to grow your own garden. With just a few simple steps, you can grow healthy and vibrant plants that will produce delicious sweet potatoes for you to enjoy.
First, let’s start with the basics. Sweet potato slips are small sprouts that grow from the eyes or buds of a sweet potato. These slips can be removed and planted in soil to grow into new sweet potato plants. To start your own sweet potato slips, all you need is a sweet potato, a jar, some toothpicks or wooden skewers, and water.
To begin, choose a healthy organic sweet potato and place it in a jar filled with water. Use toothpicks or wooden skewers to suspend the sweet potato in the jar, making sure that the bottom of the sweet potato is submerged in water. Place the jar in a warm, sunny spot and change the water every few days to keep it fresh.
After a few weeks, you should start to see small sprouts emerging from the eyes of the sweet potato. These are your sweet potato slips. Once the slips are about 6-8 inches long, carefully remove them from the sweet potato and plant them in potting soil. Make sure to plant the slips with the majority of the slip below the soil and only the tip above the soil.
Water the slips regularly and keep them in a warm, sunny spot. In a few weeks, your sweet potato slips will start to grow into healthy plants. Sweet potatoes need plenty of sunlight and warm temperatures to thrive, so make sure to provide them with the right conditions.
As your sweet potato plants grow, make sure to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Be careful not to overwater, as this can lead to root rot. Fertilize the plants with a balanced fertilizer every few weeks to keep them healthy and promote growth.
In about 90-150 days, your sweet potato plants will be ready to harvest. You can dig up the sweet potatoes once the vines have turned yellow and withered. Cure the sweet potatoes by storing them in a warm, dry place for about 10-14 days to allow the skins to toughen. After curing, your sweet potatoes will be ready to eat and enjoy.
Starting your own plants from slips is a fun and rewarding way to grow your own sweet potatoes. By following these simple steps, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of delicious sweet potatoes that you grew yourself. So why not give it a try and start your own sweet potato plants today?
