Potatoe Vines - How do you care for them?

I had just attended a hosta auction, and was primarily interested in a 3 gallon pot that contained a very fragrant hosta called 'Royal Standard'. When I won it, I didn't happen to notice that it also had two different Potatoe vines in it as well - a green one that is close to 9 feet long and a black one. I replanted the H. 'Royal Standard' in the yard, and individually repotted the others in separate containers. (The pot was in a large white plastic bag, so both the bag and the hosta leaves concealed both of these plants).

Given the tuber root systems, I can now understand how their names came into being! I also found it very interesting to discover the green potatoe vine had red tubers, while the black had white! I suspect these have to be brought inside once frost hits. How do you overwinter these? Do they have to placed into some sort of peat mix? How can I quickly produce more of these? Can I cut some of the vines and place them in water to produce roots like geraniums?

- Dan

yes you can cut them. if you notice along the vines they have nodes like a philodendron...they root easly.

I have several of these vines, different colors and differently shaped leaves...some are in my garden and some I just grow in pots in the house, in front of a sunny window

You can use hanging baskets indoors and just regular potting soil or at least that's how I do it

Dan, as Trina says, they are very easy to grow and propagate. You can cut the vines back as short as 2 to 4 inches and they will grow out again.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53068/

Thanks Trina, and Moonhowl, for your feedback! Now, all I have to find out is whether they need some dormancy overwintering them, or let them grow all winter. If the former, then I have to find out how they can be stored.

- Dan

Here you go. I copied this off a gardening site.

To save your vine, harvest the sweet potato by digging the actual potato from the ground and remove the entire 'vine' from the potato.
Rinse the potato off well and allow to air dry for several days before storing in sawdust, newspaper in a cool and dark place for the winter.
Most likely, the potato will start to sprout again over the winter's storage.
In the spring, replant the entire potato if you choose or cut the potato into section where each section has a 'sprout' and let air dry till scabbed over. Once the potato has scabbed you can plant each individual piece to propagate new vines.

i just continue to let them grow in the house if the are already in pots

Mine got way too healthy outside and I cut them off to only 2 " just about 10 days ago. They have grown back and you can't tell they were cut. For these they would get just too way out of hand and that's what I am digging mine up.

But either way is good just depending on your plant!

so i guess the best way is do you want another houseplant or do you just want to store it for the winter so you can have it next year...it's your choice

i have this variegated one too which looks cool

That really is a different one! Cool!

then this one has heart shaped leaves

How many different kinds do you have?

5 different types I think

Blackie, green, varigated and what else?

1 blackie has the normal leaves and one has the heart shaped leaves and then I have to that are red

Did we see the red one?

If you want to see how big a tuber can get in a season (even in a planter!) take a look at this site!


http://www.tlehcs.com/Question%20of%20the%20Week/Archive%20Questions/Annuals/sweet%20potato%20tubers.htm

I dn't think I did take a pic of those...I will do that tomorow when it's daylight