Gardening, in general, is a fun hobby. It is fun as we, as gardeners, get to try so many things. We get to explore when it comes to gardening. To grow vegetables and to grow fruits are some of the choices we can make and forms part of the options that we have when it comes to gardening.
We can choose to plant vegetables and fruits so that we can get something in return for our gardening efforts when it comes to these types of plant. If we want to beautify our garden, make it beautiful to complement the house, then using pretty plants or rather plants that will grow beautiful with a mixture of colors will be the right and definite choice.
Yams form part of the type of plants that a gardener would plant to mainly benefit from it. Yams or sweet potatoes in general are actually vegetables and are mostly grown in warmer climates such as in the North America. In cooler climates, yams are more complicated to grow. If you want to produce edible yams, make sure to root a yam that is meant to be for eating and not the type of variety for adding color or size to a flower garden. Here are the steps on how to root the yams.
You will need:
- Glass
- Water
- Wood meat skewers or toothpicks
Yams
Steps:
- First, buy yams (one or more) or sweet potatoes from a grocery store. Look for the yams that have healthy looking ends when picking them. Using healthy yams root the quickest and also produce the best roots, so check the yams at the grocery store carefully.
- A sweet potato, unlike a traditional potato, will not root from the eyes on the vegetable. During the process, the yam\’s ends will produce the sprouts so any mushy or damaged ends will not work well for rooting.
- Then, fill a glass with water (room temperature) about halfway full. Lukewarm water is the most suitable to use as water that is too hot or too cold can shock the roots and stop the process of growing well. Put toothpicks or wooden meat skewers around the yam at the halfway point.
- Make sure they protrude enough so the yam will rest on the glass edge and hold the yam up from being submerged in water. Only the bottom of the yam should be in the water. Also on the same agenda, you could either add water or move the toothpicks.
- Next, allow the yam to sit in the water. It will produce root like spikes from the bottom. When the water runs low, you could add more water to the glass. Avoid allowing the yam to stop touching the water as this will stop the rooting process. Plant the yam when the roots reach about 6 inches long. Basically, yams are best planted in moist and rich soil.
Image Credit:
Additional Reading:
The Yam: A Tropical Root Crop (Tropical Agriculturalist)
