In hot climates, growing sweet potatoes may be a challenge. There are various tips for growing them. Some of these tips include watering, fertilizing, and controlling weeds. Read on for some of the most important tips to grow sweet potatoes successfully. Also, learn how to control weeds when growing them in a hot climate.
Sweet potatoes can be grown in hot climates
Some special considerations are required when growing sweet potatoes in hot climates. The first is soil quality. Sweet potatoes prefer well-drained soils with high organic matter. They prefer sandy soil over dense clay soil. The second is plant spacing. Sweet potatoes need to be planted about three feet apart.
Sweet potatoes grow very large so they need lots of space. They need to be shaded from direct sunlight. When they’re ready to be harvested, you can remove them from the vines. Once you’re done, roll the rows to create gaps. To assist you in this process, you can use a digging fork.
Controlling weeds
There are many ways to control weeds in sweet potato plants. There are many options. The first option is to prevent weeds from emerging at all by applying a herbicide before the first potato leaves appear. Some herbicides work better than others depending on the type and size of the weeds. Linuron, for example, is effective against pre-emergent broadleaved weevils. Nevertheless, you should apply linuron before the first leaves of the potato appear. In addition, linuron is also effective when used in combination with other herbicides, such as paraquat or glufosinate-ammonium.
In addition to weed-killing herbicides, you should also control other types of weeds in your field. These include yellow nutsedge, purple nutsedge, and rice flatsedge. These weeds spread by underground rhizomes and reproduce by producing tubers. They can reach a density of up to 210 shoots per square meter in 6 months.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing sweet potato plants requires knowing the exact proportion of nutrients in your soil. A soil test can help you determine what nutrients are already present and which ones you can omit from the mixture. However, if you are growing your sweet potato plants in your garden without any soil study, you should err on the side of caution and feed them less fertilizer than they require. Sweet potato plants should be fed one to two pounds of NPK fertilizer for every square foot of soil.
The study showed that nitrogen fertilization increased the number of storage roots and leaves of sweet potato plants, and resulted in an increase in yield and chemical constituents. It also increased the photosynthesis pigments in leaves. The resulting crops also produced more sugar and reducing sugars.
Watering
Sweet potatoes are an annual of warm season that requires moderate amounts of water and moderate nutrients. They can benefit from organic matter and fertilizer applied to the soil prior to planting. Sweet potatoes are native to South America’s tropical regions. They do not tolerate very dry weather and will produce new shoots after soil temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Planting in ridges will help the soil warm up faster in spring. This improves drainage and allows roots to spread out, making harvesting easier. Sweet potatoes thrive in light soil, but they can also be grown in heavier soils. They require full sun and at most eight hours of direct sunlight per day.
Sweet potato sprouts should measure approximately 6 inches in length. To sprout a sweet potato, start with a healthy medium-sized root. Place the root in a quart-sized jar filled with water. To speed up the sprouting process, place the jar under a grow lamp or on a seed germinator mat. The sprouts will be able to grow roots within a week or so and can then be planted in the ground. After planting, water the roots and the soil around them. To ensure healthy growth, you should check the sprouts every few days.
Harvesting
Sweet potato is a great vegetable to grow in your garden or backyard. They are a warm-weather crop that can be grown in both tropical and temperate climates. They are classified as either moist or dry, with the moist variety being more popular with home gardeners. Harvesting the sweet potato plant is a bit more challenging than other types of vegetables, however.
Harvesting sweet potatoes is easier if you grow them on a trellis, because you can easily follow the vines. Because sweet potatoes have thin skins, they should be handled with care.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
I am a man of simple pleasures. I love spending my time in my yarn, where I cultivates beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables. Of course I takes great pride in his excellent yawn, and I loves to see the joy it brings to others – especially children. I also enjoys taking care of his lawn, and love to watch my dog play with the neighborhood kids on the lawn.
