The Amazing Way To Grow Hydroponic Sweet Potatoes!

Last Updated on September 8, 2024 by Sara Rose

Do you want to learn how to grow hydroponic sweet potatoes?  You have come to the perfect place to find all you need to know to get started on your endeavor.

Who doesn’t love sweet potatoes?  They are a healthy addition to anyone’s garden.  Not only do they produce a delicious root, but you can also eat the leaves! 

Growing hydroponic sweet potatoes is a great way to maximize your yields and lower your work.  There are many different sweet potato varieties grown all around the world.

One plant can give you between 3 to 9 potatoes! You can even start the potatoes from old sweet potatoes in your house.

If you keep them in the perfect conditions you can have sweet potatoes available all year round.  Follow this perfect guide to learn everything you need to know about hydroponic sweet potatoes.  After reading this article you should feel confident in getting started

Keep reading now!

Can You Grow Potatoes Hydroponically?

The short answer is: absolutely!  Growing potatoes hydroponically is a great idea for anyone who is lacking in outdoor space.

Potatoes grow under the ground, so you need to make sure you have a deep enough growing medium.  The minimum soil depth you should be working with is 9 inches.  Of course in hydroponics, you do not use soil.

Instead, people use different kinds of growing mediums such as clay balls, perlite, coconut coir, or only water.  Even though you aren’t using soil, you can grow potatoes much faster than in the ground.

The nutrients for the potatoes come directly from the water.  You can use all-natural homemade fertilizers like compost tea or you can use store-bought fertilizer.  

Of course, the quality of your product depends on how you use the nutrients and where they come from.  We always recommend growing your produce organically.  In general, organic vegetables are better for your health and the earth.

To start to grow hydroponic sweet potatoes, you must select your growing container.  It is best to use something that goes deep rather than wide and shallow.  

The soil likes to remain moist but should not be oversaturated.  If you overwater your sweet potato plants without proper drainage, the potato seed will rot.  As long as your pump and drain systems are working well, you should not have a problem.

Once you have identified your container, you can fill it with your growing medium. 

How To Grow Hydroponic Sweet Potatoes Continued

Remember that sweet potato is like well-draining soil.  So you may want to use clay balls or small pebbles as your growing medium choice.  

After many experiments, it was found that the best growing medium is something that is mixed with vermiculite (worm poop) and perlite.  Perlite is essentially a bunch of tiny rocks.  This provides the ideal drainage and aeration for sweet potatoes to spread.  

Easy guide:

• Fill your container with your growing medium to prepare it for your sweet potato seeds.  
• Potatoes come from small tubers that grow out of existing potatoes.  To create these tuber shoots, you can keep a bag of sweet potatoes in a paper bag in the dark. 
• After waiting for 3 days to one week, you should see a new small shoot growing out of the potatoes.
• You can cut these off to grow hydroponic sweet potatoes.
• Simply cut off the tuber with a small piece of potato attached and bury it into your growing media.
• The shoots should be spaced between 4 to 6 inches apart. This gives them enough space to grow under the ground and out.  Keep in mind that the more space you give the potatoes, the larger they can get.
• Make sure that part of the tuber is still above ground and can access sunlight.
• Sweet potatoes need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.
• Take your time to find the right location for your plants to thrive.

If they do not get enough sunlight, they are likely to not grow to their full potential.  Sometimes, you may not have access to direct sunlight.  So how to grow them indoors?

Growing Sweet Potatoes Indoors Hydroponically

• If you want to grow sweet potatoes indoors, you need to provide supplemental grow lights.  These are special lights designed to mimic the sun’s infrared rays emissions.  You can find them for purchase at most grow stores. 

• Make sure to install your lights so that they are protected from water. 
• If you have a window that receives ample sunlight, you can use the grow lights for fewer hours of the day.  Just remember, that they need at least 6 hours of direct light daily.
• If you do not want to wait for the sweet potato tubers to form in a bag, you can simply cut off pieces of sweet potato and bury them into your growing medium.
• Make sure you put them between 1 and 1.5 inches deep into your soil.
• Continue watering it until you see a sprout emerge from the soil.  At this point, you can begin to give it direct light.

According to the Harvard University School of public health, sweet potatoes are one of the best sources of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A for humans.  It also contains vitamins, B, Vitamin C, and Potassium! So why not try to grow hydroponic sweet potatoes?  

Hopefully, after reading this article you are much more confident to get started.  Feel free to experiment with different varieties of sweet potato to see which one grows best in your area.  

Do not be discouraged if you fail on your first attempt.  Observe your plants and make the necessary improvements as you see fit.  If you can learn how to grow hydroponic sweet potatoes, you will not be disappointed.  

It could end up being something you produce all year round! 

Feel free to comment and ask questions below.  

Read more about: Everything You Need To Know About Growing Wasabi In Aquaponics

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