How to Flower Plants From Sweet Potatoes
Growing sweet potato vines is practically child's play, and yet many gardeners find they absolutely cannot make their sweet potatoes flower. The simple truth is, however, those people probably just aren't patient enough to wait for the plants to bloom. Tender young shoots are customarily removed as cuttings for propagation or for food when the plant is only 2 or 3 months old. Cuttings taken from older plants don't produce the yield that young slips do. It's uncommon to see sweet potato flowers because the new growth seldom gets the chance to mature enough to bloom in late summer. But if you wish to see blooms on your sweet potato vine, the process is simple. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Sweet potato cutting
- Compost or well-rotted manure
- All-purpose fertilizer
Instructions
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Prepare an outdoor planting site early in the spring after all danger of frost has passed for your area. Cultivate a sunny, well-draining spot to a depth of about 12 inches. Amend with compost or well-rotted manure if desired.
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Cut a 1-foot-long vine from your sweet potato plant. Remove all the leaves with the exception of several at the stem's tip. Plant the bottom 3 or 4 inches of the cutting, or slip, in the prepared location, pressing the soil firmly into place. It's important for the slip to remain securely positioned as it roots.
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Water the planting site enough to uniformly moisten the soil. Don't allow the cutting to dry out, but don't soak the soil either. Your sweet potato slip will sprout within the next week.
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Feed your sweet potato plant an all-purpose fertilizer about 6 weeks after planting. Continue to keep the soil evenly moist, but not wet. You'll see violet-hued morning glory-like blooms in 3 or 4 months.
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