Text Transcript with Description of Visuals
| Audio | Video |
|---|---|
| Handling Sweetpotato Slips Received in the Mail by Washington State University Extension | A cardboard box with brown tape sits on a dark surface next to a blue pair of scissors. A person picks up the scissors in their right hand and uses them to cut the tape. |
| Open box as soon as it arrives | Person sets down scissors on the dark surface. Two hands open up the cardboard box. |
| Carefully remove slips from box | Inside the box are two plastic bags full of green sweetpotato slips, labeled with black writing. They are taken out of the box and laid on the table. Box is set aside. A bundle of green slips tied with a bright pink ribbon is taken out of the ziploc bag. |
| Look through slips and remove dead leaves or debris. | The person removes the pink ribbon and sorts through the green slips. Brown or wilted leaves are set on the left-hand side. Green slips are set on the right-hand side. |
| Slips can be planted immediately into the field | Dirt surrounds a bed of soil covered by black plastic mulch. Green sweetpotato slips poke out of small holes 10” apart from each other in the bed. |
| If slips cannot be planted right away, they can be placed in water for 1–2 days before planting | A bundle of green slips sits on the dark table surface. A person carries a clear plastic cup, partially full of water, and sets it on the table. Person picks up a bundle of green slips and gently places them into the cup of water. |
| Do not pre-root slips in water, as this produces a weak root system. | Person picks up the cup holding green slips in the water and removes it from the dark table. |
| To store slips for longer than a few days, start with a large pot | A black empty plastic pot sits on a white surface. A large bundle of sweetpotato slips with greens leaves lays on the table to the right of the pot. Person walks into the frame, picks up the pot and removes it from view. |
| Place 1-2 inches of moist potting mix into the pot | Black pot comes back into view, filled with dark potting soil. The pot is set on the white table. The person begins to untie the bundle of green sweetpotato slips lying next to the pot. |
| Loosely press slips into the potting soil and add a variety label. | The bundle of sweetpotato slips is picked up and placed in the black pot of soil. The person fluffs and organizes the green leaves. A yellow label stick is placed in the pot. The pot of slips is removed from view. |
| Place pot with slips into a greenhouse or protected area above 55°F | The pot full of green slip leaves is placed on top of a wire rack under yellow lighting. |
| Water slips whenever potting mix is dry | A green hose with a gray nozzle comes into the frame. Person sprays a stream of water into the pot in a slow circular motion. |
| When ready to plant, you can re-cut ends of the slips before planting. | Image shows someone kneeling on the soil in blue pants. They hold a purple, greenish stem of a sweetpotato slip that has small white roots sprouting at the bottom. With a pair of scissors they snip the rooted end off. This is repeated several times. A handful of 4-5 trimmed slips is held in their hand and shown to the camera. |
| Some farmers in shorter growing season areas, prefer to plant pre-rooted slips. Pre-rooted slips can help reduce transplant wilt and extend your growing season. However, do not plant rootbound slips, which often result in misshapen roots. Sweetpotatoes are extremely susceptible to chilling injury, so never refrigerate slips. | A person in blue pants kneels above a bed in a field covered tightly in black plastic mulch. A bundle of slips is laid on top of the black mulch. A slip is picked up and its stem is pushed into the hole of the mulch. The person presses on the plastic with their hands to secure the plant. This is repeated until the person kneeling moves out of view and all slips are planted. |
| [No audio] | Logos of Washington State University, Western SARE, and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. |