Potato growing roots along the stem

[rajungardener]

I've always grown potatoes in soil the old way of planting about 4" deep in furrows and then covering them up as they grow because potatoes are supposed to grow new roots along the stem and produces more potatoes. I'm now growing some TPS and I also started 3 25 gallon pots with Yokon Gold. I added about 5" of compost and some vegetable fertilizer mixed in then planted and filled another 5" of compost. I started these about 3 weeks ago and for the last week I've been gently digging down to check progress, what I found was that about an inch above the seed potato was a root growing and of course the sprout was above it still growing. I checked it again a few days ago and found another root had starting growing above the 1st one and the sprout is about an inch below the soil level about to break out. So my question is: If the plant will continue to put out roots even while the sprout in still under ground, why do we not just bury them as deep as the pot will allow? I know some potatoes don't grow more roots/potatoes and some only grow potatoes about 6" above the seed potato. I can't find info on YG to see if it will grow all the up the stems. Does anybody know?

[paquebot]

Potato roots are normally found only below the seed piece. What you are seeing are not roots but stolons. Those are modified branches which produce the tubers. I have always planted potatoes about 4" below grade and immediately hill another 4". Takes awhile for the plants to emerge from that depth but then may not need any additional hilling.

[rajungardener]

Thanks, I'll try a container with more compost till it's full to compare to the others that I hill when they grow.

[rajungardener]

This is my 1st year growing in containers instead of row cropping. I researched and from that I started some seed potatoes. I had 2 old plastic drums I cut in half. For the soil I mixed 1 bag of Miracle Grow potting mix in the blue bag(3 months feeding & moisture control) mixed with 2 bags of cow manure compost, 2 bags of forest humus compost and 1/4 bag of chicken manure compost. I planted Yukon Gold from Wally world and 1 russet I had from the grocery store. I did cut the Yukon and let them cure for 5 days and the russet I cut into about 7 pieces and they all had sprouts growing when I put them in. I planted some in 8-9 inches of soil and 1 pot I planted in about 12 inches. I filled the pots to about 5 inches, added some generic vegetable fertilizer that was about 6-10-14. I put the the seed potatoes in and covered them to about 8 inches. The soil settled after watering and the 3 inches of rain we had 2 days ago but it's not hard like in dirt. I noticed that the potatoes are about the same height in both methods. This makes me think if you have good seed potatoes that it better to plant deep if the soil is loose enough to allow them to grow. I should've took pictures when I planted but here's what they look like now.



Planted in 8" soil



a closer look



these were planted deep, notice that they are about the same height as the shallow planted tubers and you can see on the bottom that it held more moisture than the shallow plants





3rd container planted in shallow soil



Russets are slow and minimum growth

[nathanp]

Yukon Gold won't grow tubers up the stem. I doubt any commercial tubers will. In order to do that, you need traits found in andigenum, phureja and other not very common potatoes. Most Tuberosum group potatoes have been bred to set tubers only at one height level, at one time, in one place, close to the plant center.

[rajungardener]

I took a few more pics before I hill these up, they're growing crazy. I can't believe the growth in just 2 days.

This is the 1st container planted shallow with the measuring stick on top of the soil

Deep planted container

3rd container also planted shallow


And those slow Russets

[gilbert]

Please let me know how these do: I'm working on a big potato tower project, trying to develop an optimal tower style and potato variety.

Gilbert

[rajungardener]

Good Luck Gilbert!!! If I were to do a tower, I would put 4" of compost in, set the tubers, cover with 12" of compost. When the plants grow about 4" above the compost, put in more tubers, cover to the top of the plants to bury the tubers, repeat this process till the tower is full. Use long season tubers at 1st then start using short season. But I just got into to whole growing potato experiment/crossing thing and also in container growing. I'm an experienced farmer/gardener, master gardener, years of growing row crops and there's always something to learn what works for you and your area. My opinion is in containers you need to give them more nutrients to give the plant the most potential. If you read the responses to my question, there seems to be differences of opinion. Does a potato grow below the seed potato or do they grow from the sprout growing up sending out roots/slolons. I've watched the Potato MAN from Allotment Diary www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xNfy0qYFrs grow massive yields. I've been growing some hydroponics tomatoes for 2 years now and have noticed that when I apply those fertilizer methods to my dirt plants the result is amazing. What I mean by those methods is supplying the plant with all the nutrients it should get from the soil so I use Masterblend, Epsom Salt and Calcium Nitrate along with other minor elements. I don't think it matters what plant it is as long as you feed them all season instead of the old way of throw some stuff in when you plant and just water it. Take a look at this, I know that method is all about buying the ferts but I can do the same thing cheaper. www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=18309&highlight=mittleider I'm just trying to improve my crops every year, some fail but more get better.

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[rajungardener]

After the last pics I filled in more soil mix, they're doing good. The 2nd pot is where I planted the same depth of the others but filled the container with more soil from the beginning and it also has the most growth.

1st container

2nd planted the same depth but filled with more soil

3rd, planted same as the 1st



And these russets from the grocery store for comparison

[wmontanez]

The Yukon Gold will disappoint you. They are type of potato that earthing up more than 6in is just wasting soil. They grow near the base nothing along the stem. The pot may produce a good crop but not along the stem.

[rajungardener]

The potatoes are growing great and the slow growing russets in the far right tub has finally started growing better but today I noticed they are putting on flowers. I goggled flower pics of russets but they look different unless they start out like this. Do russets always flower this early?

[stevecrouse]

Depends on what variety of russet they are.
Also, potatoes from the store usually have some sort of sprout inhibitor applied to give them more shelf life.
Some have a chemical applied in the field just after blossom drop, many, now, have a chemical applied in storage as a gas, and some are treated just before being shipped to the store, but this application doesn't last.
Just by looking at the progression of your russet plants, I would say that the last method was used.
The other two methods will produce plants with very thin stems and the sprouts will be extremely short and round, sometimes growing inward rather than out.
If you have a treated potato that you are determined to have grow, it's best to use the sprout-jack method because the plant, then, is cut off from the inhibitor contained in the tuber.

[rajungardener]

Thanks Steve. I knew they have inhibitors but never thought that it would last to the flowering stage. I thought once it wore off and the potatoes started to sprout it would be fine. I'm not trying to grow this type, it was just and experiment to grow in containers.

[stevecrouse]

As the plant takes on more nutrients from the soil and less from the tuber, the effects of the inhibitor will diminish.