Correct Methods and Steps for Planting Sweet Potatoes by Cutting into Pieces

SummaryEarly land preparation: In winter or early spring, form ridges according to the terrain, and per mu apply an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer, ammonium bicarbonate, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate. Select seed potatoes carefully: choose tuber pieces weighing 100-150 grams. Cut into pieces and soak the seed: soak the tuber pieces in a carbendazim solution. Sow and cover with film: avoid frost damage. Break the film to release seedlings: when the seedlings grow to 3 cm, manually break the film. Scientifically fill in seedlings: replant where seedlings are missing. Timely clear the plants: keep 2 strong seedlings per plant, and cut off all the rest.

1. Early land preparation.

1. In winter or early spring, open furrows and deep-plow 30 cm, which helps raise soil temperature and water content; generally, the low temperatures of winter and spring can be used to kill overwintering underground pests and diseases.

2. During this period, form ridges in north-south rows or according to the terrain, with a ridge spacing of 60 cm and a ridge height of 20 cm. Generally, the ridges should be tall and plump, while the furrows should be deep and narrow, which not only facilitates drainage and drought prevention but also promotes tuber enlargement.

3. When forming ridges, keep the ridge soil loose and rake the ridge surface flat and firm, then per mu apply 4000 kg-6000 kg of organic fertilizer, 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, 50 kg of superphosphate, 20 kg of potassium sulfate, or 100 kg of plant ash.

2. Carefully select seed potatoes

Choose high-quality varieties suitable for local planting. The tuber pieces should be uniform in size, preferably weighing 100-150 g, then remove tuber pieces with frost damage or pests and diseases. The seed rate per mu is 50 kg.

3. Cut into pieces and soak the seed

1. Cut the pieces on a sunny, windless morning, then according to the characteristic that the upper end of the tuber piece has dense buds and the lower end has sparse buds, cut the upper part smaller and the lower part larger, and each piece must retain 2-3 buds.

2. Put the cut tuber pieces into a 500-600 times carbendazim solution and soak the seed for 10-20 minutes. Generally, the solution temperature needs to be 5°C higher than the air temperature at that time. After soaking, remove and dry them before planting.

4. Sow and cover with film

1. After the seed potatoes are taken out of the cellar, handle them promptly and sow as soon as possible to avoid frost damage. You can cut the pieces and soak the seed in the morning, then sow in the afternoon. Before sowing, open a furrow on the ridge back 15 cm wide and 5-6 cm deep, then water thoroughly along the furrow.

2. After the water has completely seeped down, place the mother tuber pieces in the furrow with the bud-eye side facing south and up, with a plant spacing of 25-30 cm, plant the seed potatoes 1 cm deep into the soil, and cover with 2 cm of soil. After sowing, cover with film immediately and press it firmly around the edges with soil.

5. Break the film to release seedlings

25 days after sowing, the buds on the mother potatoes will emerge from the soil one after another, and by 35 days all seedlings will have emerged. When the seedlings grow to 3 cm, you can manually break the film at the emergence points to release the seedlings, avoiding scorching the seedlings, then seal the openings tightly with soil to prevent wind penetration, temperature drop, and soil moisture loss.

6. Scientifically fill in seedlings

After the seedlings are drawn out, promptly check the emergence rate and replant where seedlings are missing. When replanting, use a shovel to dig out strong-growing sweet potato seedlings with soil from the edge rows of the directly sown plot, then transplant them to the places where seedlings are missing.

7. Timely clear the plants

1. To prevent the mother potato itself from expanding and to promote the tuberous roots to take root and form tubers, and to form potato pieces, after emergence you can remove part of the soil around the mother potato, then let 1/3 of the mother potato be exposed, so that its root system grows normally in the shallow soil layer.

2. This method is also called clearing the plant. The suitable time for clearing the plant is when the sweet potato root system has fully formed and the upper seedlings have grown to 15-20 cm, then carry out clearing the plant a second time. Most of the soil around the seed potatoes should be removed, prompting more than 2/3 of the seed potatoes to be exposed. When clearing the plants, keep 2 strong seedlings per plant and cut off all the rest. The cut sweet potato seedlings can be used as spring sweet potato seedlings.

8. Field management

1. When the daytime temperature stabilizes above 30°C, the temperature under the film can rise to 40°C. At this time, the sweet potato has entered the stage of simultaneous growth of tubers and vines, and generally has higher requirements for soil permeability, so the plastic film needs to be removed promptly.

2. The management from after film removal to harvest is the same as the traditional transplanting cultivation method for sweet potatoes, mainly to protect the stems and leaves and not turn the vines. However, for plots with excessive growth and too many weeds, it is necessary to promptly lift the vines and pull out the weeds.

3. During the growth period, topdressing should not be excessive. Generally, foliar topdressing can be carried out. Per mu, spray 50 kg of 1% urea or 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, while also paying attention to pest control and waterlogging prevention.