Sweet Potato Vine

Sweet potato vine can be use as cover if your garden has bald and bare spots. You will soon have an abundant ornamental plant gracing your garden with its beautiful flowers.

Well, no surprise there as it is related to moonflowers and morning glories.

The best way to start planting the vine is to choose a firm tuber from your local nursery or from the grocery store. If you can find one with sprouts, then better for your planting purposes. Then, fill a jar with water about ¾ of the way up or just enough to let the tip of the sweet potato tuber touch the water while its other end is suspended above the rim of the jar.

To do this, just poke four plastic toothpicks into four areas of the tuber to form a cross shape. The toothpicks must be about halfway up the tuber itself so that half of the tip is in the water and half is in the air.

Now, place the tuber into the water and transfer the whole assembly in a sunny spot. You should change the water as necessary, which is good to keep the tuber growing well. Your tuber will soon begin to grow vines and leaves on the dry side. You now have the makings of a sweet potato vine, ready to be planted directly to the soil or in container pots.

If you are planting your sweet potato vine in beds, you must prepare the soil by working in 2-3 inches of organic matter on soil tilled for about 10-12 inches. The organic matter helps in moisture retention as well as in fertilizer enhancement.

When planting the tubers, keep a 8-12 inches space between them so as to avoid overcrowding. You may plant in either full sun or partial shade just as long as sunlight is provided at some point. Then, water thoroughly and immediately to keep the soil as moist as possible.

If you are planting in container pots, be sure to use rich organic potting soil with the pots itself having good drainage. You may choose the sweet potato vine according to the ornamental value desired, of which the Blackie, the Marguerite and the Tricolor are the most popular.

Just to describe these varieties, the Tricolor has white, green and pink leaves while the Marguerite has chartreuse leaves shaped into hearts. Just as the name suggests, the Blackie has deep purple to black leaves.

It is important to ensure that the vine has plenty of moisture especially during hot weather. The best time to water is in the early morning and the late evening when the sun is at its weakest.

If you have slugs as problems, the best way to deter them is to place beer in a plate away from the sweet potato vine. These animals will drown in the plate, sad to say, but it will do your vine so much good.

You may also grow new vines from cuttings. Just place them in water and wait for the roots to appear before replanting them in beds or containers. You may even have your own harvest of healthy sweet potatoes in a few months' time.

Go to Potato Gardening from Sweet Potato Vine