What methods are there to suppress excessive vine growth in sweet potato vines and leaves?

Sweet potato is also called sweet potato, because it grows in the ground, hence the name sweet potato. Sweet potato is fairly common in our lives, and we also eat it often. Especially the roasted sweet potato stalls often seen by the roadside, whose fragrance can be smelled from far away, and once eaten it is even more irresistible!

How to suppress excessive vine and leaf growth in sweet potato

1. Pinching: The first time, when the main vine grows to 40 cm, remove the growing point of the main vine; the second time, when the branches grow to 30 cm, remove the growing points of the branches. In this way, the branches increase, the stems and leaves become lush, photosynthesis is enhanced, and the distance for transporting nutrients among roots, stems, and leaves is shortened, thereby promoting tuber enlargement.

2. Lifting the vines: When excessive growth of vines and leaves appears, lift them from the ground and then place them back in the original position, without twisting the stems and leaves, without disturbing the order of the vines and leaves, and without breaking the vines and leaves. This can suppress the formation of adventitious roots at the stem nodes and excessive growth of vines and leaves. Generally, lift the vines once every 10-15 days.

3. Spraying potassium: After the vines and leaves close the rows, use 500 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate mixed with 100 kg of water per mu for foliar spraying, spray once every 10 days, for 2 consecutive sprays. You can also use 15-20 kg of plant ash mixed with 50 kg of water, soak for 24 hours, then remove the residue and take the liquid, and spray on a cloudy day or a sunny afternoon, applying 50-60 kg of the extract per mu. In this way, after spraying potassium, it can promote the activity of the root cambium and the synthesis and transport of carbohydrates, and can thicken the stems and leaves, thereby preventing excessive growth of vines and leaves and helping the tubers expand. 

What is excessive growth of sweet potato leaves

Excessive growth is the phenomenon of losing the original short and sturdy shape, with stems and leaves growing wildly. It is called "excessive growth." Lack of sunlight, light that is too dim, and relatively more watering are the main causes. For a plant that has already grown excessively, it is basically impossible for it to change back, so you can wait for the spring and autumn growing seasons, cut off the top, dry the wound, and then take cuttings. Be sure to remember to give it plenty of sun (except at noon in summer). If sufficient sunlight cannot be guaranteed, control watering a little.

What to do about excessive growth of sweet potato vines  

Excessive growth of sweet potato vines not only consumes too many nutrients, but also affects sweet potato yield. When excessive growth of sweet potato vines occurs, the following methods can be used to control it.  

1. Remove growing points: When the main vine of sweet potato grows to about 50 cm, remove the growing point; when the branches and vines grow to about 40 cm, cut off the growing points again (remove 2-3 branch and vine growing points)  

2. Turning the vines: Gently lift the vines (do not move the root crown) and turn them over in the same direction. When the adventitious roots of the turned vines begin to root into the soil and grow, turn the vines in another direction, and pull the vines 2-3 times in this way.  

3. Cut off excess vines: When the vines close the rows, thicken, and show excessive growth, cut off some excess branches to reduce nutrient consumption and promote tuber enlargement.  

4. Spray foliar fertilizer: After the vines close the rows, use 500 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate mixed with 100 kg of water per mu for foliar spraying, once every 10 days, for 2 consecutive sprays. This can make the stems and leaves thicker and thicker, thereby inhibiting excessive growth of the vines and favoring tuber enlargement. 

How to plant sweet potato for high yield  

1. Temperature  

Sweet potato likes warmth and fears cold. When planting seedlings, at 5-10 cm and a soil temperature of about 10°C, roots do not develop; at 15°C it takes 5 days to develop roots; at 17-18°C root development is normal; at 20°C roots develop in 3 days; at 27-30°C roots can develop in just one day.  

When the air temperature is 25-28°C, stems and leaves grow quickly; above 30°C, stems and leaves grow even faster, but tubers enlarge slowly. Above 38°C, respiration consumes a lot, and stems and leaves grow slowly. Below 20°C, stems and leaves also grow quickly; at 15°C growth stops; below 10°C for too long, or when encountering frost, stems and leaves wither and die.  

2. Light  

Sweet potato likes light. Under sufficient light, the leaf color is deeper, the leaf age is longer, the stems and vines are sturdy, the vascular tissue of the stems is well developed, and the yield is relatively high. If light is insufficient, the leaf color turns yellow, there is more leaf drop, the leaf age is short, the stems and vines are slender, the vascular tissue is poorly developed, less organic nutrition formed by assimilation is transported to the storage roots, and the yield is low.  

3. Water  

Sweet potato is a drought-tolerant crop, but too much or too little water is unfavorable for increasing yield. Sweet potato fears flooding, especially after tuber formation, and flooding has a great impact on yield. Alternating dry and wet soil causes uneven growth rates inside and outside the storage roots, often resulting in cracked skin. In short, sweet potato fears both waterlogging and drought. As people say: "Dry grows firewood roots, wet grows fibrous roots, neither dry nor wet grows storage roots." To obtain a high sweet potato yield, irrigation should be timely and appropriate according to specific conditions, drainage should be timely and thorough, and dry land should strengthen intertillage to preserve soil moisture.  

4. Nutrients  

Sweet potato has a strong ability to absorb fertilizer and tolerates poor soil, but to achieve high yield, fertilizer must be applied sufficiently. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, calcium, etc. also play important roles. Among the three major elements, sweet potato has the greatest demand for potassium, followed by nitrogen, and the least for phosphorus. According to analysis, every 1000 jin of sweet potato contains 3.5 jin of nitrogen, 1.75 jin of phosphorus, and 5.6 jin of potassium. Therefore, increasing potassium fertilizer and applying nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer timely and appropriately has a significant yield-increasing effect.  

5. Soil  

Deep soil with rich organic matter, loose texture, good aeration, and good drainage, such as sandy loam and sandy soil, is best. When the soil is heavy and clayey, the storage root skin color is poor, rough, the tuber shape is irregular, the yield is low, and it stores poorly. However, sandy loam and sandy soil generally have lower fertility and poor water retention, so fertilization and other measures should be used to gradually build up soil fertility before high yield can be obtained. Sweet potato is relatively tolerant of acid and alkali, with a suitable pH range of about 4.5-8.5, but 5.2-6.7 is preferable. When the soil salt content exceeds 0.2%, sweet potato should not be planted.

From this it can be seen that there are still many points to pay attention to when planting sweet potato, otherwise all the work is wasted and the yield is still not high. In particular, note that sweet potato leaves must not grow too long, otherwise the sweet potato yield will decrease a lot. Therefore, if you want to grow high-yielding sweet potatoes, you still need to ask for advice a lot and learn a lot!