When are sweet potatoes planted and harvested? How should they be fertilized?

The sweet potato is a high-yielding and highly adaptable crop that is widely cultivated around the world, and its tuberous roots and tender stems and leaves are all excellent food ingredients. So when are sweet potatoes planted and harvested? How should they be fertilized?

When are sweet potatoes planted and harvested?

The planting time and harvest time of sweet potatoes differ by region and variety, so let's take a look below.

Planting time:

1. Variety

Spring sweet potatoes begin seedling raising in late January, autumn sweet potatoes in mid-to-late June, and early winter sweet potatoes in early-to-mid August.

2. Region

In the north, the best planting season should be at the end of August in autumn. In the south, by contrast, planting after October in winter is the most suitable. Of course, planting at the end of March and the beginning of April each year is also fine.

Harvest time:

If it is planted in May, then the best harvest period is late September or early October; if it is planted in June, then the best harvest time should be around late October. This needs to be judged according to the planting time in different regions, but generally speaking, October is the best period for harvesting sweet potatoes. At this time the climate temperature usually stays at an average of around 12°C, which is to say that when the climate temperature reaches an average of 15°C, it is the best period for harvesting sweet potatoes.

How should sweet potatoes be fertilized?

1. Apply nitrogen fertilizer lightly

Too much nitrogen fertilizer will cause the stems and leaves to grow wildly, consuming a large amount of nutrients, so that in the later stage when the roots swell, the nutrient supply is insufficient, leading to small roots and reduced yield.

2. Apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer

Phosphorus fertilizer loosens the soil and promotes flower bud differentiation, while potassium fertilizer promotes thick, strong sweet potato stems and root swelling. 3. Apply organic fertilizer heavily. Tuber crops such as sweet potatoes and potatoes like organic fertilizer; organic fertilizer has stable efficacy and lasting stamina, which chemical fertilizers cannot compare with.

4. Apply foliar fertilizer skillfully

Ten days before the roots begin to swell, the leaves must be supplemented with one spray of monopotassium phosphate.

5. Make good use of biological bacterial fertilizer

As the saying goes, “If you want to farm well, first build good soil.” Biological bacteria can play an extremely unique role in disease resistance and soil improvement.

Because the sweet potato is a vegetatively propagated nutritional body, it has no obvious maturity standard or harvest period. However, how early or late the harvest is done has a certain impact on yield, quality, processing and utilization, so sweet potatoes must be harvested in time.