Sweet potatoes are not only delicious but also incredibly versatile and nutritious. If you’re a fan of this root vegetable and eager to grow your own, you’re in luck! Growing sweet potatoes from slips is a simple and rewarding process that can be done right in your own kitchen. In this guide, we’ll explore how to grow sweet potato slips from organic sweet potatoes using nothing more than jars of water.
Step 1: Choose Organic Sweet Potatoes
When selecting sweet potatoes for this project, it’s important to choose organic ones if possible. Organic sweet potatoes are less likely to have been treated with chemicals that could inhibit sprouting. Look for firm, healthy-looking sweet potatoes with no signs of damage or decay.
Step 2: Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
Once you’ve selected your organic sweet potatoes, it’s time to prepare them for sprouting. Fill a glass jar or container with water, leaving enough room at the top for the sweet potato to be partially submerged. Place the sweet potato in the jar, making sure that the water covers about half of it.
Step 3: Place the Jar in a Warm, Sunny Location
Sweet potatoes need warmth and sunlight to sprout, so find a sunny spot in your home to place the jar. A windowsill that receives plenty of sunlight is ideal. Make sure the temperature in the room stays consistently warm, as sweet potatoes prefer temperatures between 75°F and 85°F (24°C and 29°C).
Step 4: Change the Water Regularly
To encourage healthy sprouting, it’s important to change the water in the jar regularly. Every few days, pour out the old water and replace it with fresh, room-temperature water. This will help prevent the growth of mold or bacteria that could harm the sweet potato.
Step 5: Wait for the Slips to Form
After a few weeks of patiently waiting and changing the water regularly, you should start to see small sprouts emerging from the sweet potato. These sprouts are known as slips, and they will eventually grow into new sweet potato plants. Continue to keep the sweet potato in the jar of water until the slips are several inches long.
Step 6: Transplant the Slips
Once the slips are a few inches long, they are ready to be transplanted into soil. Fill a pot with rich, well-draining soil and gently remove the slips from the sweet potato. Plant each slip in the soil, making sure to cover the roots and leave the leaves above the surface. Water the newly transplanted slips thoroughly.
Step 7: Care for Your Sweet Potato Plants
Now that your sweet potato slips are planted, it’s important to care for them properly to ensure healthy growth. Place the pots in a sunny location and water them regularly, keeping the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Sweet potatoes are relatively low-maintenance plants, but they will benefit from occasional fertilization with a balanced organic fertilizer.
Growing sweet potato slips from organic sweet potatoes immersed in jars of water is a fun and easy project that anyone can do. Not only is it a great way to propagate new sweet potato plants, but it’s also a satisfying way to connect with the food you eat and the plants that nourish you. With a little patience and care, you’ll soon be enjoying a bountiful harvest of delicious homegrown sweet potatoes
