The sweet potato is grown to eat and the Sweet Potato Vine is grown for beauty. They are both members of the morning glory family, although, I promise not hold that against them. We had never grown sweet potatoes until last year.
Are sweet potato vines the same as sweet potato plants?
Popular in container gardens and as groundcovers, ornamental sweet potato vines brighten up plantings with their colorful leaves. They’re actually related to the sweet potatoes you’d grow in your vegetable garden or find in a grocery store. Both of these plants produce thick, root-like tubers underground.
Do sweet potato vines come from sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes in the U.S. are grown mostly in the South. They are planted in the spring by “slips.” These are the small rooted pieces of the vine that grow from the “eyes” or buds of the potato. The sweet potato produces vine-like stems that resemble the philodendron plant.
Why is it called a sweet potato vine?
One of the easiest ways to create multi-seasonal interest in the garden is to use plants with interesting foliage. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas), named for its edible cousin, is an ornamental warm-season annual grown for its attractive leaves and vining habit.
What is another name for sweet potato vine?
Ipomoea batatas (Edible Sweetpotato, Ornamental Sweetpotato, Sweetpotato, Sweet Potato Vine, Sweetpotato Vine, Water Spinach) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
Are there different types of sweet potato vine?
5 Different Sweet Potato Vine Varieties
Light green is more manageable, while still being easy to grow. Blackie is a beautiful dark purple colour and blends well with pinks and blues. Tricolour is a mix of pink, cream and green and adds a delicate pastel tone to combinations.
Is sweet potato vine poisonous to humans?
The leaves, stems, and tubers of sweet potato vine are not toxic. The tubers are edible, but ornamental varieties were bred to produce lovely foliage, not a delicious crop. If you want to eat the tubers, it’s better to plant a variety specifically meant for food production.
Can I just plant a whole sweet potato?
Unlike regular potatoes, you can’t just plant a whole sweet potato in the ground and expect a crop; it will rot underground. Sweet potatoes are grown from sweet potato slips. Slips are the stems and foliage that sprout from already grown sweet potatoes. Twist them off the potato, root them in water, then plant them.
Can you eat potatoes from a potato vine plant?
While you can eat the potatoes from a decorative potato or sweet potato vine, they likely won’t taste as good as the more common varieties you’d find at the grocery store or farmer’s market.
Should I trim sweet potato vines?
The long vines of sweet potatoes can overrun a garden. In early to mid-September, feel free to cut them back by 25%. This simply makes the plants easier to deal with when digging. Sweet potatoes with edible tubers developing below the ground.
Can you grow sweet potato vine as a houseplant?
Potted sweet potato vines can be brought indoors and kept as houseplants. They can be allowed to go dormant, and you can store the tubers. You can take cuttings, and bring those indoors for the winter.
Can you replant sweet potato vine?
Yes, sweet potato vine is very easy to root. Your new starts should be ready to pot up in as little as 2-3 weeks. Propagating sweet potato vines is a great way to take a single plant and multiply it into many.
Can you keep sweet potato vines over the winter?
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.
Do ornamental sweet potato vines produce potatoes?
Like the edible versions, ornamental sweet potatoes are vining plants related to morning glories, but the ornamental types are grown strictly for their attractive foliage. A common question is, “Do they produce edible sweet potatoes?” The answer is no.
Can you save sweet potato vine tubers?
Yes, you can store the tubers for next spring’s planting. In the fall simply remove all foliage from the tuber, wash off any soil and let the tuber dry thoroughly for about 24 hours. After it dries, store the tuber in dry peat moss and keep in a dark area that maintains a steady temperature between 50 and 60 degrees.
What is potato vine called?
Solanum jasminoides
Potato Vine, botanically known as Solanum jasminoides or Solanum laxum, is a fast-growing and easy to care for an evergreen vine. If the clusters of white flowers look familiar that’s because this plant is in the Nightshade family alongside potatoes and tomatoes.
Are sweet potato vines easy to grow?
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.
How big do sweet potato vines get?
How fast do sweet potato vines grow? These plants are fast-growing vines that can grow up to 10 feet long in a single growing season.
Can you plant sweet potato vines in the ground?
Plant ornamental sweet potato vines in a garden bed once the nighttime temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring. The vines can be planted year-round in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b through 11 where the temperatures remain above 70 degrees throughout the year.
What if my dog eats a sweet potato vine?
Treatment of Sweet Potato Vine Poisoning in Dogs
If your dog is suspected of ingesting sweet potato vine, the veterinarian may induce vomiting as soon as you bring your pet in. Hydrogen peroxide solution will be used to flush the stomach, encouraging your dog to vomit.
What part of sweet potato is poisonous?
Don’t look away. These eyes (or sprout, as they’re sometimes called) contain glycoalkaloids, compounds that turn potatoes green and are potentially toxic. Definitely not salad material. But as gross as potato eyes are, they’re not ruining the rest of the potato.