Hi:
I overwintered some potato vine tubers and need to know when to take them out of the box,cut them into pieces and pot up. Also I saved a few plants in the basement with sunlight and some water over the winter. When do I start to give them more light and water and do I cut them back even if they only have 1or2 leaves or just leave them.
Thank you
First I would like to provide some information on propagating sweet potato vine. Sweet potato vines are easy to grow from existing plants. Cutting is the best way to propagate, but you can also plant the plant’s tubers in the spring.
- If you live in a place that gets wintery weather, you’ll want to take a cutting from your outdoor sweet potato vines in the autumn before the first frost. The plant dies off when exposed to frost. You’ll need pruning shears or snips, a jar of water, and a sunny spot.
- Using clean, sharp garden pruning shears, cut off a branch that has several leaf nodes. Remove the leaves off of the bottom few inches.
- Submerge the stem in water. In a few days, the plant will grow roots.
- The plant can live indoors in water in a sunny spot throughout the winter. Keep the water level constant. Empty the water and refill the jar with clean water every week to discourage bacterial growth.
- Come springtime after the last frost, you can replant it in the garden in moist, well-draining soil in a sunny spot outdoors. Harden off the plant before placing in the garden to acclimate it to outdoor conditions.
As the days get longer, the snow melts and the temperatures are warmer it is lovely to think about moving any plants that we have overwintered outdoors. Below is a link that provides information on how to help your potato vine tubers make the transition from indoors to outdoors. Come springtime after the last frost, you can replant the tubers outdoors in moist, well-draining soil in a sunny spot. Harden off the plant before placing in the garden to acclimate it to outdoor conditions.
Good luck with the move.