Plants that do not flower will not set fruit, but they will still develop the tubers underground that we eat and commonly refer to as the sweet potato. These green fruits that grow from the sweet potato plant's flowers are not edible because of the solanine they contain. Solanine is a toxic alkaloid.
Why is my sweet potato flowering?
Flowers on a potato plant indicate that its tubers (the edible part of the plant that grows underground) are starting to form. After you see flowers form on your potato plant, you know that the plant is doing well, and that it is getting closer to harvest time.
Should I pinch out potato flowers?
Yes, pinch them out or off altogether whenever they appear, until the time you'd usually expect them to flower - it does redirect energy into the tubers rather than wasting it on producing flowers, so you may get larger or more potatoes, assuming water supply is sufficient.
Do you leave the flowers on potatoes?
If you have the time to remove potato plant flowers on maincrop varieties then do so yes. Since the evidence is that it either boosts yield, or does not boost yield, but it certainly doesn't reduce yield. So you have nothing to lose by taking them off.
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