Are you a sweet potato lover? It does not have many fans, as it can happen with the potato, but those who enjoy it know that they can only eat it during a certain time. Therefore, learning about the sweet potato cultivation It can help you enjoy this food for a longer time (which will also be better if you take good care of it).
But how is sweet potato grown? What is there to keep in mind about this close relative of the potato? If you are already thinking about the delicacies that you can eat with some sweet potatoes in your garden, pay attention because we are going to explain everything to you.
When and how sweet potatoes should be planted
The best time to plant sweet potatoes is undoubtedly spring and summer. Between April and June is the first “laying”, so to speak, to plant. While for August and September you could do a second laying.
Yes, you need a place where the climate is temperate and tropical (ie hot but humid). In addition to a lot of light.
We would tell you that also in winter you could plant but the cultivation of sweet potatoes does not tolerate low temperatures so, unless you control this (for example with a home greenhouse, you could have them all year round.
Once they are planted, they must spend between four and six months to be able to harvest the sweet potatoes. And how can you know? It is simple, the plant begins to yellow the leaves, and that indicates that its fruit is ripe and ready to be collected.
Potted sweet potato cultivation
Although it is not usual to want to grow sweet potatoes in pots, it can be the case, as long as the needs of the plant are met. And it is that it needs a fairly large depth (something like that of potatoes) to be able to grow properly, without the need to transplant them once they have reached a height (30cm and 6-10 leaves).
It is not recommended that you put several sweet potato plants in the same pot. If you take into account that, on land, there must be a minimum separation of 80cm between them, in the pot this would be very difficult to fulfill, unless you had a very long and tall one.
Sweet potato cultivation care
Next we are going to talk to you about all the aspects that influence the cultivation of sweet potatoes so that it is clear to you how you should proceed, especially if you dare and plant a few.
Earth
Before we have told you about its best location and that it likes the high temperature, but we have not said anything about the land. The sweet potato needs an acid soil, with a pH between 4,5 and 7,5. Your ideal would be 6.0, but it would be in that order.
We recommend that you is grainy, coarse and loose in texture, crumbly and, of course, that it drains well.
You have to be careful with the nitrogen in the soil, as it can affect the tubers.
Seed
One of the easiest ways to grow sweet potatoes is to get hold of the seed. While this can be tricky because you need a sweet potato. If you get it, you have to wash it very well and cut it in half.
Next, fill a bowl with water and put the cut sweet potato, cut side down, in it. To give you an idea, the water should be between 2,5 and 5 cm from the ground. Take the fountain out of the window and let it give it the air and the sunlight. This implies that, every day, you will have to replace the water that has evaporated (or even several times a day).
The Split sweet potato will take 2-4 weeks to show “signs” of evolving. And it is that you will notice that the pieces begin to grow roots as well as a stem. You have to wait until it is something bigger, and especially that you have many white roots, to separate that plant from the sweet potato itself. Before planting them in the ground you will have to leave them in a vase with water, also submerging the stem, at least 48 hours. This will help the roots multiply and strengthen.
Now it will be ready to plant.
Irrigation
As with any plant, watering the sweet potato is one of the keys to successful cultivation. As we’ve told you before, sweet potatoes like moisture. And it is that he loves to be in environments with 85% humidity. Therefore, when watering, you have to wet the soil abundantly, but without it going to puddle, since that would be harmful and will rot the roots.
A little trick, which although it requires being more aware will help you is to space that watering in the day. That is to say, water instead of once, two or three, with less quantity, but thus managing to see the wet earth continuously without you overdoing it.
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Experts recommend that, while it is being cultivated, it is not good to give a fertilizer to the plant. This is usually done at the beginning, when it is going to be planted, since the soil is enriched so that the plant has all the necessary nutrients to grow.
But beyond that you only have to check that the soil is rich in potassium and poor in nitrogen so that the sweet potatoes fatten well.
Plagues and diseases
Unfortunately, sweet potato cultivation has its difficulties due to the appearance of common pests and diseases. In the case of pests, it can be attacked by the wireworm or bream, and the black donut.
The diseases that the sweet potato can suffer are the virus, the mummification of the sweet potato, Fusarium oxysporum or the Backrot of the sweet potato.
How Sweet Potatoes Are Harvested
After a few months (between 4 and 6) the plant will be ready to be harvested. It is important that, 15 days before doing so, cut the branchesto prevent its strength and energy from going to the branches and concentrating them on those “fruits.” Once that time is up, you can remove the plant and start picking the sweet potatoes. Depending on how big it got, where you grew it, etc. it will give you more or less.
As you can see, the cultivation of sweet potatoes is very easy to get. Do you dare to plant?
