By Julie Christensen
If you ’re looking for a vigorous , tight - growing vine for trailing in potbelly or in bed , sweet potato vine ( Ipomoea batatas)just might be the just the ticket . sugared Solanum tuberosum vines are tropical plants that thrive in robust , moist soil . They bear a variety of soil Ph level and turn in both full sun and partial shade . right of all , sweet potato vines produce large , alien leaves that amount in a salmagundi of colors , from neon unripened to black to pink or purple .
sugared potato vines are tropic plants that are evergreen in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8 through 11 , depending on variety . In cold climates , they shrivel up and turn mawkish at the first hint of frost . Most northern gardeners grow them as annuals , although winter plants indoors is also an selection for the challenging gardener .
Propagating Sweet Potato Vine
To mature fresh potato vine , you have several options . The simple-minded , of track , is to grease one’s palms nursery works in the spring and plant them alfresco after the last frost .
you could also plant sweet potato vine from seed . Fill a seminal fluid - originate tray with a calorie-free , soil - less starting mix . besprinkle the cum over the tray , spacing them 3 inches aside and cover them with a light dusting of protrude mixture . Spray the mix with pee from a spray nursing bottle and cover the tray with plastic wrapper . Store the tray in a warm place , irrigate it as require to keep the start mix evenly moist . Once the seedling emerge , remove the plastic wrapper and move the tray to a cheery window or commit it under grow lights . transfer the seedling when they stand 4 in gamy . note of hand : the seed are highly toxic .
Sweet potato vine , as you might suspect , grow tuberous stem under the soil . you may use these root to diffuse more industrial plant . Dig up the industrial plant in the fall before the first Robert Lee Frost . Brush any soil off the roots and place the roots in a warm , juiceless location for 2 weeks . This process removes moisture from the roots and dry the peel more or less . After 2 week , store the roots in drinking straw or sawdust in a coolheaded , dark location , such as a cellar loo , over the winter . Plant the roots outside in the outpouring after the last expected frost . Keep the soil moist . Modern plant life will come forth from the tuber . switch off the flora when they stand at least 4 column inch gamy and plant them in moist , copious stain . They will grow roots and set about to grow . Leave the tuber to develop more plants .
Another agency to propagate sweet potato vines is through cuttings . Simply snip off a few healthy pieces from the plant life in the fall . The bit should be at least 4 inches long . take out the bottom leaves and locate the press clipping in water . Store the cut in a sunny room but keep them away from cold windows , which will kill them . modify the water once per week . Transplant the cutting outside in the spring .
Growing Sweet Potato Vine
Provided fondness and wet , sweet potato vine is a low-spirited - maintenance , vigorous plant . In fact , the most common challenge gardeners experience with this plant is controlling its rampant growth . In container , it spills over the slope , making a beautiful tracking plant , but it can overcome other plants turn in the container . disregard odorous potato vine back as needed to contain its growth . To get sugared potato vine in the earth , amend the grunge with compost or manure to insure upright drain . found the vine 1 foot apart in full sun or partial shade . You believably wo n’t need to provide additional fertilizer for sweet white potato vine vine , unless growth slow and the leaves come along pale in color . Then offer an all - function fertilizer , according to parcel focussing .
Sweet potato vine brook few insect or disease pests , although it is susceptible to rust and wilt . ensure the stain drains well and avoid getting the leaf wet . withdraw any morbid component and discard .
Varieties
‘ Margarita’has chartreuse - fleeceable leafage that come along paler in shade . It grows 6 to 12 column inch gamey and unfold 1 to 3 feet . ‘ Margarita ’ is among the most heat energy - tolerant of the angelic potato vine , but needs consistent wet .
‘ Blackie’has with child , heart - shape leaf that come in purple to almost bootleg . get ‘ Blackie ’ in full Lord’s Day and provide systematically moist grease .
‘ Pink Frost’is an extraordinary plant . The leave are variegated ashen and green and edged in pink . The plant is especially fast grow and spreads up to 6 feet in one time of year . It tolerate fond shade .
Common Questions and Answers
by Erin Marissa Russell
Can I eat sweet potato vines?
Yes , the leaves of your sweet potato vine are edible , but only if your plant is an edible and not an ornamental salmagundi . Although the leaves of sweet spud vine are not vicious to humans like they are to dog-iron and big cat , economic consumption is not particularly enjoyable or recommended if your plant is an ornamental . The unseasoned farewell of edible varieties of sweet potato vine are a delicacy high in antioxidant , but decorative varieties have been cover for their flavour instead of for their tasting . Even the tubers of ornamental are smaller than edible potatoes , and they have a virulent flavour .
The leaves of eatable fresh potato plants are best eaten sore when they ’re young and fresh , though more mature leave can be enjoy if cook properly . you could chop the tender young leaf and use them in salads . More developed leaves can be sauteed with garlic in olive oil or butter or used in a bustle - minor . unfeignedly mature parting can be utilized wherever you ’d commonly use spinach — in cup of tea likepalak paneeror cheesy creamedspinach .
To keep your plant respectable , only bump off 20 or 30 pct of its parting , and expect 80 days after planting to start harvesting . Alternatively , you could do succession planting and get down a few new plant once a week . Then you may glean the whole vine , trimming back to just a few in , once it has grown to three invertebrate foot retentive .
Can I grow sweet potatoes on a trellis?
Yes , you could plant sweet potato vines using a treillage . Space plants two foot asunder ( instead of the three - foot spacing they require without trellis ) . Using treillage will make it gentle for you to weed your garden as well as simplifying harvest the honey oil , if you plan to eat them .
Can I plant store bought potatoes?
Store - bought murphy have often been spray to keep sprouting , so if you take to plant an comestible Irish potato instead of opting for an ornamental sweet tater vine , opt constitutive tater to set about with . Use toothpicks to balance the Irish potato in a container of H2O with the pointy terminate down and the top third stay put out of the body of water . Keep it in a cheery windowsill or other bright spot , and refresh with clean water every few days . Within one to eight weeks , your potato will get down spud . For effective results , use unfaltering potatoes , and opt for 1 without any mushy bad spots on them .
Can I root sweet potato vine?
Yes , sweet potato vine root easily from existing plant . you could break off a piece of sweet potato vine and steady down it in a container full of water ( kept indoors in a cheery position like a windowsill ) , or engraft it directly in the grunge .
Can you divide sweet potato vine?
Divide fresh potato vine in the springiness when shoots are an inch or two tall . First dig up the genus Tuber at the base of the vine and cut it into sections , take in sure each has at least one eye ( which are where the vines come from ) . Each section can be establish and will grow into a raw sweet white potato vine . Use clean tools to prevent spreading disease .
Can you eat potatoes from a sweet potato vine?
Yes , sweet-smelling potato vine grown from eatable fresh murphy variety show will acquire comestible sweet white potato . To plow your vines into a crop of tasty tuber , embed them outside in May , and you may cut into up the sweet-flavored potatoes from underground in late capitulation , when they ’ll be ready to feed . Unfortunately , if your vine is from an ornamental sweet white potato variety , it wo n’t make very tasty potatoes . However , the potatoes bring out by an decorative sweet potato vine are likely to be virulent or very bland , unlike the sweet tater we farm for intellectual nourishment or pick up at the foodstuff entrepot .
Can you grow a sweet potato vine from a sweet potato?
Yes , sweet potato vine can be grown from sweet potatoes . Place a unfermented potato in a container full of water with the pointy end down . Use toothpicks stick into the potato balanced on the rim of the container to keep the top third sticking up out of the water . Keep the container full of fresh , light water , modify it every duo of days , and your dulcet tater will begin to sprout vine in between one and eight week .
It ’s dear to habituate steadfast potatoes without mushy or bad spots that have never been refrigerated . Potatoes that are not constituent will have been sprayed to prevent sprouting , so organic is upright to use if potential . peculiarly declamatory white potato vine may need to be slue into piece before you sprout them .
Do sweet potato vines bloom?
Yes , sweet murphy vine do produce occasional flowers late in the time of year that resemble morning glories . The precise chromaticity depends on the foliage coloration , but bloom arrive in a range of tad from pink to lavender .
Do sweet potato vines climb?
you could encourage ornamental scented Solanum tuberosum vines to climb by found them space two foot apart on a trellis . However , they also trail and do attractively as a groundcover or when allowed to spill from window boxes , containers , and hang baskets .
Do sweet potato vines produce sweet potatoes?
Yes , if your sweet Irish potato vine is from an comestible potpourri of sweet-smelling potato , it will produce edible murphy if you plant it outdoors in May . By fall , you ’ll be able to dig up the edible tuber . vine that are decorative multifariousness wo n’t grow tubers you ’ll need to feed , though — the potatoes they make will be bitter or tasteless . Despite not being especially delicious , the potatoes an ornamental vine produces are totally comestible , however .
Do sweet potatoes grow along the vine?
Unlike cucumbers , melon vine , or tomatoes , which grow from the vine , sweet-scented white potato vine are a solution vegetable , so the tubers maturate hush-hush . cosmetic unfermented potato vines do n’t make potato that taste very unspoilt ( although the tuber an ornamental vine grows are all edible ) , but single grown from edible sweet-smelling potatoes will uprise delicious Solanum tuberosum underground that you may harvest in the free fall if you plant them outside in May .
Does sweet potato vine come back every year?
cherubic Solanum tuberosum vines are wintertime stalwart up to USDA zone 8 . gardener in other zones will need to facilitate the vines survive through wintertime in cold clime . Some vines give rise large Tuber that can be dug up and stored in paper bags indoors until spring , such as the decorative varieties “ Margarita ” and “ Blackie . ” If they ’re grown in containers , you may simply bring the plant indoors during the cold-blooded season . Or they can be skip off , leaving just a few inches , and kept indoors in a container of H2O . Just keep the container in a bright location , like a sunny windowsill , and refresh the weewee every few days . Then graft into the garden when matter warm up up in the bound .
Does sweet potato vine need a lot of water?
Yes , hydration is vital for healthy sweet white potato vine , though they are n’t picky about soil and can even be grown without it in a container of piddle . Especially in the first 30 or 40 day after imbed , it ’s imperative that gardeners give sweet tater vine the correct amount of piddle : at least an in each hebdomad .
Does sweet potato vine need full sun?
Sweet potato vines crave cheerfulness and also perform well in peculiarly hot climates . Give them as much sun as potential to assist your sweet murphy vine to flourish . That say , sweet Irish potato vines can be grown in fond shade if full sun is not available . However , growing sweet potato vines in a suspect spot will produce duller foliage .
How cold can sweet potato vines tolerate?
angelic potato vines are best accommodate for warm climates or arise indoors as a houseplant . Just a few days of temperatures near 40 degree Fahrenheit is too chilly for cherubic white potato vines and can pop them . That ’s why it ’s important not to plant sweet potato vines outside until the stain is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit .
How do you prune sweet potato vine?
Left unchecked , sweet tater vine will farm long and leggy , so prune them to advance bushier production or keep it within the bound of your garden game . Once plant are three to four inches magniloquent , you may clip all the new growth and set the cuttings elsewhere . This strategy give up you to both control the size of your works and create new unity in the cognitive operation . clipping can be set straight in moist stain or rooted in urine .
How do you start a sweet potato vine in water?
put in a few toothpick into the honeyed potato , nonplus out of the side about a third of the way down its duration . Place the sweet-scented potato in a jar or glass full of water system , using the toothpicks to keep it balanced with the top third come out of the mouth of the container and the pointy end in the pee . Place the container in a bright , cheery location , such as a windowsill . refreshen the water every few days , and your gratifying potato vine will lead off to uprise between one and eight weeks from plant .
For secure results , start with a firm organic sweet white potato vine that has never been refrigerate and does not have mushy or bad spots . constituent potatoes are more likely to grow vine because other white potato sold to rust have been spray to foreclose bourgeon . you could rationalize large cherubic potatoes into part before stock so they gibe in your container .
How do you take care of a sweet potato vine?
unfermented potato vines are large-minded of a broad range of soil type , thriving in pH levels from 4.5 to 7.5 . That said , they really flourish at a pH level of around 6 . ( Not sure of your soil ’s pH level?Read about how to try out dirt pH levelin this Gardening Channel clause . ) Any loamy soil character will suit a sweet potato vine , from clay loam to silty loam or sandy loam . Soils particularly heavy in clay should be amendedwith organic thing . ( It ’s easy to test your soil eccentric at abode if you do n’t know it using themason jar method acting . )
They also need mess of water to expand . For the first 30 or 40 days after they ’re found , provide scented potato vines with an inch of water per week . Drooping leaf means the plants are hungry and should be hydrated more heavy .
How do you winter a sweet potato vine?
you may winter sweet potato vines by bringing them indoors . If your odoriferous potato plant are in container , simply transport the containers indoors to a sunny positioning . For fresh white potato vine vines planted in the soil , one way is to break the vine off near the Earth’s surface of the dirt ( name sure there are several leaf nodes ) . reave the leave of absence from the bottom few inches of the vine , then place that end in a container of water and keep on a sunny windowsill or in another speckle where it will get plenty of sun . Keep the water fresh by exchange it every few days , and In spring , just remove the vine from the container and works back in your garden . Some change bring forth large tubers that can be cleaned and keep in paper bags indoors until bound , when the weather is strong enough to transplant them into tthe garden .
How long does it take sweet potato vines to grow?
When growing vine from a odorous murphy , it fill between one and eight weeks for the tuber to sprout raw maturation of vines . If you ’re growing sweet potatoes to eat , it takes 100 to 140 day ( depending on the variety of plant ) .
Is a sweet potato vine an annual or perennial?
Sweet potatoes are normally grow as an annual when they ’re planted in the filth out of doors , but they can be kept as a perennial if you originate them indoors like a houseplant or overwinter an out-of-door works indoors . Keep the container in a sunny place , like a windowsill , and you’re able to even winter the vine just in water , without territory , as long as the H2O is changed out every few days . Sweet potato vines are also winter hardy for gardeners in zona 8 or far south . diversity that produce big Tuber can be overwintered by jab up the tuber and put in them in paper dish indoors until natural spring .
Is ornamental sweet potato vine the same plant that makes edible sweet potatoes?
Yes and no . Both plants are varieties of Ipomoea batatas ; the difference of opinion is which trait of the plant have been focused on as it ’s been bred and cultivate through the years . eatable sweet potato varieties have been engender to produce delicious tubers and to yield a big harvest time each year . decorative varieties have been cover with a focal point on the vine and foliation , with little attention paid to the tubers underground . So while there are edible mellisonant potatoes growing underneath the cosmetic sweet potato vine , those Tuber are usually small in size of it and virulent or bland in flavor — and eatable sweet spud do have a vine and leave of absence , but their foliation is n’t as fancy or attractive as that of the ornamental varieties .
Is sweet potato a creeper or a climber?
Ornamental sweet potato vine will climb if you plant them on a trellis ( spaced two feet apart ) . They ’re also prostrate to trailiing , though , and are pretty when planted in hanging basketful , windowpane boxes , or at the edges of large container . In garden bed , they function as a ground cover .
Is sweet potato vine drought tolerant?
The sweet-flavored spud vine needs muckle of water to really fly high , but demonstrate plants can tolerate drouth because they keep a ration of water in computer memory root . But especially within the first 30 to 40 days of planting , hydrate liberally — one column inch of water per calendar week at minimum .
Is sweet potato vine invasive?
As a congeneric of the dayspring glory , most strains of sweet potato vine self - propagate and grow so copiously that it is consider invasive , especially in warm climates . Bush varieties are not as productive and are recommended if spreading is a concern . Frost will obliterate the vines instantly , however . That mean if it gets cold-blooded enough over the wintertime to immobilise , the weather controls the spread of the vine naturally . In warmer locations , though , there ’s nothing to prevent the gratifying white potato vine from growing prolifically if measures are n’t take to control their expansion .
Is sweet potato vine poisonous to dogs or cats?
Yes , the sweet potato vine is toxicant to dogs and cats — and the tuber at its origin is more harmful . Sweet potato vine poisoning results in gastric distress and impression like to LSD intake . Both the plant and the sweet potatoes should be kept out of your pet ’s reach . If your pet is display symptoms of toxic condition , go to the veterinarian , and verify to fetch along part of the vine to help them make a quick diagnosis .
Symptoms of gratifying white potato vine vine toxic condition include : blisters in the mouth and pharynx , diarrhea , difficultness swallowing , dilated pupil , drooling or inordinate salivation , drowsiness , delusion , increased urination , sluggishness , liver and kidney damage , loss of appetite , low blood pressure , nausea , numbness in the extremities , red skin or swelling , seizures , dense heart rate , and vomiting . Washing out your darling ’s mouth before leaving for the veterinary can help relieve the irritation and make them more well-situated . If the ingest sweet potato vine was moldy , severe respiratory problems can also take place .
It can be helpful to tell your veterinary surgeon how much of the plant was consume and how long ago ingestion come about . They may perform blood or urine test to determine how severe the poisoning is , induce regurgitation with a hydrogen peroxide result , or dispense endovenous fluids to hydrate your pet . Especially severe cases may require surgical treatment .
Should I trim my sweet potato vine?
If your sweet potato vine is getting too long , you’re able to pare it back and leave just a few inches to encourage it to occupy out and grow more bushy . incentive : The cut end of the vine can be planted powerful in moist soil or rooted in weewee if you like .
What is eating my sweet potato vine?
Suspects likely responsible for hole in sweet potato vine farewell admit favorable tortoise mallet , potato flea beetles , sweet potato loopers , and fresh potato whitefly , or the bootleg - and - rust - colored mellifluous Solanum tuberosum weevil . Keep reading to learn to identify each dirt ball and for remedies to fight them off .
If you see bugs that look like flecks of gold in the leaves of your plant , the golden tortoise beetle might be eat your sweet potato vine . It specially likes the “ Margarita ” variety . Neem oil colour is an effective remediation for tortoise beetles — dilute one teaspoonful of neem oil and four or five drops of dish soap in a liter of warm water for a homemade nebulizer .
Flea beetles are minuscule pitch-dark or tan solid - colored or spotted insects that look a lot like flea , as well as jumping like fleas do . The round holes they make in young leaves leave them with a lacy appearance , and they spread bacterial diseases , too . you could make a spray to defeat them right in your kitchen with five cup of water system , two cups of rub alcoholic drink , and a tablespoonful of fluid soap . check that the spray wo n’t emphasise your plant by spraying a test leaf and leaving the treatment on overnight . Sweet spud loopers are wan green caterpillars with a fine white horizontal melody on their torso that move like an inchworm . looper turn into grey brown moth subsequently in their life cycle . The fresh potato whitefly is a tiny white and yellow dirt ball you should especially be suspicious of if sticky honeydew is left behind on foliage . be adrift row covers can protect against loopers , or removing the caterpillar by hand and knock off into a bucket of oily piddle is actually an in force strategy . There are also wasp species that parasitize loopers and whiteflies , so you might try growing flower plant life thatattract these pollinator predators . Botanical Btis an organic biologic insecticide that also operate against measuring worm and whiteflies .
weevil feed on the bottom of leave and can also cause yellowing of vine , but sometimes they go unchecked until the sweet potatoes are reap . Fight back against them with pheromone traps or the predatory nematodes Steinernema and Heterorhabditis , which are more efficient than insect powder at take weevils out .
What is the botanical name for sweet potato vine?
The botanical name for sweet potato vine is Ipomoea batatas .
What is the difference between potatoes from an edible sweet potato vine and an ornamental sweet potato vine?
The difference is all in the flavor of the white potato , much like the divergence in the foliation comes down to how attractive the leafage are . In short , edible varieties of honeyed potato have been bred to produce large harvests of the flavourous sweet potatoes we wish to use up . On the other hand , ornamental sweet potato vines have been breed to bring forth attractive leaf , with no care paid to the tubers other than how well they bear the vine . The result is that decorative varieties usually have sulphurous or flavourless Solanum tuberosum , which may be puny in size compared to the tuber produced by comestible miscellany . But just like you may shoot a vine from an edible sweet Irish potato , you may grasp up and eat the tubers of an ornamental odorous white potato vine — you’re just likely to require lots of seasoning to make a palatable dish .
Why is my sweet potato vine dying?
Make trusted your plants are get enough water system . For the first 30 to 40 days after they ’re planted , sweet potato vines call for at least an inch of water per week . A bed ofmulch around the alkali of your mellifluous murphy vinescan help lock away in wet . Drooping leafage is a signal that your odorous potato vines require more wet .
The pH level of your soil could be outside the range a sweet potato vine can stomach ( 4.5 to 7.5 , with an optimum level of 6 ) . Or it could be short on atomic number 19 , which you may resolve by using a bagged kelp meal fertilizer or compost that include banana peels . For a simpler way to total atomic number 19 , sprinkle the surface of your grease with wood ash , but do n’t go overboard — make certain you could still see your grease under the wood ash .
Will sweet potato vine survive winter?
odorous potato vines are winter hardy as far north as zone 8 . Frost will instantly kill sweet potato vines that are left in the ground for the wintertime , as will a few days at temperature hovering near 40 degrees Fahrenheit . However , you’re able to overwinter the plant indoors . It does n’t even need pot grime to happily thrive through the winter on a cheery windowsill . Simply break the vine off at the vase and keep . Make certain to strip the leaves from the part of the vine that will be submerged in piss , and replace the water in the container every few days . number spring , you’re able to transfer your vine back into the garden . Some variety make large underground tubers , which you’re able to clean off and keep in a paper travelling bag indoors until transplant in the spring .
Why are my sweet potato vines turning yellow?
The foliation on your angelical white potato vine vine might twist yellow due to a fungal infection or nutrient deficiency . Fungal infections are the most vulgar cause behind yellowing leaves , especially if the yellowing works up from the base of the plant . The culprit is usually verticillium or fusarium . check that to water from the base of the plant to prevent fungous disease . This Gardening Channel articlecan help youaddress fungous infections in your garden . Yellowing due to nutritive want most often point to a deficiency of N or magnesium . lend nitrogen with a nitrogen - fat fertilizer , and a good quality of balanced fertiliser should accost Mg need .
Want to learn more about growing Sweet Potato Vines?
find out about how Sweet Potato Vinemakes a heavy container plant on YouTube .
The Farmer ’s farmer’s calendar coversFlea beetle
Extension.org coversOrnamental Sweet Potato Vine
Empress of Dirt coversHow to farm Sweet Potato Vine from cut
Florida Today coversSweet Potato Vines
Garden Design coversGrowing Sweet Potato Vine
Gardening Channel coversGrowing Solanum tuberosum from Store Bought potato
When she ’s not writing about horticulture , food and canning , Julie Christensen enjoys spending time in her garden , which include perennials , veg and fruit trees . She ’s write hundreds of gardening articles for the Gardening Channel , Garden Guides and San Francisco Gate , as well as several e - Holy Scripture .
