How to Speed up Potato Sprouting

How to Speed up Potato Sprouting (4 Effective Ways!)

Whether you are a farmer waiting to harvest their potato field, a research student looking for answers, or a potato lover simply looking forward to fries, potatoes hold a special place in our hearts. But, when growing these starchy beauties, is there any way on how to speed up potato sprouting process?

There are a few ways to speed up the potato sprouting process in which you can learn from this article, such as storing them in a warm and humid environment or exposing them to light.

How to Speed up Potato Sprouting?

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Sprouting can be speeded up using two primary methods. The first method includes keeping the potato tubers near apples or onions, while the second option is surrounding the tubers with moisture from damp rags or leaves.

The article below tells you all about sprouting, the steps to make it happen faster and other questions you might ask. So read on for a detailed answer!

How to make potatoes sprout faster?

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To make potatoes sprout faster, you can use several methods. The first method involves surrounding the potato tubers with onions or apples. The gasses released by this fruit and vegetable help enhance the potatoes’ growth, allowing them to reach readiness faster than expected.

The second method includes making the potatoes have contact with water through a soft cloth or other hydrated surfaces, including leaves.

The constant exposure to water in the form of moisture ensures the potatoes are not deprived of this essential element for their growth, preventing wrinkle formation on the potatoes. This ultimately makes the potatoes sprout faster than they otherwise would.

To ensure the potatoes sprout faster than usual, keep the soil temperature between 7-10 ◦C (45-50 degrees Fahrenheit) during planting. Once the potatoes have been planted, the soil temperature should range between 16-21◦C (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit).

A temperature lower than this will cause their growth to be stunted, and a higher temperature will cause the potato to lose excess water, making it unusable.

Potatoes grow best in cooler temperatures. However, the leaves and shoots that grow above the ground cannot tolerate cold temperatures; therefore, a constant check on temperature is essential for the potatoes to grow and sprout faster.

Steps to sprout potatoes

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Sprouting potatoes in your garden can be a piece of cake for those who know what to do. The steps mentioned below will help solve this dilemma for you; carefully follow through!

Buy brown or red potatoes from a store: There is no specific variety you need to filter out here. Buy the potatoes you wish to grow in your backyard. However, ensure that the potatoes are herbicide-free (herbicides are sprayed on potatoes during growth to increase their shelf life).

It is best to consult the vegetable seller here; however, if you have already purchased the potatoes, wash them well before moving on to the next step.

Peel the potatoes: Peeling potatoes for any meal is acceptable. The important thing here is to remove and collect scraps from the potato. These are small, round areas that embed mildly in the potato. These are for the sprouting points when new potatoes are growing; hence collecting them is essential.

Storing sprouts in water: After separating them, soak them in water with the peel facing up. This is a fast method of making them sprout. Make sure the peels are exposed to sunlight and are in a cool place.

Soil exposure: After the peels have been in the water and new sprouts can be seen; it’s time to rest the scraps beneath the soil. Once sprouting sets in, the potatoes quickly grow and form new crops. It is best to plant or pot them at this time; new crops will likely occur in the next few days!

Note: Pay particular attention to watering, temperature, humidity, and soil conditions to ensure maximum growth, all the while remaining humble and patient!

More about potato plant: Why Are My Potatoes So Small?

Summary 

Potatoes are one of the most important vegetables for most people across the globe. The ease of cooking and the numerous types of foods you can eat make their growth a promising source of income and a source of nutrition.

Several seasonal changes must be kept in mind when growing them, as unsuitable weather may make all the hard work go in vain.

Therefore, careful analysis and a check on the growth patterns are essential for success, and for this to happen, ways to make the potatoes sprout faster can be a great help for growers all across the globe!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you protect potatoes from the harsh winter?

The best way to protect your plants from the harsh winter snow, hail, rain, and winds is by covering them using a cloche. This is a transparent plastic covering that can start from the stem and go all the way up to the shoot.

The transparent cover means that sunlight can enter and reach the plant, but it can’t escape easily and gets trapped inside. This trapped sunlight and heat make the inside warm, acting as individual greenhouses for the plants.

It is recommended to use a plastic cover that is rigid enough to stand the harsh climate conditions and not excessively thick so that it becomes impenetrable.

How to efficiently grow potatoes in summers

Harsh summers can destroy a field and cause leaves to burn from the heat and sunlight exposure. To mitigate the damages, it is advised to opt for heat-resistant varieties of potatoes. These include:

– The Red Cloud: As in the name, these potatoes are red-skinned with white flesh and can withstand high temperatures.
Viking red: These are like the Red Cloud in appearance and are additionally drought resistant.
– Superior: These are early season potatoes with brown skin and white flesh. They can resist high temperatures and droughts. 

Can I plant potatoes in clay soil?

Clay soil is not the best for the efficient growth of potatoes; however, this may be more of a misconception than you think. Potatoes can grow in clay soil but need excess care, and you must check several other factors.

For example, breaking up clay soil with taters and covering up stems with straw and fallen leaves works well with potato growth. Additionally, hilling up the potato plant’s organic matter and soil helps it grow.

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