No need for either water or a piece of potato although neither hurt. But you sure don't want the whole potato planted. Just snap off the slip at the skin level and plant it. Keep it well watered until it perks up. Dave

Okay, all you diggers and dividers: I was in a digging lull today so took a couple more photos of eyed tubers and how to divide them. Some from last year: this plant had blown down and the stalk broke off below ground level so the pink shredded tissue is where the stem was and began to rot. The collar material surrounding it is where the eyes will form, or on the underside of the clump. Marked with eyes Marked with where I'd cut. Don't forget to turn the clump upside down to check for eyes associated with tubers on the underside. One or two cuts from left and right to get these two tubers off the clump. A careful slice between eyes and you'll get two tubers off this "V" shaped offspring. Eyes marked in red, where I'd make cutting lines in green, brown spot fungus marked in blue. I'll have to use chemistry to kill that in my soil next year. Notice the stalk is pointing down, so don't forget turn the clump over to get some easily nabbed tubers that may be there. From last year or 06, marked for dividing. This kind of clump is a real gift: tubers usually only take one cut, are widely spaced, eyes bulging. Happy dividing.

I've read research that says that old large and yellowing leaves tend to take more from a plant then they contribute. Because of this, I tend to remove old yellowing leaves, and I haven't noticed any detrimental side effects. If anything, it appears to spur new growth, which would make sense if the old leaves were taking energy away from the new growth. Also, interior shaded leaves on bushy plants often do the same and can be removed, which also allows more airflow through the plant. This is more common in tomatoes, but can also affect large pepper plants.

Forgive me, Tomlinson, as I don't know how experienced you are. I am going to assume a second or third year enthusiast, as you seem to understand about cuttings. I will also assume that you are providing enough artificial light and have them bedded down in a moist good quality potting mix. Typically the first cutting from any given eye will be thick. Once cut off, three or four new skinnier sprouts will come from around that cut stub you left on the tuber head within a week. (The thickest primary sprouts are often on the giant sized varieties.) The are two possibilities of what's happening to your cuttings: it could be the naturally skinner secondary sprouts, or the tuber is exhausting its resources because it is a small/skinny tuber or it's rotting inside. Without seeing and feeling the tuber, it's hard to know if the second possibility is what is going on. It is quite amazing, truth be told, how the skinniest, shortest cuttings can actually turn into good plants with the proper care. I'm going to address the first possibility in a bit more depth, hopeful that this info will be more helpful then confusing. It is the experience of many growers that the first sprout takes the longest to 'strike,' or root. Often the other sprouts cut afterwards will root first! Some US show growers believe the best plant for show comes from that first thick sprout left on the tuber. Others, especially in the UK, believe that the secondary sprouts do better as cuttings for show then any tuber plant. Some UK growers advise in cutting/tossing the first sprout while still small, in fact, so you can get more sprouts from the tuber quicker. Obviously, there is a difference of opinion here, with no clear proof. My humble opinion is that a master grower can make anything with a spark of life into a magnificent plant: It comes down to personal preferences. Hope this helps. If I am off base, please post images so we can help more effectively. Cheers! CC