- Staying Alive Underground. Soil acts as an insulator, so even if the water in the birdbath freezes, your sweet potato vine will winter over within the hardiness zone range.
- Pampered Through the Winter. In frost-prone areas, you can keep a container-grown sweet potato vine actively growing year round by overwintering it in a greenhouse or an indoor area.
- Containers Freeze Up Early. Sweet potato vines growing in containers are far more vulnerable to frost than they would be in the ground.
- A Warm Season Annual. Gardening in USDA zone 8 doesn't mean you can't grow sweet potato vines in the garden; you just have to grow them as annuals or overwinter ...
How do you start a sweet potato vine?
- Water the original plant a day or two before taking a cutting to ensure that it is well hydrated.
- Cut a 4- to 6-inch piece of the stem from the end of the vine, making the cut just below a node where one of the leaves attaches to the ...
- Cut off the lower leaves, leaving just two or three leaves at the top of the stem. ...
How do you care for sweet potato vines?
To propagate using its tubers:
- Sweet potato vines produce tuberous roots. You can save the tubers for the next season. ...
- Dig up the tubers before the first frost, let them dry. Bury them in peat or vermiculite. Do not let them touch.
- In spring, the tubers will sprout. Inspect the tuber for signs of disease or infection. You'll need a clean, sharp, non-serrated knife. ...
How to grow sweet potato vine from cuttings?
- Clean snippers with rubbing alcohol.
- Take an 8-inch cutting by snipping below a leaf node.
- Pinch off lower leaves from lower 4-inches of stem.
- Place stem in mason jar of room temperature water, submerging leaf-less section of stem.
- Replace water every few days.
- When roots are at least 3-inches long, plant in potting mix.
How do you grow sweet potato vines?
Product description
- Pour about 8 cm of premixed fertilizer soil on the bottom.
- Dig a hole and put seeds or vegetable shoots evenly into the soil.
- Backfill the hole and keep the soil wet slightly by watering timely.
- When crops finish, please empty the bag and recycle the soil. Clean it up and keep it dried for next planting.
How do you winterize a sweet potato vine?
To overwinter the tubers, cut the vines to ground level, then dig them up before the first frost in autumn. Dig carefully and be careful not to slice into the tubers. Brush the soil lightly off the tubers, then store them, not touching, in a cardboard box filled with peat moss, sand, or vermiculite.
Will a sweet potato vine survive winter?
Native to the tropical regions of the Americas, sweet potato vines are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11, depending on the variety. While the vines die back in cold weather, in frost-free climates the tubers should survive the winter and sprout new vines in the spring.
Will sweet potato vine grow back after winter?
After a hard frost, a sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) usually look like something the cat left out in the rain, limp, rotten and dead, but as long as the roots survive it will come back in the spring. Sweet potato vine grows as a perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11.
Do sweet potato vines come back every year?
Is a sweet potato vine an annual or perennial? Hardy in USDA zones 9-11, sweet potato vine is perennial in warmer climates, but is most often grown as an annual.
Should I trim my sweet potato vines?
Can I trim them to keep them in bounds? The vines of sweet potatoes tend to ramble far and wide, which is why many home gardeners don't raise them. If vines are wandering out of bounds, try turning them back into the vegetable garden. It's best not to trim vines; they help feed the potatoes.
How cold is too cold for sweet potato vine?
Sweet potato vines can't tolerate very much cold, they will start to die back once them temperatures get consistently below 60° F. However, the tubers in the ground are hardier, and can tolerate brief periods of below freezing temps.
How do you prune sweet potato vines?
Cut back vine tips that have exceeded their boundaries. Make cuts roughly 1/4 inch above leaf nodes to encourage new growth. Prune off broken or sickly vines. The more of the vine that is pruned off, the more aggressively the plant will try to regrow.
Will potato plants survive winter?
So, can potato plants survive frost? Potato plants can survive a light frost (temperatures of 28 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit), usually with little or no damage. Potato plants can also survive a hard frost (temperatures below 28 degrees Fahrenheit), especially with cold protection (such as cloches or row covers).
How do you winterize plants in pots?
Wrap pots in burlap, bubble wrap, old blankets or geotextile blankets. It isn't necessary to wrap the entire plant because it's the roots that need shielding. These protective coverings will help to trap heat and keep it at the root zone.
Can sweet potato vine be a houseplant?
You can simply grow a sweet potato vine as a hanging houseplant in a smaller container where your plant with beautiful lime green foliage can spill out, and enjoy eating sweet potato leaves as well. Containers also need a trellis to help the vines move upward rather than outward as they spread all around your home.
Can you overwinter ornamental sweet potato vine?
Yet, the tubers and even the plant in some cases, are easy to save for another season. Overwintering ornamental sweet potatoes can be done by heeling them in where temperatures don't often stay chilly, bringing them indoors, or by harvesting and storing the tubers.
Can potato vine grow in pots?
Plant ornamental sweet potato vine in a container filled within 1 inch of the top with commercial potting soil. Avoid garden soil, which is too heavy and becomes compacted. Always use a container with a hole in the bottom, as good drainage is critical.
How to store sweet potato vines for winter?
Sweet potato vines are tuberous plants, so you can save tubers for the next season. Dig up the tubers before the first frost, let them dry, and store them for the winter in peat or vermiculite in a cool, dry place, such as a basement, crawlspace, or root cellar.
How to grow sweet potato vines from existing plants?
To do so, break off a branch that has several leaf nodes. Remove all the leaves off the bottom few inches and submerge the stem in water. In a few days, you should see roots.
What color are sweet potato vines?
It has long tendrils that tumble over the edges and down the sides of containers. Sweet potato vines are available in a wide variety of colors—from almost-black to chartreuse—and there are several different leaf shapes from which to choose.
What is the difference between a sweet potato whitefly and a sweet potato looper?
The sweet potato looper is a caterpillar that chews on the leaves , while the sweet potato whitefly can drain the plant of nutrients and stunt its growth. In some areas, sweet potato weevils may also pose a problem.
Can sweet potato vines be grown indoors?
Ornamental sweet potato vines are versatile plants that are equally suitable for filling outdoor containers, spilling over a wall, or covering ground in a landscape bed. They also are popular as indoor plants and can be grown inside year-round or just during the cold of winter.
Is it safe to eat sweet potato leaves?
While the leaves of the edible sweet potato are a delicious delicacy—especially when they are young and tender—eating the leaves of ornamental varieties is not recommended; they're not dangerous, but the leaves and tubers of these plants have a bitter taste. Botanical Name. Ipomoea batatas. Common Name. Sweet potato vine, ornamental sweet potato ...
Do sweet potato vines need water?
Sweet potato vines are considered drought-tolerant, though they will grow more vigorously with frequent watering. Water enough to keep the soil consistently moist but not overly wet. You may notice that the leaves wilt when the plant is thirsty.
How to keep sweet potato vines in winter?
Water them in and place the containers in a sunny window. Keep sweet potato vines over winter moderately moist and gradually reintroduce them to the outdoors when all danger of frost has passed.
How to winterize sweet potato vines?
How to Overwinter Sweet Potato Plants Indoors. Another way of winterizing a sweet potato vine is to simply bring them indoors. Again, in areas without sustained freezing, you can often simply bring them into a shed, garage, or another structure that is unheated but will prevent the tubers from freezing. In cooler climes, it is wise ...
What is a sweet potato vine?
Ipomoea batatas, or sweet potato vine, thrives in hot, tropical climates and is an ornamental foliage plant often used as a foil for flowering displays. This heat loving perennial will die back if the plant experiences hard freezes below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C.).
How to keep sweet potato plants from freezing?
You may also simply cover the buried container with burlap or a thick blanket at night when brief freezes occur. Pull it away during the day so the plant can harvest solar energy. Remember that occasional watering is part of heeled in ornamental sweet potato winter care.
How to keep vines from sprouting in winter?
If you lack space or motivation to care for a vine over winter, you can always dig up and store the tubers. The tubers must be kept lightly moist or they dry up and will not sprout again. Remove tubers from the container and separate them away from each other. Take off any greenery that still remains.
Can sweet potatoes be stored for another season?
Yet, the tubers and even the plant in some cases, are easy to save for another season. Overwintering ornamental sweet potatoes can be done by heeling them in where temperatures don’t often stay chilly, bringing them indoors, or by harvesting and storing the tubers.
Can sweet potato vines be grown in containers?
Image by Firn. Sweet potato vines add tons of interest to a standard flowering basket or hanging container display. These versatile plants are tender tubers with zero tolerance of freezing temperatures and are often grown as throw-away annuals.
Planting Sweet Potato Vines
Sweet Potato Vines are a versatile indoor or outdoor plant. Often used as a great spiller for a container or as a landscape ground cover, Sweet Potato Vines can also be grown year-round indoors. This plant is tolerant to most soils as long as it is moist, well-drained soil. Sweet Potato vines like full sun, but will grow in partial shade.
Watering Sweet Potato Vines
Considered a tropical plant, Sweet potato Vines prefer humid conditions and cannot tolerate dry air. Sweet Potato Vines are a drought-tolerant plant, but will grow best with frequent watering. Water the plant enough to keep the soil evenly moist. This will help to create a humid-like atmosphere that the plant likes.
Fertilizing Sweet Potato Vines
Sweet Potato vines do not require fertilizer to grow. Feeding this plant is optional based on how much you want it to grow. Sweet Potato vines are naturally vigorous growers, so feeding them may increase the need to cut them back more often. Many gardeners like to fertilize at planting time to encourage faster growth.
Pruning Sweet Potato Vines
Sweet Potato Vine are vigorous growers and can benefit from frequent trimming. If left unattended, the plant will grow out of control or become leggy. Prune regularly to remove dead and dried leaves. This also encourages healthy new growth. Pruning your indoor or outdoor Sweet Potato Vine helps the plant to grow bushier.
Caring For Sweet Potato Vines in Pots
Plant a Sweet Potato Vine in a large pot as a spiller for your arrangement or on its own. Select a container that has drainage holes and plant in standard well-drained potting soil. This plant likes morning sunlight and partial shade in the afternoon. Deep watering once or twice a week is recommended.
Winter Care for Sweet Potato Vines
The great thing about Sweet Potato Vines is that they are both an indoor and outdoor plant. When winter weather arrives, just bring the container grown plant indoors and grow it as a houseplant until spring. You can also take 10-12 inch cuttings from an existing plant, rinse them with water and place them in a vase with fresh water.
Common Sweet Potato Vines Care Questions
Sweet potato vines grow very rapidly, reaching up 10 feet long by 6 feet wide, in a single season! They'll grow quicker, with soil that is kept consistently moist, but not wet!
What is the name of the plant that grows in the shade of sweet potato?
For long-lasting color and sheer drama in the landscape, few plants rival ornamental sweet potato vine ( Ipomoea batatas ). Grown for its showy, exotic-looking foliage, this fast-growing heat lover comes in various colors and forms.
Can sweet potato vines be planted vertically?
One of the most popular trailing plants for containers, hanging baskets and window boxes. Sweet potato vine can also be grown as a groundcover, trained vertically on a trellis, or allowed to cascade along a wall or slope.
Is sweet potato vine a perennial?
Sweet potato vine is easy to maintain and tolerant of different growing conditions, including heat, humidity and shade. It is a tender perennial grown as an annual in most regions. Lush, vigorous foliage occurs in a range of bold hues, including chartreuse, green, bronze, red, brown, burgundy, purple, black and variegated.
Do sweet potato vines produce tubers?
Though sweet potato vines can produce tubers like their edible sweet potato relatives, they were bred for their attractive foliage rather than edible qualities. The tubers are not particularly flavorful, and production can be scant or non-existent.
When do sweet potato vines come back?
After a hard frost, a sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) usually look like something the cat left out in the rain, limp, rotten and dead, but as long as the roots survive it will come back in the spring. Sweet potato vine grows as a perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11.
Where do sweet potato vines grow?
Native to the tropical regions of the Americas, sweet potato vines are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11, depending on the variety. While the vines die back in cold weather, in frost-free climates the tubers should survive the winter and sprout new vines in the spring.
Can frost hurt sweet potatoes?
Also Know , will frost hurt sweet potatoes? Frost and cold weather can hurt sweet potatoes at harvest time even though you might think they're insulated underground. When frost kills and blackens the vines above ground, decay can start in on the dead vines and pass down to the roots.
Can you freeze sweet potato vines?
Also asked, can you keep sweet potato vines over the winter? To store sweet potato vine tubers over winter, allow the plant to be exposed to cold or frost to trigger dormancy. Don't allow it to freeze though , or it could damage the tuber.