sweet potato vines

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Saturday, July 16, 2011 Under: way of life

Most people think of sweet potatoes used in cooking and baking, but this healthy food, loaded with vitamin C and beneficial carotene, also makes an eye-catching plant! The fast-growing vine makes a gorgeous green house plant, and is easy to care for. This is done frequently by the women of the serra. It is easy, cheap and ornamental. This is how it works:

First choose a sweet potato with several buds, or "eyes." These are spots that are starting to sprout. You will often see these on potatoes that have been sitting for a while. Insert four to six toothpicks around the center of the sweet potato to hold the sweet potato up in the water.

Fill a wide-mouth jar about 3/4 full of water. Place the tapered end of the sweet potato into the water; adjust the toothpicks so they rest on the rim of the jar holding the sweet potato upright with one end in the water. Set the jar in a well-lit area, ideally in front of a south-facing window.

Watch for roots to appear in the water in approximately one week. Shoots that grow upwards will also start appearing. Change the water once a week to keep it fresh.

3 weeks after the roots are formed you can choose to plant the sweet potato in a pot with soil or keep it in the water.

Keep the plant in full sun. Fertilize it about every six months. These plants grow quickly and are a great house plant.

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