So this year I decided to do my own slips for sweet potatoes since I found a variety we liked a lot. I planted the potatoes in an old wash tub and they have really nice growth but I have never done this before and my question is, will there be roots on the slips near the main potato and do I dig up the potatoes to slip off the stems? Or do I just slip the stems with no roots?

Just slip the plant when it is 6 inches or so whether or not it has roots. Transplant and water. The slips will root quickly and get on with their life.

Wow, I was hesitant in this heat. Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.

I do it the way Dill says. Sweet potatoes are by far the easiest rooting plant on earth. Just stick 'em in the ground unrooted, water well and they'll be perfectly fine.

Thanks. I was really worrying about this. Going to plant them on Monday.

Okay, it was really easy to slip the slips. I got 62 Red Gold slips and 12 Georgia Jet slips and someone gave me a purple sweet potato in a pot and I got four slips from it. I got them all planted and watered in good today! Usually we don't get them in until Fourth of July so we're ahead of the game this year. This whole week is supposed to be close to 90s with no rain in the forcast.

Wow. you did really good on that.

Been watering every day for the first week. All of the plants looking good. I saw a few more slips still growing in the tub in the greenhouse. What the heck will I do with them? You know I can't just throw away.

You will find a spot for them.

Exactly what are slips? My grandparents us to plant the whole sweet potato, I thought. White potatoes, they would cut off the eyes they called it and planted that. I was thinking of planting sweet potatoes in the back yard just for the vines lol

Well, slips are the sprouts of the whole potato. I just filled a tub with soil and waited to see growth. When about 4-6", I slipped. My fingers in the dirt and slipped the sprouts off the main potato. Very simpłe. I guess that way you can have more plants sine each one will give you several slips.

I did plant the extra slips today in another garden area. We'll have plenty to keep and sell!

One day sooner and I would have gladly sent you my extra slips!

Please do ...That's the new growth on the old potatoes right? My Granny called them eyes

Yes, the new growth on the old potatoes

Sweet potato is a root . It does not have eyes as such. You can get dozens of sprouts from a root. These are called slips.

Farmerdill, thanks so much for all the info! I have gardened a lot of years but find there are a lot of things I really am not sure about!

It was easy to do my slips and they are all looking very healthy.

oK Thanks Farmerdill! So you dig the potato out the ground and cut off the new growth and plant again? Why? Why don't you let the potato stay in the ground?
I thought my grandparents did, but you must remember that was about 65 years ago. LOL

Because you will get several slips and each slip will make a new plant you then plant and they all produces potatoes. If you leave the potato in the ground, you will only have one producing.

Not quite city sylvia. I pulled this potato to get an illustration. I have already planted all of mine and this potato has already produced over a dozen slips. You just grab an individual slip and pull it without disturbing the potato. A single sweet potato produces lots of sprouts. But these sprouts don't produce much when they are crowded.

OIC! its clear to me now!

Thanks Guys!