Pulling potato plants from sprouts
 

Ok. This is my first attemp to augment my Skagit Valley Gold plants by pulling sprouts.

Procedure was to put a tuber in a tray with soiless media and cover it with about an half inch of moist media. In 2 days I had 5 sprouts rooting and elongating so I pulled them without taking pics. I returned the tuber to the soil and left it there for a week...after 3 days already had grown new eyes/sprouts and one was ready to be pulled today, 4 are developing roots. The bottom of the tuber got dark and soft but I will continue until there is life in that seed to see how many lil' plants I can harvest.

Only let me add 2 pics before so next pictures are separate

You experiment is interesting. I've read a little on this but it is interesting to see it visually. I wonder what the difference in yield is between planting whole potatoes to cutting potatoes to pieces and that compared to pulling sprouts and also the difference in these yields to plantings from TPS. I'm just getting started with growing potatoes so it is all adding to my learning curve.

Neat. I did not realize they could come off with roots intact. You can really get up close and personal with the potato plant this way.

[quote=Indyartist;210884]You experiment is interesting. I've read a little on this but it is interesting to see it visually. I wonder what the difference in yield is between planting whole potatoes to cutting potatoes to pieces and that compared to pulling sprouts and also the difference in these yields to plantings from TPS. I'm just getting started with growing potatoes so it is all adding to my learning curve.[/quote]Amen. I should have learned how to grow potatoes first, then begin experimenting. This year should be better.

Well that is basically it for experiments this year as spring is here and lots needs to be done once I get plants in the garden my afternoon free time get's tied up with chores like weeding, staking etc. I 'll add few more picts until they are ready to move out to the garden.

[quote=Indyartist;210884]. I wonder what the difference in yield is between planting whole potatoes to cutting potatoes to pieces and that compared to pulling sprouts and also the difference in these yields to plantings from TPS. [/quote]

I cant see it making a lot of difference really,the seed potato's role is to enable it survives the winter and regrows in spring,once the pulled sprout has developed roots and is growing on its own,is it not then independent of the tuber.

[QUOTE=Medbury Gardens;210969]I cant see it making a lot of difference really,the seed potato's role is to enable it survives the winter and regrows in spring,once the pulled sprout has developed roots and is growing on its own,is it not then independent of the tuber.[/QUOTE]

[LEFT]My question on yeild is in part due to this publication by Purdue University, an agricultural college about 1 hours drive from me here in Indiana. In this article it says that yield from growing from seeds (TPS) is lower, "Yield is typically low compared to cultivars started from
tuber seed pieces, making true seed cultivars mainly of
interest for container culture rather than high production."[/LEFT] So, if that is the case then where do pulled sprouts lay in the yield range in the different methods of propagating potatoes?

Here is the link to the Purdue potato planting guide:
[URL="http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-62W.pdf"]http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-62W.pdf[/URL]

[quote=Indyartist;210990][LEFT]My question on yeild is in part due to this publication by Purdue University, an agricultural college about 1 hours drive from me here in Indiana. In this article it says that yield from growing from seeds (TPS) is lower, "Yield is typically low compared to cultivars started from
tuber seed pieces, making true seed cultivars mainly of
interest for container culture rather than high production."[/LEFT]
So, if that is the case then where do pulled sprouts lay in the yield range in the different methods of propagating potatoes?

Here is the link to the Purdue potato planting guide:
[URL]http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-62W.pdf[/URL][/quote]
[quote=Medbury Gardens;210969]I cant see it making a lot of difference really,the seed potato's role is to enable it survives the winter and regrows in spring,once the pulled sprout has developed roots and is growing on its own,is it not then independent of the tuber.[/quote]

I agree, by the time you get to the point of using single- eye pieces of seed tuber, there is not that much of an energy store, anyway. If the sprout is from a high yielding clone/ variety, production should still be good. I would actually be more comfortable about sticking an already growing plant in the ground, but the labor of growing a bunch would add up. Still treat the transplants like a regular potato plant once they are in the ground. That is, hill up the dirt around the stem as it grows, or keep adding mulch, whichever method you prefer. From my experience last year, never let potato transplants become potbound.

The commercial seed variety Zolushka F1 outpaced my other TPS- grown plants last year (that's what it was bred to do), but I can tell some of the other varieties have some real potential for this season. The awesome variety of TPS we are dealing with here from Tom can hardly be compared to the few commercial varieties available in the U.S.

So far the stems on my plants from cuttings are much more sturdy and thick than the thin, floppy TPS seedlings, so they should be easier to deal with. I am wondering how the timing will translate, though, compared to planting tubers.

Wendy, thanks for the pics! Due to lurking the pulling & cutting threads here and at Tom's, I shallow-planted a few tubers myself over the weekend. I'll be trying pulling the sprouts.

Did you literally just pull them off, though? Or did you do a little digging of the actual spud so as not to break off the sprout & roots?

Thanks!

owiebrian,
I push to the side and upwards with a bamboo skewer or toothpick at the base of the sprout to snap it and lift the plant roots are intact... not digging into the flesh and the same eye will sprout again. It is difficult to take a picture thou I need an assistant :lol:

Thanks, Wendy, for the clarification. Now if my tubers will just get their butts, er, eyes in gear...

Went to the greenhouse to see how my seedlings and transplants were doing....way too cold to grow tomatoes...they are just hanging on....but the potato transplants from TPS are doing fine although not growing much after a couple of weeks. The jewel of the greenhouse was the Azul Toro variety of potato tubers that I potted up over a month ago.....72 little tubers...marble size to golf ball....and these tubers had hundreds of very leafy plants growing up...I made 288 pull plants from 19 little tubers. At this rate ....
[B][B]15 times 72 = 1080[/B][/B] pull plants on the first pull event.

I should easily get another cycle of pull sprouts as i put the tubers minus the sprouts back in the soil media...the tubers being very turgid and eyes ready to sprout more shoots again soon. I should end up with at least 1500 rooted plantlets to put out in the field once it is warm enough to safely transplant them ....maybe in a couple of weeks. I will need to fertilize heavily when I transplant to encourage lush and rapid growth. My goal is to get a minimum of 2,000 lbs. of Azul Toro.

The tubers had sprouted out from every eye and had an average of 10 or more shoots from all the eyes. The pots were about 4 inches deep with a heavy feeding at the bottom one inch of soil media with blood meal, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, lime, cottonseed meal, greensand and fish/bone meal. The roots had penetrated the entire pot and were quite vigorous. The leaves were a deep purple green, showing the beneficial effects of the feeding and the natural purple pigments of the blue potato type. The 4" deep pots are in trays of 24 inserts. The three trays together was a mass of two to three inch tall plants....wish I had a picture...very healthy plants.

The Azul Toro is a very shiny blue skin...blue fleshed potato that is a cross of my Negro Y Azul variety crossed to Kern Toro. The tubers were from a June harvest of last year of little tubers in a small shoe box kept at ambient temps.

I just about lost this variety due to a number of unforeseen events and I hope the rescue effort works.

Tom Wagner

I'm just up from the basement where I dug up the tubers There were great masses of roots coming from the shoots but the shoots themselves were still little nubs in most cases. I pulled some and planted and left others to see how long it takes them to get more mature like Wendy's pics.

I guess I was just surprised at how large most of the roots were coming off of tiny, just-sprouted shoots. Has anyone had luck pulling those? Or should I next time wait for the shoots to get larger before shallow planting for the roots?

Another question: Some of the larger shoots were two and three to a bunch, coming out of one eye, but each with their own roots (and, I assume, some shared ones in the jumble). Do you all split those or plant them as one?

As long as a potato sprout/shoot has some roots...separate it for an individual transplanting. Once the transplant is growing good...one, two , three weeks later...take to the field.

The idea of course, is to get quite a few roots to support the transplanting shock. I find the shoot takes off better if there is a fair amount of green leaves to balance the new growth.

BTW, speedkin.com seems to show some very familiar TPS lines. I am finding more and more photos on the web since I have been foisting TPS to anyone who wants to try growing potatoes from the true seed.

I rather like the tandem approach that is so apropos on this TVille topic......growing potatoes from TPS and multiplying potatoes rapidly by sprout pulls. I would love to see folks finding a 'One in a million' potato hill from TPS and reproducing it 100 fold the next season by sprout pulls.

Tom Wagner

I encourage folks to try TPS and it is not too late for this season to get some seed and try it clear into late summer. I may list several hundred new TPS lines on my TPS site yet this Spring or Summer to promote more diversity of potato varieties...

Tom Wagner

[QUOTE=Tom Wagner;211329]BTW, speedkin.com seems to show some very familiar TPS lines. [/QUOTE]

They should seem familiar since they came from you. :)

Thanks for the input. I did end up separating most of the larger multi-clumps but left the smaller bunches as one. I didn't have my old fart glasses with me so was afraid I'd kill them trying to separate.

I'm terribly afraid that this year's obsession with potatoes is turning into a more permanent one. I can see it quickly escalating to the same level as my tomatoes and chiles.

OwieBrian,
That's the spirit! I tend to spread the joy of growing food very easily. Now my focus this year is with TPS and potatoes ...and that seems.... like I am spreading the madness to others. Pictures please!??

Wendy
Ps. Got 2 more sprouts forming roots and an AKT that have massive roots from a shrunken spud I used to cut an eye and left to heal. So put it into soil and voila! 2 shoots and roots already in 2 days as well.

I'm a picture-taking fool so I did take a few during today's pulling. I'll get them blogged tomorrow and slap it up here.

I'm getting confused, holding conversations between both here and Tom's place. LOL

[URL="http://speedkin.com/2011/04/27/adventures-in-potato-shaving/"]Adventures in Potato Shaving[/URL]

[img]http://speedkin.com/media/2011/04/pull4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://speedkin.com/media/2011/04/pull5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://speedkin.com/media/2011/04/pull6.jpg[/img]

Loved the pics. Those are pretty big roots! SVG is a bit shy :) those will grow in no time I bet.

My opinion....those are removed too soon...they need more tops. The shoots must have leaves to carry on photosynthesis to perform well during the recovery.

[QUOTE=Tom Wagner;211509]My opinion....those are removed too soon...they need more tops. The shoots must have leaves to carry on photosynthesis to perform well during the recovery.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Tom. That's kind of what I was thinking. The spud in those particular photos were the smallest of the batch but it's when I had the camera handy. Still, I stuck 'em in pots to see what they'd do. I won't hold my breath.

Editing to add: I edited my blog post on this to incude your quote. I don't want to steer people wrong should they stumble upon my post, looking for info. :)

If you notice those roots....there are no hair roots yet off the sides of those leader roots.

Quietly taking notes. My only trouble is it is easier to produce plants then it is to produce land to plant them in.

Indy, I have five acres so plenty of room to expand... for a couple of years. It's just finding more time for everything. I have too many irons in the fire right now and have been making more mistakes than I should. I need to s.l.o.w down and screw my head back on straight once in a while.

I think I've decided to just take those tubers I already pulls sprouts from and plant them in the ground, if you all think they'll still do something there? And I still have the other half of the tubers that I've had working on growing better sprouts. I'll continue my sprout pulling with those... after a few weeks. It's time to get busy on getting the rest of the garden prepped and planted now that we're about at the frost-free date. We're in a new house, starting a new garden from scratch, so we're behind on everything.

I am not getting this.I have grown potatoes but only in the traditional way of planting them in the ground . Sorry to sound so dense Is there a thread somewhere that explains it right from the start, This thread is really interesting but I don't understand "pulling"..

So,am I right, I take a potato tuber...then...?? Bury it, dig it up,?? Does it need some activity on it before I bury it..I am really confused.

I would really appreciate the help,

XX Jeannine

Jeannine, hi.
The idea of pulling plants started in another thread talking about rapid multiplication. My interest was to start one potato named Skagit Valley Gold early on to get some plants and then harvest small tubers and plant those once my frost free day arrived. Why the trouble? Well, Skagit Valley Gold is one of Tom Wagner's creation that has a lot of good attributes like bountiful production of small potatoes of very good flavor, high levels of carotenoids, short cooking time, and short dormancy. I do live in an area with long winters and 120 days or so of growing season. It breaks dormancy too soon for me, in fact one month after harvest. That is a good quality if you live in the tropics or an area where you can half 2 seasons of growing potatoes. As a backup I sent one tuber to my mom in the Caribbean and she propagate it and send me one tuber back just now, because I was babying those tubers for months! It begun to shrivel and I was afraid to lose them. Say you only have one tuber of a rare or unique variety, by pulling plants or by taking cuttings and rooting, one can multiply the plants to get several and make a seed stock to save for next season.

I guess is not the easiest way to garden :dizzy: but I am learning different ways to be able to grow food reliably and making it self-sustainable.

Right now I do have about 5-6 Skagit Valley Gold potato plants growing happily and I am 3 weeks away from my frost-free day. . .

[quote=wmontanez;211956]Jeannine, hi.
The idea of pulling plants started in another thread talking about rapid multiplication. My interest was to start one potato named Skagit Valley Gold early on to get some plants and then harvest small tubers and plant those once my frost free day arrived. Why the trouble? Well, Skagit Valley Gold is one of Tom Wagner's creation that has a lot of good attributes like bountiful production of small potatoes of very good flavor, high levels of carotenoids, short cooking time, and short dormancy. I do live in an area with long winters and 120 days or so of growing season. It breaks dormancy too soon for me, in fact one month after harvest. That is a good quality if you live in the tropics or an area where you can half 2 seasons of growing potatoes. As a backup I sent one tuber to my mom in the Caribbean and she propagate it and send me one tuber back just now, because I was babying those tubers for months! It begun to shrivel and I was afraid to lose them. Say you only have one tuber of a rare or unique variety, by pulling plants or by taking cuttings and rooting, one can multiply the plants to get several and make a seed stock to save for next season.

I guess is not the easiest way to garden :dizzy: but I am learning different ways to be able to grow food reliably and making it self-sustainable.

Right now I do have about 5-6 Skagit Valley Gold potato plants growing happily and I am 3 weeks away from my frost-free day. . .[/quote]


Hi, that sounds like an excellent idea. I have quite a few single tubers that would benefit from this.

I guess I need to find the first thread as I am not sure just what to do.

Certainly sounds as if it could be away of getting round the persistant rain we have had here.

XX Jeannine

I meant to leave the link

[URL]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=14199&page=5[/URL]


[URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=17943[/URL]

[quote=wmontanez;211969]I meant to leave the link

[URL]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=14199&page=5[/URL]


[URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=17943[/URL][/quote]


Thank you very much, absolutely fascinating, just got to havea go now.

XX Jeannine

[QUOTE=owiebrain;211832]I think I've decided to just take those tubers I already pulls sprouts from and plant them in the ground, if you all think they'll still do something there? [/QUOTE]

We got busy with other things in the past couple of days so I ignored the tubers I had already pulled from. When I was in the basement potting up tomatoes last night, I saw those tubers had pushed more sprouts and are starting to urfurl some nice, healthy leaves above the soil line. Do I need to wait for the hair roots to form before I pull them? Or will they form after pulling as long as they've got leaves going?