How to Grow Sweet Potato Vine
www.provenwinners.comAngelface Perfectly Pink angelonia, Sweet Carolina Light green sweet potato vine, Supertunia Picasso in Purple petunia
Common name: Sweet potato vine
Scientific name: Ipomoea batatas
Zones: Annual
Light needs: Full sun to partial sun
Sweet potato vines have long been a great choice to trail down containers or ramble through a bed. Classic sweet potato vine is generally grown for its fabulous chartreuse foliage, but dark leafed varieties like Blackie are options, too. The foliage takes on a more intense color when planted in the sun.
How to Take Sweet Potato Vine Cuttings
Make a cut straight across the stem about 6 inches from the tip. These cuttings are actually the easiest way to start new plants; some gardeners swear by placing the cutting directly in the ground in spring, keeping the area moist until the roots develop.
Do Sweet Potato Vines Produce Sweet Potatoes?
Courtesy Kelly Bruno
“I pulled out my Blackie sweet potato vine and found two potatoes that had been growing under the soil. Are these edible?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Kelly Bruno of Framingham, Massachusetts.
Horticultural expert Melinda Myers says, “The ornamental sweet potato vines are cultivars of the edible sweet potato. The tuberous roots of these ornamental sweet potato vines are edible, though most gardeners say the flavor is not as good as those grown in vegetable gardens. Some gardeners store the tuberous roots over winter and plant them in the garden or a container in spring. However, the results are usually not as uniform or as attractive as starting with new plants or cuttings.”
Learn how to grow potatoes in a vegetable garden.
Courtesy Susan VandercookSometimes a sweet potato vine produces tubers.
“I found these tubers in my planters when I removed the sweet potato vines. Are they edible?” asks reader Susan Vandercook of Pleasant Lake, Michigan.
Melinda says, “The sweet potato vine grown as an ornamental plant is a cultivar of the edible one. The tuberous root can be eaten, but it is not very tasty. Some gardeners save the tuberous root over winter to start new plants in the spring. Gardeners have told me they have mixed results with this method. They find that the plants grown from overwintered tuberous roots are usually not as robust as those you buy each spring from the garden center.”
Why are my potatoes green and are they safe to eat?
Do Sweet Potato Vines Produce Flowers?
Courtesy Sunday Deboer
“How often do sweet potato vines bloom?” asks reader Sunday DeBoer of Rochester, Minnesota.
Melinda says, “What a nice surprise. Sweet potato vines are relatives of morning glory, as you can see by the flowers that the plants produced. This vine is usually grown for its colorful leaves but can flower on occasion. This won’t happen every year, so enjoy the colorful treat.”
Do You Need to Prune Sweet Potato Vine?
www.provenwinners.comSweet Caroline Medusa Green
Trailing plants, including some sweet potato vines, may need to be pruned for a tidier look. Sweet Caroline Medusa Green is more compact than others—so some gardeners choose not to trim it at all. As it grows, the plant forms a dense mound of attractive foliage with minimal trailing.
READ ON: Top 10 fast growing vines and climbing flowers
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