So, I saw your other jicama video last winter. I was inspired. I’m in Kentucky. I started the seeds indoors in early March. Transplanted them in mid May. Harvested in mid October and i got some really nice jícamas. Shared them with my parents that are from Mexico and couldn’t believe I had grown them. I’ll try them again this year. Thanks for the video and the inspiration to try it.
I am not really sure how you managed that. Jicama has a short day photoperiod for root development. In HI the tuber forms between Thanksgiving and New Years. They are ready right now as the vines die back.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 call it luck or a miracle? I made sure they were planted in a spot with as much sun as possible and they grew next to mammoth sunflowers which did hinder their sun a bit. The roots were juicy and on the sweet side. One even ruptured as I dug it out. I’ll try to replicate it this year but somehow I did make it possible.
@@sub04aru All I ever got from planting in spring was vines, flowers, seeds and scrawny roots. When I plant in Sept. as the days shorten I get tiny vines with great big tubers by New Year.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 maybe something about the Ohio valley summers. Louisville to be specific. The 2 month indoor head start must also be a big factor. Planted 5 and only one of them ever threw out two flowers which I pinched off. No seed pods at all. Vines were no longer than 2-3ft. I could have watered my lawn with how juicy they were. Well, there you have it, Kentucky jicama.
@@sub04aru It isn't weather that trigger bulbing, it is the solar photoperiod. All I can think of is the Jicama seed you are using might be a day neutral type. I would hang on to that seed. I tried Jicama in Il, WI & CA it failed in all three areas. Because the natural photoperiod was out of sink with the local climate. Fall planting it in HI was the first time I ever managed a crop. Aloha.
I JUST WAN TO SAY THANK YOU SEÑOR. GRATE JOB. EXPLAINING YOURSELF STEP BY STEP. U SURE REMIND ME OF PAPA ANDRES. HE LOVED JICAMA. BLESSINGS FROM SAN DIEGO. AGAIN GRACIAS
I had no idea, but it's good to know when to plant this thing. I think I might be able to do it here in the fall since I have mild winters. I have a couple two-year peppers and chard etc. Thank you!
Chard is tough enough to survive southern Canadian winters but peppers are tender. If peppers live then Jicama may too. You only need to get about 90 frost free days heading into 12/21 to get the crop.
It depends on whether you are north or south of the equator but planting time is very specific on this crop. If you are north of the Equator the planting the seeds in September will give you nice roots with a December harvest. Planting now in summer will give you all vines and flowers with no enlarged root. The plant is locked to a specific photo period. To form the bulb seed is planted on even days and nights and harvested on the shortest days as it goes dormant for the winter.
Excelente información!!! Sembré jícama en primavera y me dio hermosas flores y mucha semilla 🤗 ayer me comí la jícama pequeñita, del tamaño de un betabel 🤗 estoy preparando más semillas, pero trataré también en octubre, para ver la diferencia. Saludos desde México 🇲🇽
@@GreenGardenGuy1 gracias por su respuesta 😃 seguiré su canal aunque entienda la mitad 😅 mi inglés no es muy bueno, pero lo que comparte es genial 👍 así que aprenderé de huerto y también inglés 👌 saludos
For jicama, only start from seeds will give you tubers. To get seeds, you can start with either seeds or with tuber early in season. So, I think you can start with seeds whenever it's warm (May- Sep) for 4 to 5 months to harvest tubers.
If you can find a Jicama type bred for long day bulbs then you can do this. I've never seen one. All types I've grown only vine and bloom during long photo periods.
Thank you very much for this super video. Google has zero good info on this plant . They say it grows from seeds ,but goes on to say when the plant goes to flower remove the flowers and beans because they are toxic! "But fail to mention that those are the seeds to plant to get a plant" going "😑 I jusy got some tubers so im planting one so that i can get seeds for planting . Thanks again 🤗
The seeds are also available on my website. www.greengardenservice.net August to October is the right planting season for the seeds if you live north of the equator. December to January is the time to harvest the roots.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Thank you . I live in the caribbean, and its impossible to order seeds Lots of permit requirements . I planted 2 little ones so hopefully they take , if not i will try again .☺
@@nicolejessy4738 Jicama seeds planted in September are ready for harvest on Christmas. If you want to grow seed you need to leave them in the ground until the next summer when they flower and make pods.
So often should the plant be watered while growing? And what kind of fertilizer and how often when growing in a one gallon container. That was pretty amazing what was in your video. Thanks, btw i grew up in Hawaii in SCal now, we eat jicama but have never grown it.
The type of fertilizer is up to the grower and the timing would be on the bag label. I used Nutricote 360 on these. It is a time release fertilizer with a one year life. With the 150" of rain we get here it only lasts about 6 months but it only takes 4 months to produce a crop of Jicama. With the natural high rain fall here we almost never water. The schedule for watering plants depends on your climate, average temperature, type of soil media and container type. The answer for here is, we never water Jicama. Too much water cracks the tubers so for you just keeping the container moist to at least half way should do fine. Aloha
Since data on that question is almost impossible to find I would air on the side of caution. If you can't eat it the worms likely can't either. Jicama contains rotenone which has long been used to kill cold blooded creatures. This implies it would kill worms too.
@@kahoaalohamalalis8841 Mostly when the suns out but sometimes not even then. After 25 years running nursery in drought stricken California I moved here and had my hose bronzed like baby shoes.
I was confused about this too for quite a while. Jicama is one of the few crops that has two completely different growth cycles depending on day length.
Aloha! Sounds like an easy root to grow especially in good rainfall area. Do you think jicama will do well and produce tuber outdoors in Bay area (Fremont, I don't have space for a green house)?
Thanks for the Video and I planted some in September here in DC and just moved them to a greenhouse. What are the average hours in Hawaii? Looking on line, it looks like the difference between summer is around 2 to 3 hours with the shortest around 10-11 hours. Does that sound about right? Even here in DC, mine are looking really "viney" not bushy. Thanks.
June 20th 13 hours & 19 minutes. Dec. 21st 10 hours & 56 minutes. They are a vine so the appearance is normal. Because the plant is controlled by photoperiod and 20 degrees latitude is its natural home it is hard to say what will happen away from the tropic of Cancer. I was never able to produce a decent crop in CA. The days were wrong. Keep me posted on what happens.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Right now I am running it at about 11 hours of photo lights and will see how it goes :) I wonder if pruning the top when it gets a couple of feet high would push it to tuber production. Maybe I will cap a couple and see what it does.
@@WarhammerDad Generally I don't believe cutting at plants will improve the performance. Leaves make sugars, plants burn sugar to grow. Reducing leaves reduces the plants ability to produce. It is generally over rated as a solution. I do nothing in particular to grow this crop. I sow seeds in Sept., leave them in the nursery until the top dies back toward Christmas and New Years. Then I dig as needed but store the tubers in the fridge before they begin growth in Feb.
What type of soil mix do you use in the pot? And do you feed them any fertilizer as they are growing, if so what NPK are you using? Sorry for all the questions, I'm looking at getting ready to do this this winter and want to get it all ready.
The type of media isn't very important as long as it drains well. I was using Sungro Professional Growing Mix. In the past I have used Promix HP but it has too many weed seeds. Most of the quality potting soils made by Kellogg Cascade will work just fine. If I use pelletized chicken manure then I have to feed twice during the growth cycle. If I use Nutricote 180 or 360 once is enough. A fertilizer that has a high middle number is best. You need some nitrogen but not a lot. In organic I use a 4-3-2 in a synthetic a 13-11-11
The tuber is either eaten or used to grow seeds for the next crop. The crop is planted from seed annually in August and September. If you plant the sprouted tuber you will get a massive vine with lots of seed by fall. Winter is bulb season, Summer is flower and seed.
Whats wrong with planting them in the spring? Im in Hawaii too and plant mine all season long. They try to seed more oftem in the hotter months but i just pull off the flower buds and let new leaves grow.
There is nothing "wrong" with planting them in spring unless you are trying to raise a nice crop of the tubers. The nice large tuber only forms during even length days running to the shortest day of the year. From the short days to the even or longest days the plants are in the vine and flower cycle, not the tuber cycle. You can believe what ever you like but the information I have furnished has been proven in my own crops and agrees with the information furnished by the U of H Manoa.
The root tastes a bit like peas. It is related to beans and peas and doesn't have the starch of a potato. The seed is usually found on most seed sales racks in the USA but I get mine from the the University of Hawaii Manoa Seed Bank program. Their price is as good as any with most seeds costing only $1.50 US. They would likely have to increase the shipping for overseas. www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/
It has the crisp and crunch of an apple, looks like a potato but tastes a little sweet and a little nutty. (I don't think it tastes like peas or beans or a potato).
Thanks for sharing. I've been following your jicama videos and have messaged you several times. I live in Hawaiian Paradise Park at about 200 foot elevation. I planted a full packet of the UH yam beans in May. I planted them in hugelkultur mounds. All have covered with ripening seed pods much like those that you showed. But I did get jicama roots as well. The issue is mine are about 1/4th the size of yours. But they're tasty. Do you have any idea why I got both a seed crop and a root crop?
Actually I explained that in the past two Jicama videos. Planting time is critical with this crop. It has two completely different growth cycles depending on the length of day when it is planted. When seeds are planted during the increasing days the plant will make long vines, flowers and seeds. When seeds are planted in the shortening days, from equinox to winter solstice it will grow a short vine, make a large tuber and then die back waiting for spring. If you want good tubers you must plant the seeds in September and harvest the crop around New Years.
Thanks for the reply. Just so I understand, by planting in May I still get edible tubers, but they just aren't nearly as big as they would be if I plant in September?
@@RichesToRoots The plant has two complete cycles of growth with dormancy in between. The Winter cycle forms the large tuber. The Spring cycle makes vines and seeds. There is a root under the spring cycle but not the one we grow as a crop. To grow Jicama tubers you have to plant the seeds in September. It is odd but very simple.
Video thumb nails or my thumb nails? I use thumb nails to pick guitar and I was just digging in the dirt. I'm a gardener. I'll assume you mean the video thumb nails
It is pretty common in both California and Hawaiian markets. Many of us pass it by with out noticing though. It isn't a very interesting looking vegetable. You have to eat it to understand the appeal.
Lived in zone 5 half a life time, tried to grow the crop and only got the huge summer vine. Yes, it will grow in zone 5 but if you want a nice tuber it forms during the winter. Summer is for vines and flowers. The plant has a very distinct photo period that evolved in tropical Mexico.
The plant will grow but it is locked into a photoperiod for the bulb formation. Proper day length for bulbs on the 20th latitude line would be between September and January. It requires declining days to the shortest of the year. In northern latitudes bulbs become difficult to grow. In california I got mostly vine and flowers.
It is one of the easiest of vegetable providing you can match the cultural requirements. Plant at equinox for harvest at solstice. No frost and dry soil once the bulb is ripe.
Mamey is two different fruits, Pouteria sapota & Mamey Apple, Mammea americana. Jicama is a legume tuber. No connection here. I like lime juice in my salsa.
@@AriocXY Sorry I can not reference the name Mamey Zapote. There is Pouteria sapota, aka Mamey Sapote and there is Manilkara zapota, the Chico Sapote. I'm not sure what the connection is to Jicama though. Aloha
I have seed and most common seed racks in the USA also have it but I get mine from U H Manoa seed lab on Oahu. Best price for seed on earth and nice people. www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/
@@electricman8545 I do not believe there is any limitation there but use the phone number to check. Today is a Hawaiian holiday so Monday would have to be the date. They will give you what ever instructions are required. I have seed here but I have not tested the germination and it could be suspect. The U H is a better bet. Be aware the Toronto could be a problem. This plant has cycles connected to photoperiods best along latitude 20 degrees. The bulb cycles occurs at photo period between August and January. Jan to March is dormant and April to August is the vine flower season. Toronto would be a winter greenhouse experiment due to cold and short days.
Sounds good to me. IF you had an unseasonable cold snap the plants are small and easy to cover anyway. Water from over head sprinklers on a cold night would likely do the trick if things turned bad.
The crop is grown and harvested in less than 90 days during the winter. The vine only flowers after it has been left in the ground past the picking stage. It flowers in late summer but the harvest is in mid winter. There should be no flowers during the peak season for picking. Flowers mean it was left in the ground past prime.
@GreenGardenGuy1 well the University of the Virgin Islands, that has been growing and studying them for years, seams to disagree with you. But you go ahead.
My technique was developed by me in Hawaii. I passed it on to the UH seed vendor. It appears U in Virgin Islands hasn't figured out this method for producing a crop in less than 90 during winter.@@jeanagoben504
This is true but I don't like the taste as much as you. My tongue asks for salt, chili, lime, onion and cilantro for flavor. I use jicama for the body and the crunch.
