How to Plant a Sprouted Potato: Have you found that in the back of your pantry, the potatoes you bought at the shop a while ago but forgot about have sprouted? What ought to be done? discard them? No way! Still good, indeed! I’m going to explain how to sow those sprouted potatoes so that you can grow fresh potatoes.
Planting sprouting potatoes
Yes! A sprouting potato can be planted to produce more potatoes.
If you do it correctly, you can really grow multiple potato plants and eventually a large number of young potatoes from only one sprouted potato.
How to Re-Grow Sprouted Potatoes
Any variety of sprouting potato, including sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, and white potatoes, may be planted.
Don’t plant the potato whole in the ground, to start. For best results, you’ll need to do a few preparations before planting your sprouting potatoes. Not to worry; it’s simple. You don’t have to be an excellent gardener to grow potato plants. Just carry out these actions.
Step 1: Prepare your garden bed by creating rows of mounds of soil.
It’s preferable to prepare your garden bed beforehand since you should plant your potato sprouts no later than 2-3 days after you prepare them.
When you pile up the dirt, potato plants thrive the best. This is so that potatoes can grow underground. The potato plant’s leaves grow above ground, while the potatoes and their roots all grow underground. Therefore, the more space the potatoes have to grow, the larger the mound of earth you make should be.
By scooping the soil on either side of the row you make and heaping it up in the center, you can simply mound the soil in your garden. The soil mound should be between 8″ and 12″ tall.
Use only gloves; don’t use any other specific tools. Simply pile the dirt up with your hands. You can use a shovel, gardening hoe, or rake for larger gardens.
Rows should be spaced roughly one foot apart.
Step 2: Count the potato sprouts .
Depending on how many sprouts each potato has, you might expect to acquire a different number of plants.
The potato’s eyes develop into a potato. It is possible to cut each sprouting eye and raise it as a plant. When making your cuts, leave the sprouts grouped together if one eye has several sprouts.
There will be varying numbers of sprouts available from each sprouting potato.
Step 3: Use a serrated kitchen knife to slice each sprout.
Cut each sprout or set of sprouts apart, leaving a tiny bit of potato still attached to the sprout.
Plant potato sprouts within few days of being cut. The skin should ideally dry just enough to shut out disease without drying out the sprouting areas. No need of soaking the sprouts or keeping it in the water before planting. ter before planting. After cutting, do keep them in a cool, dry location.
Step 4: Plant your potato sprouts.
Plant potato sprouts with the sprout side up and the cut side down. Each sprout should be buried 3-4″ beneath the soil’s surface. To allow for both underground and surface growth, plants should be placed at least 12″ apart.
It will take planted potato sprouts roughly a week to break through the soil and extend their leaves. Water the plants regularly, and make sure they receive lots of sunlight.
Step 5: Keep watering and weeding the area around your potato plants.
If your soil isn’t extremely rich, fertilize it. You can keep building up the soil around the plant’s base as it grows.
Typically, it takes potatoes three months to mature and yield a harvest. Certain types could need more or less time.
Step 6: Harvest your potatoes.
It’s difficult to predict the size or quantity of potatoes you’ll receive because they grow underground. But you’ll know your potato plants are ready to be picked when the visible plant dies off, typically in the fall, either after the first frost or on its own.
When is the best time to plant a potato sprouts?
It depends on where you reside when you plant. In general, you should plant in the early spring. Make sure the ground temperature doesn’t go below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). Usually, 2-4 weeks before the spring’s last frost, the ground is warm enough.
Note: Potato plants thrive in soil that is 45–50°F (8–10°C) warm. nonetheless, can also flourish in warmer environments.
If the soil is still too cold, you can start your potato plants indoors before transferring them to the ground.
How to Plant a Sprouted Potato: Potato Pests
Potato pests (Colorado Potato Beetle) are the exception to the typically carefree nature of potatoes. Pay attention!
The soft-bodied, reddish-brown juvenile beetle larvae have a line of black spots running down their sides. When fully grown, they feature orange heads and bodies with yellow and black stripes.
These small critters will unquestionably ruin a yield and can quickly defoliate potato plants. Don’t assume your plants are safe just because they aren’t on a “farm.” It’s astonishing how quickly they can find a single potato plant growing in a pot on your back deck.
Most people carry about a container of either hydrogen peroxide or simply a little tap water with a little dish soap for taking off Colorado Potato Beetles. Simply place them into the pot as you go, and remember to check on the plants every day.
How to Plant a Sprouted Potato: Potato Hardiness
The ideal growing season for potatoes is from spring through summer, with a harvest in the fall. However, depending on where you reside, this can change.
In cooler climates with at least 6 hours of sunlight every day, potatoes thrive best. In most cases, potatoes won’t withstand temps lower than 40 F. However, it’s also bad if it’s too warm. Potatoes may not grow in soil that is hotter than 80°F.
How to Plant a Sprouted Potato: Conclusion
You can keep your sprouted potatoes if you’re not in an area with warm enough temps to plant them.
They should be kept in a space that is between 35 and 40 °F when being stored. The best environment is one that is cool, dark, and dry. A chilly basement or your refrigerator might do. Up until the time when you are ready to plant, these circumstances will make them go dormant.
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