Growing A Sweet Potato Vine In Water

In a few weeks a vine with several stems will begin to sprout.

Growing a sweet potato vine in water. Follow these steps to planting and growing your own sweet potato vine indoors. This sweet potato plant propagation. Although much of the us does not have a long enough growing season to produce mature sweet potatoes they can be grown in water to create an interesting houseplant. The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant.

To grow a healthy sweet potato vine you need a healthy tuber. The one season in which it s generally not advisable to plant sweet potato vines is the winter. Sweet potatoes need loose well drained soil to form large tubers. The sweet potato vines will continue growing in water for months or even years whether from cuttings or from a tuber.

Use an organic sweet potato. The pointed end should be down in the water. Place the sweet potato in a container of water. In addition the vines grow readily in water.

Sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas named for its edible cousin is an ornamental warm season annual grown for its attractive leaves and vining habit the foliage lends a tropical feel to the garden and comes in a range of colors and varying forms. However depending on your growing zone it can be planted at other times of year. This video provides procedure on how to grow sweet potato vines from a tuber of the plant in water jar container at home. Before you plant sweet potato slips you have a little extra work to do.

When to plant sweet potato vine. As a tropical plant it prefers warmer temperatures. You don t want the roots to face resistance when they try to expand within the soil. Keep the top 1 3 of the potato exposed by placing toothpicks into the sides.

Ornamental varieties may also be grown in containers and taken indoors for the winter. In the us they are primarily grown for food in usda zones 9 to 11. 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. Keep the water level constant and empty the water and refill the jar with.

Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species. Sweet potatoes are a carbohydrate rich source of food for millions of people in developing countries. Most of the time the sweet potato plant is planted in the spring. Plant a sweet potato in water and almost before your eyes it transforms into a sprawling vine with lime green or purple tinged leaves.

Even better the leaves are edible and tasty.