When Is the Best Time to Plant Sweet Potatoes? A Detailed Guide to Planting Time and Methods

SummaryPlanting time: around April to May each spring. Planting method: select robust, disease-free sweet potato seed tubers, soak them in a chemical solution and then remove them, then plant them in the soil, scatter a layer of withered grass and rotten wood, then cover with soil and press firm, and when the seedlings grow to 30-40cm, they can be cut into small sections for cuttings; during the growing period, fertilizers such as urea, compound fertilizer and potassium fertilizer can be applied, and trichlorfon solution can be sprayed to prevent and control common pests and diseases.

I. Planting Time

Sweet potatoes can only be harvested in autumn and winter, so their growing period is relatively long. They must first go through seedling raising, then cuttings, and only then do they formally begin to grow. Generally, the sowing time for sweet potatoes is around April to May each spring, and the best sowing period is mid-May, because the temperature during this period is basically stable at around 15-20°C, and sowing at this time allows relatively rapid germination.

II. Seed Selection

Sowing sweet potatoes is relatively simple, but choosing good seeds is the key to a high yield. Therefore, when selecting seeds, it is necessary to observe whether the sweet potato seed tubers are robust and disease-free, and then choose varieties with a larger size and many bud points for sowing.

III. Sowing

1. First, put the sweet potato seed tubers into a carbendazim solution and soak them for about 10 minutes, then remove them for sowing. When sowing, the head and tail must be distinguished clearly, otherwise the seedlings that grow will be uneven. If they really cannot be distinguished, they can also be placed diagonally, then scatter a layer of withered grass and rotten wood on top of the seed tubers, and then cover with a small amount of soil.

2. If you are worried that the temperature has not reached the requirement, you can cover with a layer of plastic film for insulation. When the sweet potato seedlings grow to 30-40cm, remove the plastic film, cut off the stems and leaves of the seedlings, then cut them into small sections with 3 leaves as one section for cuttings. When cutting, it is generally appropriate to keep a spacing of about 30cm per plant.

IV. Fertilization

After planting, the 1st fertilization is needed to promote the cut sweet potato seedlings to grow new roots. Generally, human manure and urine water can be applied. The 2nd fertilization is after the sweet potatoes survive, applying an appropriate amount of urea to promote uniform growth of the sweet potato seedlings. The 3rd is applying seedling-promoting fertilizer, and urea plus compound fertilizer can be applied. The last is fruit-strengthening fertilizer, which is generally potassium fertilizer and boron fertilizer.

V. Vine Training

To facilitate later harvesting and prevent excess branches and leaves from consuming nutrients, the sweet potato seedlings in the field should be trained. During this period, the sweet potato vines can be sorted out and made to grow in one direction, which will also make harvesting much easier. While training the vines, excess branches and leaves can also be removed.

VI. Pest and Disease Control

1. Common pests of sweet potatoes include leaf rollers, aphids, white grubs, and damage from field mice. Leaf rollers and aphids harm sweet potato leaves and affect photosynthesis in sweet potatoes, while white grubs and field mice prefer to eat the sweet potatoes in the field, and they will bite and damage the sweet potatoes in the field.

2. For pests that harm branches and leaves, trichlorfon solution can be used for spraying and killing, while for field mice, their favorite food can be placed in the field and then mixed with rodenticide for trapping and killing.

VII. Harvesting

The harvesting time for sweet potatoes is September to October. During this period, the sweet potato stems and leaves can be cut off, then the sweet potatoes can be dug out of the field and placed in a cellar for storage to ensure that moisture is not easily lost.