How to cultivate sweet potato slips? Detailed seedling methods and techniques

AbstractSeedling raising time: the seedling raising time for sweet potato slips is around March. Cultivation methods: the dormant vine seedling method is to take the sweet potato vines harvested in autumn, remove the leaves, soak them in Amfetrine solution for about 3 minutes, dry them and store them until the second year for cutting propagation; the root seedling method refers to selecting high-quality sweet potato vines when the autumn harvest is completed, keeping 3 nodes, transplanting them into a greenhouse, and after overwintering they can be used for sweet potato seedling raising.

I. Seedling raising time

1. Generally, sweet potatoes are raised as seedlings around March, and the suitable seedling raising time can be chosen according to different regions and climates. In southern regions, seedling raising can begin in February, while in northern regions it is done around Qingming Festival.

2. During seedling raising, if the temperature is relatively low, insulation work should be done in time. Generally, seedling raising can begin about 4-5 weeks before planting.

II. Seedling raising methods

1. Dormant vine seedling raising

(1) This method is to keep the sweet potato vines harvested in autumn until the following year to use as sweet potato slips for cultivation and planting.

(2) Operation method: after harvest, first select relatively thick and strong sweet potato vines without pests or diseases, remove all the leaves on the vines while keeping the petioles about 1-2 cm, then soak the treated vines in Amfetrine solution for about 3 minutes, take them out and dry them, then remove large stones and large rocks from the ground, dig a storage pit, place the sweet potato vines in the pit, cover with a layer of fine sand, and let the vines gradually enter a dormant state.

(3) If seedling raising is carried out in areas with low temperature and frost, insulation work must be done well, and film should be applied in time. When the suitable planting season arrives the following year, the sweet potato vines can be dug out directly for cutting propagation.

2. Root seedling raising

(1) After the autumn sweet potato harvest is fully completed, select relatively thick and strong sweet potato roots without damage, remove all the leaves, and keep 3 nodes on each root.

(2) Choose a suitable planting site according to the specific number of sweet potato slips. For seedling raising in a greenhouse, a small trench can be dug with a depth of about 20 cm, a width of about 30 cm, and a center-to-center spacing of about 80 cm. Plant the sweet potato roots at a spacing of about 20 cm, and about 12 plants can be planted per sq m.

(3) After the sweet potato roots are planted, set up the wire according to the planting spacing so that the sweet potato roots are closely connected to the wire. After the plants sprout, select 3 new shoots from each sweet potato root and fix them to the wire with rope, which later makes it convenient for the sweet potato roots to grow along the vine.

III. Precautions

1. Due to different regions, climates and other reasons, the seedling raising time will vary somewhat. The suitable seedling raising time and method can be selected according to the local temperature and planting environment, so as to effectively improve space utilization and also help increase yield.

2. No matter which seedling raising method is used, in order for sweet potatoes to grow healthily, the growth temperature of the sweet potato slips must be well controlled.