When is the best time to plant spring sweet potatoes?

SummaryThe planting time for spring sweet potatoes is April-May every spring, when the temperature is stable at around 15-20°C, which is good for sweet potatoes to sprout quickly. For planting, choose seed potatoes that are larger in size, free of defects, not bitten by rodents or insects, with many sprout points and strong vitality. Later, pay attention to reasonable fertilization, timely vine training, and active prevention and control of pests and diseases. They can be harvested in September-October.

I. Planting time for spring sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are generally sown in April-May in spring, and the best sowing time is in mid-May. The temperature at this stage is relatively stable, at around 15-20°C, which is conducive to rapid sprouting of sweet potatoes.

II. Planting methods

1. Seed selection

Before planting, seed selection is needed first. Choose seed potatoes that are relatively large, free of defects, not bitten by rodents or insects, have more sprout points, and have strong vitality for planting.

Although sweet potato planting is relatively simple, if you want a high rooting and sprouting rate and high yield, you must select good seeds.

2. Sowing

In order to prevent some diseases and also prevent the seed potatoes from being eaten by mice before sprouting, before sowing the seed potatoes need to be soaked in carbendazim solution for about 10 minutes, and then they can be sown.

When sowing, be sure to distinguish the head and tail, otherwise it will affect the sprouting rate. If you cannot tell them apart, you can place them diagonally, then cover them with a layer of dead grass and rotten wood, and then cover with a thin layer of soil. If the temperature is not sufficient, you can also cover with a layer of plastic film.

Generally, when sweet potato seedlings grow to 30-40cm, they can be pruned. Cut them into sections with three true leaves as one node, and then they can be cuttings, with each plant spaced about 30cm apart.

3. Timely fertilization

After planting, in order to let the cut sweet potato seedlings quickly grow roots, fertilization is needed, usually with human manure and urine water.

After the sweet potatoes survive, topdressing is needed, applying an appropriate amount of urea, mainly to make the seedlings uniform, because the growth is different and they look uneven.

When they grow to a certain stage, apply seedling-promoting fertilizer, mainly urea, and apply it together with an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer.

Finally, apply fruit-strengthening fertilizer, mainly potassium fertilizer and boron fertilizer.

4. Timely vine training

When sweet potato seedlings grow to a certain stage, timely vine training is needed. Clear the sweet potato vines to one direction and let them grow in one direction. This is not only good for later harvesting, but also can remove excess branches and leaves to avoid consuming nutrients.

5. Pest and disease control

Common pests and diseases include field mice, white grubs, leaf rollers, and aphids. Field mice and white grubs like to eat sweet potatoes in the ground and will bite and damage the sweet potatoes, while leaf rollers and aphids affect photosynthesis in sweet potato leaves.

For field mice, trapping and killing is generally used. Mix rat poison into food that field mice like to eat and scatter it in the field for trapping and killing. For pests that harm branches and leaves, trichlorfon solution can be used for spraying and killing.

6. Harvesting

Harvesting is generally carried out in September-October. First cut off the sweet potato vines, then dig out the sweet potatoes. After digging them out, to prevent water loss, store the sweet potatoes in a cellar, otherwise they are prone to rot.