Sweet potatoes are a type of plant that reproduces asexually, meaning that seedlings can be propagated using seed potatoes, roots, or vines. However, the seedling yield is low when using roots or vines, and the propagation technique is quite demanding. So, how many days does it generally take to cultivate sweet potato seedlings? Let's find out below.
1. How many days does it generally take to cultivate sweet potato seedlings?
Under normal circumstances, the normal seedling cultivation cycle for sweet potatoes is about 45 days. In years with large fluctuations in spring temperatures, the seedling cultivation cycle for sweet potatoes will be extended to about 50 to 60 days. If the date of sweet potato cutting cultivation is relatively fixed, counting back 45 days will allow the seedlings to be cultivated around the spring equinox, thus meeting the requirements for seedling age for timely sweet potato cutting cultivation.
II. Methods for cultivating sweet potato vines during hibernation
1. After harvesting sweet potatoes in autumn, begin winter dormancy cultivation. Sweet potato vines can be cultivated as seedlings for the second year. After harvesting sweet potatoes, select healthy and robust sweet potato vines with petioles of about 1-2 cm. Remove the leaves from the sweet potato vines, then soak the sweet potato vines in an antifungal solution for 3 minutes. Take them out and let them dry. Then pick out any small stones and large rocks from the ground.
2. Then dig a storage cellar, neatly place the sweet potato vines inside, and finally cover them with fine sand. This will force the sweet potato vines into dormancy. In areas prone to frost and with low temperatures, cover them with plastic film . In the second year, when the climate warms up, dig out the sweet potato vines for cutting propagation.
III. Cultivation Methods of Sweet Potato Roots
1. After all the sweet potatoes are harvested in autumn, select healthy, robust sweet potato roots without any damage for cultivation. Remove the leaves and keep about 3 nodes on each root. Then, control the size of the cultivation room according to the number of roots to be cultivated. If cultivating in a greenhouse, control the plant spacing properly and dig cultivation pits.
2. After planting sweet potato roots, it is necessary to fix them with wire according to the planting spacing, and then connect the wire to the sweet potato roots. After the sweet potato roots sprout, select about 3 new shoots on each sweet potato root, and make sure the new shoots correspond to the ropes so that the sweet potato vines can climb and grow along the ropes later.
IV. Precautions for Sweet Potato Seedling Cultivation
1. Due to differences in climate, temperature, region and other environmental factors, the cultivation time varies, and there are many different cultivation methods. Therefore, when cultivating, it is necessary to choose the appropriate cultivation method according to the region and the individual's planting techniques.
2. Sweet potato root cultivation methods can make full use of planting space, and when the cultivation volume is relatively large, it can effectively increase the yield of sweet potatoes. However, each cultivation method has many different advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of which cultivation method is chosen, the temperature should be properly controlled during cultivation to promote the healthy growth of sweet potatoes.
