An amazing plant at no cost: you can grow it using just one sweet potato
Some call them red potatoes, others batata, American potatoes or sweet potatoes: they are large, red-orange tubers, characterized by a paste with a sweeter taste than that of yellow potatoes. They are used in a myriad of different dishes and are very tasty, and can be enjoyed all year round (especially in the colder months).
They are not a particularly attractive-looking tuber: they are tubers dug up out of the ground, so they can look a little lumpy. Notwithstanding this, they can produce truly beautiful plants that are easy to grow and are perfect for decorating. And then you can eat the root too! Read on to find out how easy it is to grow a plant from a simple sweet potato.
via @brad/TikTok
Thi is a task which anyone can do and for which you will need:
- A sweet potato: make sure it is firm, plump, intact and is as fresh as possible.
- A glass jar or container that is large enough to put the potato into. The ideal would be if it does not touch the bottom, so look for a narrow glass or vase, with a diameter equal to that of the circumference of the potato.
- Water.
There really isn't a lot to do to start the cultivation! Proceed as follows:
- Fill the jar with water, up to three quarters of its capacity;
- Insert the potato into the jar, preferably so that the bottom tip does not touch the bottom of the jar;
- Wait.
OK, that's not entirely true. There is something else to remember: you have to change the water every 10-14 days. In a week or two, you should see the first sprouts! Watch Brad Canning's TikToker video to find out how easy this is.
The plant that will grow is a beautiful creeper with heart-shaped leaves. If you like the aesthetics of ivy fronds hanging off a shelf, you will surely appreciate the beauty of this tuber. You can see here how it looks after about two weeks.
When a good root system has developed, you can decide whether to continue with hydroculture (possibly moving everything to a slightly larger pot), or to transfer the tuber to a pot.
Have you ever tried this?
