Potato vine indoors over winter?

Discussion in 'Houseplants' started by TurningColorz, Nov 9, 2007.

  1. TurningColorz

    TurningColorz New Seed

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    Well, it's officially freezing in Wisconsin now. This weekend we'll be cleaning the beds and raking leaves. We have several potato vines in the beds that will not last very much longer. Although they're pretty hardy outside, I'm wondering if we should bother bringing one inside for the winter.
    Will it survive well enough to be replanted in spring?

    Thanks,
    Mike - TurningColorz
     
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  3. Sherry8

    Sherry8 I Love Birds!

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    I had planned on saving mine over winter , then I got way behind in things and I don't even have my seeds in yet. I might just have to buy some next year if I don't get them in soon. I am from Wisconsin too and it is cold...
     
  4. TurningColorz

    TurningColorz New Seed

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    Hi Sherry8,
    Seeds? Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever seen our vines go to flower. We always buy 2-3 small starts in spring, and keep dividing until we run out of spaces. The way those things grow, we run out of room pretty fast, thats why I was thinking they might be hardy enough to last thru winter. It might be too late now, as there's a lot of frost on the ground this morning...Brrrrrr......

    Mike - TurningColorz
     
  5. Sherry8

    Sherry8 I Love Birds!

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    They look like potatoes to me. I had some huge ones and I just ran out of time and didn't have anything to store them in and I didn't even get many SEEDS from other flowers done yet. I did have quite a few flowers on the sweet potato vines this year.

    I don't see why you couldn't start some indoors from the tubers. I would check it out with someone that has done it. Just in case they have to have a dormant time or drying time after being dug up.
     



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  6. TurningColorz

    TurningColorz New Seed

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    I'm Too late. This weekend we started cleaning up the beds and the potato vines were already frozen and wilted, so I just cut them off at the base. Now I have to go back and look for tubors...Are these like regular potatoes? We always propogate with cuttings off the vine so I never looked at the root systems. All I know is that 4" cuttings turn into 40' vines by October,
    I wish everything grew as well...

    Mike - TurningColorz
     
  7. MrBrownThumb

    MrBrownThumb New Seed

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    I lifted mine this week and they don't so much look like potatoes they look more like lumpy hot dogs.
     
  8. Wrennie

    Wrennie In Flower

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    You are talking about the decorative sweet potato vine right? When I dug up mine the tubers looked like large mis-colored sweet potatoes. You can store them like tender perrenial bulbs (dry wipe off dirt, store in dry peat moss etc) and re-plant them in the spring. Good to know they easily propogate from vine cuttings. I was always afraid to try.
     
  9. TurningColorz

    TurningColorz New Seed

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    Thanks Wrennie!
    Yes, I think this would be the decorative potato vine. Very bright, lime green, with a single spade shaped leaf. Holy Cow, they grow fast! Great tip on the tubors. Even though I've cut them all back already , I'll dig up some tubors and try planting in the spring.

    Thanks again Wrennie!
    Mike
     

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