Ipomoea batatas - breeding of Sweet Potato - Camote - New Zealand

[reed]

I looked up your latitude, about 40 degrees, mine is about 38 degrees and we also have long periods of clouds on top of it, so I don't think day length is the problem. My plants that over wintered and that I cloned to set out this spring are still growing in the pots I put them in last fall.

When you brought them in did you dig up and plant in the pots? When I plant mine to take in each fall I just take cuttings and put them in small, 3 - 4 inch pots or even just plastic drinking cups. I just wonder if being in the larger pots tends to hold more moisture, rot is the only thing I'v ever lost one to. In the little pots or cups it's easy to let them get really dry between watering.

Anyway, sounds like you might need some more seeds. I save the very first maturing seeds separate in case they have some tendency for fast maturity or more tolerance to cooler temps.  I sent those to Joseph last year, I'll set some aside for you this year.

[Richard Watson]

Thanks reed, most kind of you.

Ive made sure the pots are quite dry which was something you mentioned a while back being important, they are not rotting as the stems look fine, the dying from the leafs down. My latitude is 42.5 degrees, I am sure the daylight hours that is the reason why some have kicked the bucket as the inside temp is not getting below 14C at night inside.

At the end of the day there are some clones that are looking good, wonder if it would help them if i stuck up a poster of a tropical beach instead them having to look out at frost 

[Richard Watson]

I think now that the survivors will see out the winter

Bbcuzzie is starting to gain new leaves


# 7 and # 9 never even looked like they was struggling, so these showed the greatest cold tolerance




#2 and #3 are not so good but are growing new leaves, so they should be ok going into spring.

[reed]

Those look better than mine often do over winter. In early spring when days get longer and they start perking up and growing again I often pinch out the tips to make them branch out some. Later each branch makes a new plant. I generally discard the old root bound plant.

[Richard Watson]

Well that is good to know. My two NZ clones stayed out in the tunnelhouse for longer have shown a degree of variability, the clone ive grown for a number of years looks half dead but is inside now and should come away again, yet the clone Chris gave me is still in the cold tunnelhouse looking perfectly okay, so that's a real cold tolerant clone.

[Richard Watson]

Update on the surviving clones - now the days are getting longer the growth is 'slowly' taking off, the daytime temps inside the tunnelhouse are getting into the mid 20's C and the stonework is warming to keep it about 10+deg at night while there is still light frosts outside, still, a long time yet before they go outside.

[reed]

How many ya got going into the new season?

[Steve1]

Thanks reed, most kind of you.

Ive made sure the pots are quite dry which was something you mentioned a while back being important, they are not rotting as the stems look fine, the dying from the leafs down. My latitude is 42.5 degrees, I am sure the daylight hours that is the reason why some have kicked the bucket as the inside temp is not getting below 14C at night inside.

At the end of the day there are some clones that are looking good, wonder if it would help them if i stuck up a poster of a tropical beach instead them having to look out at frost 

Just saw that picture of your sweet potato plants looking out at the frost - is that single glazing Richard? Could it be radiant cooling killing your plants? The only reason I ask is that I left a sweet potato on the front verandah early in winter and it wilted badly and was not dry. 8'c out and no frost. Brought it in and it recovered in about 4 hours. Just a thought.

[Richard Watson]

The five you see above are the survivors and one Kumara from Chris Morrison that flowered for him. Yes it is single layer glass and the way I see it is if it was  radiant cooling killing some of the plants its sorted out the men from the boys

[Richard Watson]

The tunnelhouse is getting quite hot during the day now and another week the door will need to be opened. Still a good 6 weeks before thinking about putting the camotes outside, quite happy with them now they are regrowing again.

[Steve1]

The five you see above are the survivors and one Kumara from Chris Morrison that flowered for him. Yes it is single layer glass and the way I see it is if it was  radiant cooling killing some of the plants its sorted out the men from the boys

Fair enough. You gotta crack some eggs to make an omlette...

[Richard Watson]

Progress photo, another few weeks and they can go outside. Chris's Kumara has done the best out of all the clones (blue arrow) and #9 (yellow) which has been the strongest wintering over Camote.

[reed]

They are looking pretty good to me. The one to the right in the brown pot is the only one that looks a little off, it's color don't look quite right. Looks like Chris's is one with longer vines rather than bushy.

It might be time to chop them up a little and clone some new plants. Don't have enough experience to say 100% for sure but I think I actually get better food harvest from a new clone that an established plant. A new clone grows two or three little roots that form big storage roots with new feeder roots on its other end. An established plant starts out with too many feeder roots and ends up with bunches of little crowded and deformed storage roots.

[Walt]

Under my conditions, a year-ols sweet potato plant planted in the garden splits and rots, though the above-ground part of the plant looks healthy until frost.  New plants from slips grow and produce well.
Your location or your variety may be quite different.

[Richard Watson]

They are looking pretty good to me. The one to the right in the brown pot is the only one that looks a little off, it's color don't look quite right.

That's poor ol Bbcuzzie, only just hung in there during winter, but its growing well and has nice green growth tips that soon turn red/bronze

Looks like Chris's is one with longer vines rather than bushy.

It was left as a long vine over winter, but you are right, that clone is a vine type that can cover a large area, it had flowers for Chris last summer

It might be time to chop them up a little and clone some new plants. Don't have enough experience to say 100% for sure but I think I actually get better food harvest from a new clone that an established plant. A new clone grows two or three little roots that form big storage roots with new feeder roots on its other end. An established plant starts out with too many feeder roots and ends up with bunches of little crowded and deformed storage roots.

Remember my goal is all about aiming for seed, not worried about the roots at this stage, I cant see taking off slips now to grow new plants will help me achieve earlier flowering, but I will take cuttings later to share around our FB group.