How to Start a Sweet Potato Vine
Sweet potatoes are a species of flowering perennial vines that are commonly grown for their edible tubers. They produce small, sterile flowers that are purple or pink in color. The tubers are long and covered with a skin that is brown, purple or red in coloration. The edible inner portion of the tuber is orange and similar in texture to the potato. Sweet potato vines are also grown for ornamental reasons, as they produce large, heart-shaped leaves. Sweet potato vines can be easily started and grown indoors in any climate. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4 Toothpicks
- Sweet potato
- Quart-sized mason jar
- 260 mg activated charcoal capsule
Instructions
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1
Insert four toothpicks into the sides of a sweet potato, about three inches down from the top. Arrange them in a circular pattern around so that each toothpick is exactly opposite another toothpick.
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2
Fill a quart-sized mason jar about halfway full with water. Set the sweet potato in the jar, with the toothpicks sitting on the rim of the jar and the bottom of the potato submerged in water.
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3
Place the mason jar on a windowsill that receives four to six hours of direct sunlight each day. Add water to the jar as it evaporates to keep the bottom of the potato covered.
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4
Add one capsule of activated charcoal to the water in the jar once every month to promote the growth of roots. Allow the sweet potato vine to grow until the jar is filled with roots.
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5
Remove the sweet potato vine from the jar and plant in fertile, well-drained soil in an area that receives full sun. Allow the top third of the sweet potato to remain above the soil level, and new growth will follow shortly.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose a sweet potato that already has some apparent growth. Some sweet potatoes are treated to prevent growth, and buds or roots will indicate that growth is possible. Activated charcoal can be purchased at retail pharmaceutical stores.
Do not wait too long to transplant the sweet potato vine from the jar to the soil, or the roots can become tangled and stunt growth.
