How to grow sweet potatoes to achieve high yield?

Sweet potatoes can not only be eaten fresh, but can also be processed into foods such as dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato flour, and sweet potato chips. They can also be used in industries such as brewing and sugar making. In order to increase the yield of sweet potatoes, in addition to selecting excellent varieties, planting techniques and field management are equally important. Let’s learn how to grow sweet potatoes to achieve high yields.

1. Ridge fertilization

Sweet potatoes are suitable for growing in sandy loam and land with sufficient fertilizer and water. After land preparation, ridge planting is adopted, which is conducive to the growth and drainage of potatoes. Sweet potatoes require three main elements: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to grow. More nitrogen fertilizer is needed in the early stage, and more potassium fertilizer is needed in the middle and late stages. When applying base fertilizer, you can use 5,000 kilograms of farmyard manure per mu, and add a bag of compound fertilizer .

2. Planting

Sweet potatoes should be planted in spring when the ground temperature is stable at above 15℃. There are two planting methods: flat planting and oblique planting. Flat planting is suitable for plots with fertile soil and sufficient water. The seedlings are placed flat in the ridge with the upper part exposed. Slanted planting is suitable for plots with moderate drought, water and fertilizer . Before planting, in order to prevent underground pests, the roots of the seedlings can be dipped in a solution prepared with insecticides such as chlorpyrifos microcapsule suspension or imidacloprid. When planting seedlings, soak the roots for two or three minutes.

3. Water and fertilizer management

Seedling stage: 10 to 15 days after the sweet potatoes are planted, the weeds are basically grown. After the seedlings have grown, weeding should be carried out, and check whether there are any missing seedlings and replant them in time. During the seedling stage, nutritional growth is the main focus, and 3 to 5 kilograms of urea should be applied per mu.

Vine extension stage: The vines begin to extend and are about to close the ridges and enter the tuber-bearing stage. Nitrogen fertilizer should be controlled at this time to avoid excessive growth of the plants. Apply 2 to 3 pounds of urea and 10 to 15 pounds of potassium sulfate per mu.

Potato growing period: The potato growing period requires more potassium. 20 to 30 kilograms of potassium sulfate can be applied per mu to promote potato enlargement and improve yield and quality.

4. Control the growth

Excessive water and fertilizer will cause excessive growth of stems and leaves, affecting the formation of tubers. During the growth period, growth control can be carried out by lifting the vines, turning the vines, pinching the tops or using chemical methods. Chemical growth control saves labor and uses growth control agents such as chlormequat, paclobutrazol, and so on, which are applied in batches, but not in excess each time. The first control is during the vine extension period, and the second is done when closing the ridges 30 days later. After controlling the growth, nutrients can be concentrated on the growth of potatoes.

In summary, sweet potatoes have a certain resistance to certain diseases and pests, and proper field management is also needed to prevent the occurrence of diseases and pests. Sweet potatoes are usually harvested in the fall, when the temperatures begin to drop and the soil begins to dry out.