How to Sprout Sweet Potato Vines
The sweet potato (lpomoea batatas) is a native plant to Central and South America. Growing a sweet potato vine is a wonderful project for you and the kids. People have been doing it for years as an easy and cheap way to propagate a house plant. The leaves are purplish-green that emerge from the top of the plant. Sometimes the plant will produce lilac-colored blooms. You can begin to grow your own plant any time of the year. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Choose a firm sweet potato that has some eyes or buds on it. Even though some sweet potatoes are treated with heat to keep them from sprouting, most will still grow roots in a few days when planted.
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Find a glass container that is slightly larger around than the sweet potato.
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3
Look at both ends of the sweet potato. The pointier one is the end to stick into the jar first.
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4
Stick four toothpicks, equally spaced, into the sweet potato around the middle. This will act as arms to support the sweet potato on the rim of the jar.
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Place the pointed end into the jar. Fill the jar with water so the bottom end is under water.
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Place the jar in a sunny window. Change and add water when needed. In a few days the roots will form in the section that is in the water. After two or three weeks, the sweet potato will begin to show leaves and stems emerging from the top section.
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Grow the plant in the water container for one or two months.
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Find a container that is big enough to completely bury the sweet potato, except for the leaves. Cover the drainage holes with shard. Put some potting soil into the pot, at least 1 ½ to 2 inches deep. Carefully remove the sweet potato from the jar and remove the toothpicks. Place the sweet potato, roots down first, into the container. Finish filling the pot with potting soil up to the leaves. Water well and keep the soil moist.
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Tips & Warnings
Fertilize once a month with fertilizer that is 20-20-20.
The stems are weak, so you will need to tie them to a stake or wire.
Cut the plant back a few inches occasionally to keep it bushy.
References
- Photo Credit sweet potato image by steveinnz from Fotolia.com
