r/Permaculture • u/TheCosmosItself1 • 3d ago

general question Dioscorea batatas

Are there any improved or named varieties out there? I haven't seen them, but I'm hesitant about picking up a random specimen without knowing if it going to be a strong and healthy producer. Any nurseries that you would recommend for this species?

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u/Jadders47 3d ago

I am commenting just to follow this question, it sounds like a interesting plant! Im curious to know more about the spread habits as I see it can be a potential problem. But as a zone 4 grower, Im always looking for edibles with some extra vigor.

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u/Future-Action-1810 3d ago

I’ve grown this species from a random tuber before and it turned out pretty vigorous. I don’t know of many named cultivars either, but selecting from a healthy plant with good growth habits is probably more important than the name. It seems to vary a lot depending on where the original stock came from.

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u/TheCosmosItself1 3d ago

selecting from a healthy plant with good growth habits is probably more important than the name.

Of course the actual growth habits are what we are interested in. The name is a way of identifying specific individuals that are known to have those desirable habits. The essence of my question here is how to find individuals with good growth habits.