The sweet potato delights in many ways. Its advantages go far beyond the versatile processing options in the kitchen. For example, the batate also impresses as an ornamental plant with its exotic flowers. What makes them so popular, especially among hobby gardeners, is their rapid growth and easy method of propagation. Find out here how you can grow your own sweet potato in no time.
How do you sprout sweet potatoes?
Grouping sweet potatoes is easy: either in a water bath by placing the end of a tuber in a glass of warm water, or in potting soil by planting a tuber in a box with substrate. Both methods show the first shoots in a few days.
Grouping Sweet Potatoes
There are two different methods available to germinate a sweet potato for propagation. Below you will find the instructions for each procedure.
Start early
You will be amazed at how quickly sweet potatoes start to sprout. But before you can put the new shoots outside in the ground, they should have formed enough roots. Since planting outdoors is only possible when temperatures are frost-free, May is considered a suitable time. Nevertheless, it is recommended to start germination in January.
Germination in a water bath
- cut off the end of a sweet potato tuber
- fill a glass with fresh, warm water
- place the sweet potato cut side down
- if necessary, fix the tuber with toothpicks
- change the water regularly
- don't wait too long before taking the batate out of the water bath. Otherwise your growth will stagnate
Germination in potting soil
- fill a box with regular potting soil
- plant a tuber in it
- water the substrate sufficiently
- place the box in a warm, bright place (window sill)
With both methods, the first new shoots appear within just a few days. Until you plant the germinated batatas in the garden, it is best to repot them in growing containers.
Re-germination during storage
Even when stored in the cellar, sweet potatoes germinate again, similar to normal potatoes. However, the tubers are still edible. However, you should carefully remove the new shoots before eating as they taste bitter. If you want to prevent them from sprouting again, put an apple with the sweet potatoes.
