Sweet Potato Vine Care

The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant.

Sweet potato vine care.

Typically used as spillers in containers they also make fantastic groundcovers typically spreading 4 to 6 feet. A vigorous annual or a tender perennial it takes off in summer heat. Most of the time the sweet potato plant is planted in the spring. Ornamental sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas is valued for its colorful foliage and rapid easy care growth habits.

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. Overwintering sweet potato tubers. Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species. Ornamental sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas makes an excellent addition to any garden they do well in traditional flowerbeds in landscaping and are wonderful container plants.

The care of sweet potato plants is similar to most other vining houseplants in the home spending summers outdoors. As a tropical plant it prefers warmer temperatures. Though prolific growers you may fertilize monthly if desired using a general all purpose water soluble fertilizer. Gardeners turn to the sweet potato vine for its ability to power through just about anything while bringing interesting shapes sizes and colors to a pot or plot.

In this article we will share some smart tips and information to help you grow these lively colorful plants successfully in any setting. The sweet potato plant or sweet potato vine has been cultivated for around 2 000 years for its sweet tasting tubers. Sweet potato vine winter care. However depending on your growing zone it can be planted at other times of year.

Otherwise there are several easy ways of overwintering a sweet potato vine. Some of the older varieties may even grace your garden with a few sporadic lavender blooms that look like a slightly more tubular morning glory and for good. Although the plant works well as a ground cover it is especially effective. Sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas named for its edible cousin is an ornamental warm season annual grown for its attractive leaves and vining habit.

They can also be kept as house plants. It does best in full sun and warm weather temperatures should remain above 55ºf before planting outside. Sweet potato vine does well in containers where it is a common spiller plant. Care of sweet potato plants.

When to plant sweet potato vine. If you have space you can simply bring the plants indoors and grow them as houseplants until spring. The one season in which it s generally not advisable to plant sweet potato vines is the winter. While tolerant of drought these plants prefer to be kept moist not soggy.