Hi Chris, it just so happens that I am going to try it soon. Just as soon as I harvest my romain lettuce. I plan to try and start the plants using peelings with eyes. I am going to bury then in a couple inches of clay agregate and keep it moist. I don't know how it will work out, but just as a test, I think I'll use a styrofoam cup (32oz) with clay agregate in it tonight to see if the peeling will develope some roots over the next couple days or so. I use troughs made from plastic tarp and drip to waste. It has been doing fine so far with hot peppers, egg plant, and lettuce. What type of system are you planning to try? I think that potatoes might work well in my system, but only one way to find out. I will return here with some results, good or bad sometime soon. chuck

Chuck,

As of yet I haven't decided to try hydroponics yet. I'm thinking about it for tomatoes. A guy I met recently has a hydroponic system - I believe it's a drip system that recycles the water. He grows a variety of plants (including tomatoes) and wants to try potatoes. He said he was thinking of using "pea" gravel as the growing medium. I'll pass on your idea for using clay aggregate.

Chris

I have not grown hydro potatoes, but here are some links that might be helpful:

1. Hydro potatoes using sand:
http://www.carbon.org/GlobalClassroom1/third/tuber_experiment.htm

2. Here is a picture from the University of Florida. It looks like the potatoes were grown in Perlite but you would need to contact them for more information:

http://www.hos.ufl.edu/uf-potato/hutchinson.htm

3. An abstract on solution temperature & potatoes

http://www.actahort.org/books/548/548_62.htm

I believe I also read at one time straw was used as a media, but I can not locate my source.

Thanks Baci, I'm going to try using perlite, thanks

From what I've read this method was used by Ruth Stout who used the straw as a mulch, she would lay the seed directly on the ground and cover with a heavy layer of straw. FYI

Thanks, oldpine. I have ready access to straw & sand, so I think I will try experimenting with those this year.

Hi, back on Nov 24, I planted a potato peeling with an eye in some baked clay aggragate about 1/2 inch deep. Keeping the medium damp, I got a sprout in about 10 days. I transplanted the sprout into a drip system using a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite. Now, the plant is about 10 inches tall. I have a picture available via the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: hydro potato

this has a lot of useful information about growing potatoes (light req. and effects on growth). if you plow through it there is a lot of useful info. I am working on an aeroponic potato garden now, but still in design phase. :)
gl
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4069/is_200509/ai_n15742979/pg_1

Here is a link that might be useful: Light Effects on the Growth and Morphogenesis of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) In Vitro: A Review