Does Sweet Potato Vine Flower

Neither type of sweet potato is grown for the flowering capability.

Does sweet potato vine flower. This plant produces vine like stems similar to the philodendron and requires similar care to that of ivy when grown indoors. Thriving in warm soil unlike regular potatoes sweet potatoes will be ready to harvest just as the ends of the vines begin to turn yellow or just before frost. Since the deer got in and nibbled our sweet potatoes once before we added a deer deterrent to that part of the garden we accidentally used that method too. While you may be able to coax your plant into producing sweet potato vine seeds they aren t guaranteed to be good so it s best to propagate in other ways.

Most ornamental varieties do not flower. The foliage lends a tropical feel to the garden and comes in a range of colors and varying forms. With edible sweet potatoes as with most root crops and herbs it is important to remove any flowers. Another method they ve tried involves clipping off the ends of sweet potato vines hoping to stimulate apical bud growth.

Scientists have tried a lot of tricks to get sweet potatoes to flower and one of the most effective seems to be high humidity combined with damp soil. The vigorous growth and drought tolerance of ornamental sweet potato vines makes them great choices for mixed containers and hanging baskets. 6 to 16 inches tall 3 to 6 feet wide vines up to 10 feet long. Sweet potato vine ornamental sweet potato vine.

They are mostly propagated by stem or root cuttings or by adventitious shoots called slips that grow out from the tuberous roots during storage. Ornamental sweet potato vines don t produce many flowers which means they often don t produce seeds. Edible sweet potato vines and some ornamental varieties bloom with. Sweet potatoes don t usually flower often outside the tropics.

Full sun part sun. Sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas named for its edible cousin is an ornamental warm season annual grown for its attractive leaves and vining habit. True seeds are used for breeding only. With their deep orange flesh these edible roots have a naturally sweet flavor and are a top source of beta carotene.

Sweet potatoes rarely flower when the daylight is longer than 11 hours as is normal outside of the tropics. However if a sweet potato flower does occur it resembles its cousin the morning glory convolvulus spp mostly in shades of light blue to purple. Perfect timing for autumn foods and the holiday table. Types of ornamental sweet potatoes.