Boniato (Ipomoea batatas)
Boniato is also called batata, Cuban sweet potato, white sweet potato, and camote. Its white center is dryer, starchier, and less sweet than a sweet potato. My husband (with a sweet tooth) loves sweet potatoes but I prefer the boniato which is closer to an Irish potato in flavor and texture.
About a year and a half ago, I received an unnamed boniato tuber from a friend. My boniato has been super easy to grow except for propagation. Starting vine/stem cuttings has been difficult even when using rooting hormone and sterile potting mixes. Sweet potatoes are much easier to propagate.
I propagate by allowing it to sprout and grow slips (large sprouts) then the slips are snapped off and put in water and allowed to root. Once roots formed, they were planted three to a 7-gallon pot. (I will add photos of this process in the near future.)
Boniato (and sweet potato) is susceptible to root knot nematodes and potato weevils. Because of this, we prefer to grow in pots with sterile soil and keep careful watch on how long they stay in the pot. If ignored longer than four months, sweet potato weevils eventually set up camp in the early tubers then move on to the developing tubers when they need more space.
The plant shown above is boniato growing in a 7-gallon pot on drip irrigation. I put a shoe in the photo for scale. These will be harvested shortly.
Whitefly and armyworms can be an annoyance with boniato (and sweet potato).
Read more here:
http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Boniato_Sweet_Potatoes_1866.php
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv030
http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/boniato.html
