They are bred for the beauty of their leaves rather than edible tubers and the vines from these plants make them look more like a morning glory or clematis than a member of the potato family.
Hanging sweet potato vine plant.
Plant a sweet potato in water and almost before your eyes it transforms into a sprawling vine with lime green or purple tinged leaves.
The care of sweet potato plants is similar to most other vining houseplants in the home spending summers outdoors.
There s multiple ways to use sweet potato vine in your landscape.
If you are looking for a trailing plant with big foliage power then the sweet potato vine is for you.
It can have the tendency to crowd other.
The sweet potato plant or sweet potato vine has been cultivated for around 2 000 years for its sweet tasting tubers.
Use a well draining pot large enough to accommodate it comfortably.
Follow these steps to planting and growing your own sweet potato vine indoors.
Sweet potato plants can provide a beautiful low ground cover in planters that will trail out over the edge.
The vines grow up to 10 feet or more.
Even better the leaves are edible and tasty.
2 sweet potato vines.
Pull the toothpicks out of the potato and cover it completely with soil.
Sweet potato vines add loads of interest and color as they cascade down over baskets and containers.
Where to plant sweet potato vine.
The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant.
Purple sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas blackie has deeply loped leaves from 3 to 4 inches across and 4 to 6 inches long.
Sweet potato vine is known for it s trailing growth making it excellent for containers and hanging baskets.
For a similar trailing effect you can plant your sweet potato vines in pots or hanging baskets.
Ornamental sweet potato vines may start small but some varieties will have you swimming in lush leaves by mid summer.
Making them even more attractive they are fast growers and can fill open spaces quickly.
Leave all of the stems exposed.
It s lovely texture blends well in gardens and can be used as groundcover for all over coverage.
Care of sweet potato plants.
It is said that columbus brought the plant to europe from the new world on his expedition missouri botanical garden though the variety of sweet potato plant that produces the edible tubers can be planted for its trailing vines more recently different variations have been.
Though prolific growers you may fertilize monthly if desired using a general all purpose water soluble fertilizer.
While tolerant of drought these plants prefer to be kept moist not soggy.
Plant the sweet potato in a container of potting soil when each vine has as least four to six leaves.
It grows all year in u s.
Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species.