Growing potatoes from shoots?

[veggiechicken]

On the 4th Feb I posted this:
"Have I imagined this - that you can grow potatoes from the sprouts. I've snapped off the sprouts from my Charlottes and stuck them in water just to see what happens!"
Two days later, they all have roots. What happens next?

[allotment grower]

Its one of the things if it is not broken dont try and fix it..

Dont quote me. but it COULD be possible..

You can cut a seed potato in half or sections with shoots attached

The seed potato is the food for the new shoots to grow from when planted..

then again you can re plant carrot tops and get lush green tops just no root crop....?..

some of the seed potato companies are in development to re -release heritage herloom potatoes by the means of mini tubers.....

possibly grown via some form of hydroponics...?...

[binley100]

Try planting one in compost and growing on just to see........

[veggiechicken]

Try planting one in compost and growing on just to see........

Oh I will, I will!! If they can grow from potato peelings in the compost, why not this way...

[poly]

I'd pot them up too, not very deeply to start as the shoots/leaves will need light to produce food. Although it is not the norm to raise potatoes in this way it is quite possible. The way I've done it is very similar, place a tuber in moist compost the shoots that are produced will also start to produce roots. Once they have a fair amount of roots and also some leaves visible they can be detatched from the tuber and planted up indiidually in pots. Grow on before planting out after the risk of frost.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Poly. There must be something about South Wales that makes us want to experiment with potatoes!
What sort of return do you have from the shoots?

[poly]

On a par with mini tubers, if not better just a bit more fiddly. Try and keep them growing on well, no harsh checks to growth or they sometimes go into survial mode and produce mini tubers, great if you want them not so good for an eating crop!

Potatoes are fantastic

[veggiechicken]

A photo of 2 day-old roots on potato shoots

[zazen999]

I've got loads of those hanging off my spuds at the moment.

I've planted peelings with shoots and grown potatoes in root trainers before so you should be fine with those. There should be a photo on here somewhere with them on....

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Zaz. I was torn between saving Charlotte, the mother spud, for replanting, or eating. Hunger won!. With luck, Charlotte's little daughters will continue the line. If not, it was worth a go!

[BarleySugar]

I bought some vitolette mini tubers last year, they seem very slow to get going, and I didn't get many spuds. I saved 15 small tubers, and I've planted 6 into compost last week with just a project in mind. Produce shoots, detach and pot up as seperate plants. If it looks like succeding, there will be time to do the same with the others. The tubers were not chitting so enthusiastically as all my other varieties, so hope this will wake them up.
All the kids were very made up with purple potatoes, though OH didn't like them. I had to send Kissykit some through the post as she was back at uni before I dug them up. Son no 1 proudly took some 'cool' potatoes to Hull with him after coming down for his Gran's funeral in Oct, so I've orders to grow more this year!

[marchogaeth]

It's 30 years since I was doing trials on potatoes for a living but this method was being mooted about then for commercial production. Obviously, it still hasn't got off the ground! I can only echo the advice here, to look after them really carefully, try to avoid any set backs and watch out for them becoming too lush. Zaz's method with root trainers looks a really good way to go.

This method was used for bulking up new varieties way back then as was chopping up tubers into lumps each with one shoot on. I seem to remember you need a very close spacing to get a reasonable yield/unit area.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks M. I only did it because they were there, in my hand, looking so healthy that I didn't have the heart to compost them. There are lots of other odds and ends stuck in water here but they haven't made such spectacular instant growth as these.
All this talk of treating them gently is getting worrying - a bit of a responsibility! I may plant them in a pot in the greenhouse and see what happens. Its going to be a cold night tonight so they're staying as they are for a while longer.