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Uses for Potato Vine

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Posted by zaphod42 SE WI 5b (My Page) on
Sun, Feb 10, 13 at 17:48

I've always liked the look of this annual but have shied away from using it. I've always seen it in containers, hanging baskets or cascading over something. I don't do containers and have nothing for it to cascade over. I'm in-ground cottage style. Can I use it for anything? Will it work as a groundcover? Any suggestions or examples of atypical use? Thanks!

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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Can you identify what you refer to as Potato vine? There are several plants which might go by this common name. Do you mean sweet potato? Or one of the Solanums?

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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Do you have a tree? They grow up into trees, and along fences where I am.

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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In our climate, Potato Vine refers to Solanum jasminoides, an evergreen or deciduous vine, depending on the winter. If kept under control it is a wonderful vine. It is usually used on the vertical, but can be used as a ground cover as well. Al

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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Sorry! I meant Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas).

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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Sorry! I meant Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas).

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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OK - now we know what we are dealing with ;-)

(Calistoga - Solanum jasminoides is hardy here too. I also grow Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin' which is sometimes called potato vine.)

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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Like morning glories, it will grow up a trellis or fence. It will definitely cover the ground, and then start climbing up the upright plants. Do you have a porch post that needs something climbing on it?

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last summer I grew a group 3 chartruese sweet potato vines together in the ground-they did not grow tubers, but spread out well. They were infront of 2 orange painted pots-the large pot had orange petunias with yellow coleus and tall orange merigolds, and the other pot had creeping jenny, orange zinnia and yellow coleus. It was a great combination that I will repeat this summer. I have a 5 gallon self watering container with variegated spider plants (houseplant) and a yellow sweet potato vine-I overwinter it inside and am starting to take cuttings now for planting in the ground this spring. The other sweet potato vines did not survive the transplant into pots last fall. An experiement for this summer-I will put the new rooted SPV slips into old 10" pots sunk into the ground for bringing in next fall. At $5 each for SPV, I will not be buying new ones every year.

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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  • Posted by edie_h 5bNY (Finger Lakes) (My Page) on
    Sun, Mar 3, 13 at 20:51

Some of the sweet potato vines spread more than others. The older ones spread so much they could take over a container, so new varieties have been bred to be more compact. Since you're thinking ground cover, look for the older varieties. The chartreuse "Margarita" (several alternate spellings) is one I've used as a ground cover. It does make a solid mass, given enough warmth and water. If you find an attractive one and the label's unclear on how much it spreads, write down the name and look it up.

I was able to dig and save a tuber and start the plant the next spring from the tuber. I've stopped growing them since moving to my current apartment which is in a deer-infested neighborhood. The local deer eat all the leaves off SPVs and leave the bare stems. I watched a buck snacking in a parking lot one night so I know it's the deer.

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RE: Uses for Potato Vine

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I've grown the Margarita type before. It definitely will work for a groundcover. I had to trim the thing back probably 4 times over the course of a summer, because it was trying to eat my sidewalk. I planted 3 plants, I believe, in a bed at the front of my house...southern exposure. It went nuts!
My husband even gave it a name.

I highly recommend it. Beyond pruning it back, it was pretty much maintenance-free.

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