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Have you ever look at a gratifying potato during dinner and wondered what it looks like in its plant form ? Well , attend no further , for here you ’ll learn all about the dulcet potato vine … the decorative sweetened tater vine , that is !
While it is the same mintage as its edible relative , ornamental sweet potato vine are bred for their unbelievable leaves rather than their tasty tubers . Purple vine plant are vulgar , as are dark-green , red , bronze , and even multicolored . With leaves that range from lacy to heart - shaped , and the episodic rarefied trumpet - shaped efflorescence , these fast - growing ornamentals can provide a lush , heart - catching addition to your landscape .
Read on to pick up more about how to develop scented potato vine !
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Sweet Potato Vine Quick Care Guide
Types of Sweet Potato Vine
The dulcet white potato vine is uncommitted in many rural area around the populace . Some of the most pop ornamental vine character are documented here , but there are many more , and raw varieties are being developed regularly . Most grow just as well in hanging baskets as they do on the earth .
This majestic sugared white potato vine is so coloured that it ’s intimately black , hence the name . This vigorous and tight - growing cultivar is a popular smorgasbord which is known for its maple - like leaf configuration . While the ornamental sweet Solanum tuberosum industrial plant do n’t often flower , when Blackie does , it produces lilac-colored or purple horn - like flowers .
This seraphic Irish potato vine change is not just one coloration of plant , but includes five disjoined color options – yellowish green , red , empurpled , bronze , and light green mixed bag are available . Like Blackie , it has leave-taking which are reminiscent of maple leaves , and works extremely well as a primer binding .
Where the Sweet Caroline potpourri and the Sweetheart varieties diverge is in their leaf shape – the Sweetheart variety of gratifying potato vine has distinctly heart - shaped leaves which make for a beautiful display . Available in cherry , abstemious super acid , or purpleness , it ’s rapidly becoming a front-runner !
In full Sunday , the Margarita sweet potato vine acquire a bright chartreuse leaf with a lead of yellow , but if develop in the shade , it is profoundly green in hue . It has a slight heart shape to its foliage social system , and lean to mound before spreading . It can be take aim to a trellis , or grown in hanging baskets , and can reach heights of 6 - 9 feet once established .
This variety is truly name – the tricolored leafage of this sweet white potato vine are gullible with streak of pink and livid , pass on it a distinct and strange look when compare to other sweet potato vines . It tend to be a little less tolerant of coolheaded temperature , and needs protective covering if the temperature drops too dispirited . This make a unspoiled container works – while it ’s still a spry grower , it ’s not as fast as other cultivars , and it is gorgeous when trailing from a hang basket .
The Desana sweet potato vine tends to spread to become about four foot spacious , and like the Sweet Carolines , it comes in multiple colors , often consider a tricolor sweet potato vine . Presently , ruddy bronze and lime tree green mixture are usable .
With epithet like ‘ Emerald Lace ’ , ‘ Garnet Lace ’ , and ‘ Midnight Lace ’ , the Illusion sweet potato vine cultivar is a popular strain . little growing and a bit less vigorous than other varietal wine , these sweet potato vines are described as give birth a ribbon - foliage leafage and are more mounding than other types . They distribute about 3 feet , making them thoroughgoing for hang handbasket .
The black version of the SolarPower is a purple sweet potato vine , and is inscrutable purple - Negroid in hue . A fat lime immature variant is uncommitted , as is a hoary bronze . SolarPower is one of the best performers in hot environments , spring up to an mediocre stature of one foot and unfold about three feet blanket . Where the SolarPower tend to mound and stay smaller , the related cultivar known as SolarTower lives up to its name . Well suited to trellis or arbor education , it can easy grow to a peak of seven groundwork in a season , and is available in lime and ignominious smorgasbord .
This strange ornamental cherubic potato vine is known for its heart - form farewell which have shadiness of rose , brown , and bronze . It scatter to 4 base or more .
With unique almost - lacy leafage , this violet sweet white potato vine vine is quite striking . It does quite well in the heat of the summer , and spreads about 3 foot .
These sweet white potato vine cultivars premise in 2009 are more mounding than unfold , and are available in two shades . The lime green odoriferous potato vine tends to be tripping in vividness than Margarita , and the total darkness is a deep purple odoriferous vine plant .
Planting Sweet Potato Vine
It ’s actually quite easy to plant a sweet spud vine , and grow sweet potato vine too . take a well - drain soil ( test your soil if you ’re unsure ) and place it at the same depth that your potato vine seedling was at . It will take care of the hard work for you !
When to Plant Sweet Potato Vine
Most of the time , the sweet potato flora is planted in the spring . However , depending on your growing zone , it can be planted at other times of year . The one time of year in which it ’s generally not advisable to plant sweet-scented white potato vines is the winter . As a tropical plant life , it prefer warmer temperatures .
Where to Plant Sweet Potato Vine
There ’s multiple room to grow sweet potato vine in your landscape painting ! Sweet potato plants can provide a beautiful low ground screening in planter that will trail out over the edge . For a similar trail effect , you may plant your scented potato vines in pots or hanging basket . It can have the tendency to crowd together other plant it ’s planted with . To forestall this , you could trim your potato vine at any clip to keep them from snuff it out the neighbors .
The varieties that mount are quickly arise popularity in use along fences , over arbors , and on alltypes of treillage . They do need some support to get them initiate , but once they ’ve occupy out , you’re able to have a leavy cover over your backyard terrace or a fence coat with vibrantly - colored leaf .
People have started using sweet white potato vine vine as an option to traditional lawns , since it spread enough that it ’s easy to turn it into a great ground cover . However , the large leaves are not as comfortable on bare feet , so it ’s honest to do this treatment in field where children are n’t likely to play .
Caring For Sweet Potato Vine
For the most part , your sweet potato vines are sovereign and will take care of themselves , but here ’s some helpful sweet potato vine care hints for good results . You may get raise sweet spud vine fairly elementary , and you may even overwinter sweet potato vine !
Sun
While full sun is ideal , unfermented potato vines tolerate partial to full shade as well . The angelical spud vine leaves may be otherwise colored in full ghost conditions than they would be in full sun . However , in very blistering mood , they can have sunburn in extremely high temperature ( 110 + level ) , so in the stature of summer , it ’s wise to bring home the bacon a bit of shade top for your plants .
Soil
Well - draining , moist soilis utter for the sweet potato plant . If the ground is sloughy for too long , sweet-smelling spud vine ’ root system can uprise rot , which will kill it . This apply to container plantings and in - ground plantings .
If your territory is highly alkalic ( above 8.0 pH ) , you may like to bestow anacid - form fertilizerto get the alkalinity down . Otherwise , fertilizing is really not necessary provide that your filth is well - balanced . you may fertilise on social occasion to goad rapid growth , but otherwise it ’s not necessary .
Water
Moderate watering is near . You want to keep the filth moist , but not cockeyed or soggy .
Pruning
Sweet Solanum tuberosum vines spread quite rapidly , so regular pruning is required . Pruning can be done at any clock time of twelvemonth . It ’s most require during the fountain and summer month when the atmospheric condition is lovesome and the plants are growing fast .
Can sweet potato vines be disunite ? Sort of ! If you are trying to train your sweet potato vine to ramify out andcreate a thicker ground coveror to promote a mounding rule , seek to prune just above a station where there ’s a duet of leaves , as it will encourage the potato vine to part in two at the leaf buds .
Propagation
The comfortable way to propagate the sweet murphy works is through cuttings . Take cuttings from the primary potato vine that are at least four column inch long . ensure that you trim the potato vine at a leafage node . transfer most of the leave of absence , leaving only a few at the potato vine tip , and order your cutting into a glass of water . While you’re able to directly put it into potting soil , it settle down more quickly in water and you’re able to see the root development . direct the cutting in a fond and bright place out of lineal sunlight . Once it ’s gotten a skillful root mass , graft into stain .
If you ’ve see children ’s skill experiment with a potato suspended on toothpick over a arena of pee , you ’ve seen an easy way to produce sprout for cuttings – place enough H2O in a bowl so that it just touches the bottom of the genus Tuber , and then wait . It will put down base and will crowd up sprout . When the tater vine is at least 4 - 5 inches long , expend it for cuttings .
you’re able to also winter seraphic potato vine by storing the tubers in a loge of Baroness Dudevant or peat moss , and in the outpouring , they may start germinate on their own . If they do , some have reported success with cut sprout slips from the genus Tuber and planting those . Just be cognisant that sweetened potato slips have a slightly big chance of developing rot issue than starting with a fresh cutting .
Ornamental sweet Solanum tuberosum vines do n’t produce many flower , which intend they often do n’t produce seminal fluid . Many ornamentals are also sterile and only really feasible to produce from slip . While you may be able to palaver your plant into farm mellisonant potato vine seeds , they are n’t guaranteed to be good , so it ’s best to spread in other manner . Happily , a small dulcet spud cutting can live indoors with a grow light or in a gay window during insensate months , so you may grow this plant life within in the wintertime .
Pests and Diseases
Now that we ’ve talk over sweet potato vine care , let ’s blab out about the gadfly and disease that sweet potato vines most commonly have .
Pests
The most destructive pest is the sweetpotato weevil , which targets the root system of odorous potato vines rather than the leafage . Similarly , wireworms , whitefringed beetle grubs , and white grubs can pose a major issue to the root structure .
Above ground , pesky flea beetlesandcucumber beetlescan use up portions of the foliage , but that ’s of less concern as the plant is so quick to get . The larvae of those two types of beetles could become a problem if they ’re lay in the soil near your works , so watch for change in your flora which might indicate root attack . Whiteflies , thrips , and a fewtypes of aphidshave also been report to attack the foliage .
In most of the above cases , insecticides are known to help . fan out good nematodes around your garden is also a dependable criterion to combat grub and larvae development . However , the best way to invalidate these plague is never to get them in the first lieu . In the character of the sweetpotato weevil or the sweet tater whitefly , for instance , you should be cautious with your root ancestry and verify to get it from a dependable source so that your roots do not come already - infest . If you are unsure , definitely do not place any of the root stock in the ground directly . Instead , take cuttings from a sprouted base and transplant them to stave off spreading sweetpotato weevil in your garden .
Finally , in Australia , a surprising pest is the bush turkey . Reputedly , bush turkeys will scratch deeply around the potato vine while searching for grubs . If they reach a angelical potato tuber , they will merrily eat that as well . So if you ’re in an orbit where turkeys are uncouth , or perhaps even chickens or other land - scratching birds , keep an centre on your dulcet murphy vine to ensure you do n’t have an avian violent disorder in progress !
Diseases
Sweet potatoes are known to be sensitive to waste issues , including root putrefaction , stem rot , storage rot , and soft rot . The honest prevention for these is to ensure the grease is well - drained and that the surface of the grunge does not muddle . Some mottle and mosaic viruses are also typical , as are a few smorgasbord of foliage place .
Be conservative with herbicides near your sweet potato vines . Ornamental angelic potato vine are subject to amino Zen ( ALS ) inhibitor herbicide injury . Herbicides that contain Imidazolinones , Sulfonylureas , and Triazolopyrimidine sulfonanilides can cause stunt in plants , leaf yellowing , and can result in slow plant death . It ’s better to obviate using weedkillers near your sweet white potato vine just to be good .
Frequently Asked Questions
Q : Are ornamental perfumed potatoes eatable ?
A : First we should involve , sweet potato vine venomous ? No ! Can they be corrode ? Yes … if you do n’t mind an awful - tasting sweet potato . Commercial kind have been developed to make sweet , delicious tubers . decorative salmagundi do n’t focus on tuber yield , but instead on the foliage . Because of this , most ornamental seraphic white potato vines make tubers that are strictly starch with no sugar development . If you need it to come through , it is edible , but it ’s sure no replacing for what you buy at the supermarket ! likewise , while the leaves of commercial-grade mellisonant potato are edible in salads and for other cookery United States while they ’re new and tender , the cosmetic varieties are n’t as tasty . They do n’t have as many natural simoleons in them , and can be caustic .
Q : Are there any other uses for perfumed potato vine ?
A : In South America , the juice of violent sweet-flavored white potato was used as a dye when mixed with Citrus aurantifolia juice . In Hawaii , where the plant is call ‘ Uala , it ’s used medicinally , and at least one variety was used as a fish bait . In Peru , Moche ceramics often have angelic potato tuber library paste worked into the clay for color . Purple sweet potato succus has long been used for food coloring . In many cultures , all section of the plant ( leaves , stems , and solution ) were used for brute cannon fodder . And finally , researcher are start to investigate using sweet potato form to bring forth biofuel .
Q : How do you salt away sweet potato vine Tuber ?
A : Dust any loose grime off of the tubers . Take a sturdy cardboard loge and fill it with peat moss , vermiculite , or sand , and softly bid the tuber down into it . Take care to make trusted they are n’t touching each other and that they ’re thoroughly encompass . Store the corner in a cool , disconsolate , and dry position where the Tuber ca n’t freeze down . In the spring , watch over for the tuber to sprout , and transplant the sprout . you may also test cutting slips from the tuber , each with a sprout , and replanting those .
So , are you interested in this beautiful trailing potato vine yet ? It might not be the tasty dainty , but it ’s certainly a fete for the eyes ! With a myriad of colors and folio embodiment , the odorous potato vine may be your estimable stake for a lush landscape or a perfectly - planted hanging garden .
