Full Grown Sweet Potato Plant – A Green Thumb’S Guide To Bountiful

ByRimon Chowdhury Updated on

Ever dreamed of digging up your own vibrant, nutritious sweet potatoes? You’re not alone! Many gardeners find immense satisfaction in growing these versatile root vegetables. While getting started with sweet potato slips is exciting, the real magic happens as your plant matures. But how do you ensure you have a truly full grown sweet potato plant that rewards you with a generous harvest?

You might be wondering about the sprawling vines, the right time to water, or how to encourage those delicious tubers underground. Don’t worry, friend, you’ve come to the right place! As an experienced gardener, I’m here to share all my seasoned tips and secrets to help you cultivate the healthiest, most productive sweet potato plants.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll journey from understanding what makes a sweet potato plant truly mature, through the best practices for its care, troubleshooting common issues, and finally, harvesting your sweet rewards. Get ready to transform your gardening efforts and enjoy the incredible benefits of a full grown sweet potato plant!

Understanding Your Full Grown Sweet Potato Plant: The Basics

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of care, let’s establish what we mean by a full grown sweet potato plant. Unlike many garden vegetables, the “full grown” stage for sweet potatoes isn’t just about the leafy top growth, though that’s certainly part of it! It primarily refers to the maturity of the tubers beneath the soil, which is what we’re ultimately after.

A mature sweet potato plant will typically have extensive, vigorous vines that can spread several feet in all directions, sometimes even flowering with delicate, trumpet-shaped blooms. These vines are busy photosynthesizing, sending energy down to the developing roots. The tubers themselves usually take between 90 to 120 days (3-4 months) from planting slips to reach a desirable harvest size, depending on the variety and local conditions.

The benefits of a full grown sweet potato plant extend beyond just the delicious roots. Their dense foliage can act as a living mulch, suppressing weeds and conserving soil moisture. Plus, they add a beautiful, tropical touch to your garden, making them a truly rewarding plant to cultivate.

Laying the Foundation: Best Practices for Thriving Growth

Success with your full grown sweet potato plant starts long before the vines begin to ramble. Proper preparation sets the stage for a bountiful harvest. Think of it as creating the perfect home for your future tubers.

Site Selection and Soil Preparation

Sweet potatoes are sun-lovers. They need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce well-sized tubers. Choose a spot in your garden that gets plenty of light throughout the growing season.

Soil is incredibly important. Sweet potatoes prefer loose, well-draining, sandy loam soil. Heavy clay soils can restrict tuber development, leading to smaller, misshapen roots. Aim for a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.2. If your soil is heavy, amend it generously with compost and aged manure to improve drainage and fertility. This is one of the crucial full grown sweet potato plant best practices.

Starting and Planting Slips

Most gardeners start sweet potatoes from “slips,” which are sprouts grown from a mature sweet potato. You can buy these from nurseries or grow your own by suspending a sweet potato in water or burying it partially in moist soil.

Once your slips are about 6-12 inches long with a few leaves and developing roots, they’re ready for planting. Plant them when all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up, typically a few weeks after the last frost date in your area. This usually means late spring or early summer.

Proper Spacing for Success

Give your sweet potato plants room to grow! Plant slips about 12-18 inches apart in rows that are 3-4 feet apart. If you’re growing in raised beds, you can often plant them a bit closer, but ensure there’s still ample space for the vines to spread. Good air circulation helps prevent fungal diseases, especially as your full grown sweet potato plant develops dense foliage.

Nurturing Your Full Grown Sweet Potato Plant: A Comprehensive Care Guide

Once your slips are in the ground, the real care begins. Consistent attention to watering, feeding, and managing vine growth will be key to a successful harvest. This section serves as your essential full grown sweet potato plant care guide.

Watering Wisdom

Sweet potatoes need consistent moisture, especially during tuber development. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rain or irrigation. When watering, do so deeply to encourage roots to grow downwards, which is crucial for good tuber formation.

However, avoid waterlogging, as this can lead to root rot. The best way to check is to feel the soil: if the top inch or two is dry, it’s time to water. As harvest approaches (about 2-3 weeks before), you can slightly reduce watering to help the tubers cure and concentrate their sugars.

READ MORE  Are Sweet Potatoes A Fruit Or Vegetable - Unearthing The Botanical

Fertilization Finesse

Sweet potatoes are not heavy feeders, but they do appreciate a balanced diet. A soil test will give you the most accurate recommendations, but generally, avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen, as this will encourage lush vine growth at the expense of tuber development. We want roots, not just leaves!

A balanced fertilizer (like 5-10-10 or 8-16-16) applied at planting or a few weeks after can be beneficial. For an eco-friendly full grown sweet potato plant, consider side-dressing with compost or a balanced organic fertilizer every 4-6 weeks during the peak growing season. This provides a slow, steady release of nutrients.

Pruning and Training Your Vines

Sweet potato vines can be incredibly vigorous and spread far and wide. While generally, pruning isn’t necessary for tuber development, you can trim vines if they start to overtake other plants or pathways. Don’t worry—pruning the vines typically won’t harm the tubers below, and can sometimes even encourage more compact growth.

Some gardeners choose to lift the vines periodically to prevent them from rooting at the nodes along the stem. If these secondary roots form, they can produce small, undesirable tubers, diverting energy from the main crop. Gently lifting the vines every week or two prevents this, contributing to a more sustainable full grown sweet potato plant system.

Pest and Disease Prevention

Sweet potatoes are generally hardy, but a few pests and diseases can cause issues. The sweet potato weevil is a major concern in warmer climates, boring into stems and tubers. Look for small holes and dark spots. Other common pests include flea beetles and wireworms.

For an eco-friendly full grown sweet potato plant, focus on prevention:

  • Crop Rotation: Don’t plant sweet potatoes in the same spot year after year.
  • Good Sanitation: Remove plant debris.
  • Companion Planting: Marigolds or nasturtiums can deter some pests.
  • Organic Controls: Neem oil or insecticidal soaps can manage minor infestations.

Fungal diseases like stem rot can occur in overly wet conditions. Ensure good drainage and air circulation to prevent these problems.

Harvesting Your Bounty: When and How to Reclaim Your Roots

The moment of truth! Knowing when and how to harvest your full grown sweet potato plant is crucial for maximizing your yield and ensuring good storage quality. Patience is a virtue here, as tubers continue to grow until frost.

Signs of Maturity: When is Your Plant Ready?

Sweet potatoes are typically ready for harvest 90-120 days after planting slips. While the vines will be lush and full, the most reliable indicator is usually the calendar. However, keep an eye on the weather. Light frost will kill the vines, signaling that it’s time to harvest, but a hard frost can damage the tubers underground. Aim to harvest before a hard frost hits.

You can also gently probe the soil near the base of a plant to feel for developing tubers. This can give you an idea of their size without fully disturbing the plant.

Harvesting Techniques for Healthy Tubers

Harvesting sweet potatoes requires a bit of care to avoid damaging the delicate skins, which can lead to poor storage.

  1. Cut Vines Back: About a week before harvesting, you can cut back the vines to about 6 inches from the main stem. This helps harden the skin of the tubers.
  2. Dig Gently: Use a garden fork or spade, starting about 12-18 inches away from the main stem to avoid piercing the tubers. Loosen the soil around the plant in a wide circle.
  3. Lift Carefully: Once the soil is loose, gently lift the entire plant, trying to keep the tubers attached to the crown.
  4. Brush Off Soil: Gently brush off excess soil, but do not wash the sweet potatoes at this stage.

This careful approach is part of the overall full grown sweet potato plant guide for maximizing your yield.

Curing and Storage Tips

Curing is a vital step that heals any minor cuts, thickens the skin, and converts starches into sugars, greatly improving flavor and storage life.

  • Cure: Place harvested sweet potatoes in a warm (85-90°F / 29-32°C), humid (80-90% relative humidity) environment for 5-14 days. A garage or shed can work, especially if you can add a humidifier.
  • Store: After curing, store sweet potatoes in a cool (55-60°F / 13-16°C), dark, and well-ventilated place. Do not refrigerate, as this can cause them to spoil quickly. Stored properly, they can last for many months.

Troubleshooting Common Problems with Your Full Grown Sweet Potato Plant

Even with the best intentions, gardeners sometimes face challenges. Knowing how to diagnose and address issues can save your harvest. Here are some common problems with full grown sweet potato plant and how to tackle them.

Yellowing Leaves

If your sweet potato leaves are turning yellow, it could be a few things:

  • Nutrient Deficiency: Often nitrogen, but a soil test can confirm. If it’s nitrogen, a balanced organic fertilizer can help.
  • Overwatering: Too much water can suffocate roots. Ensure good drainage and let the topsoil dry out between waterings.
  • Pest Damage: Check for insects feeding on the undersides of leaves.

No Tuber Formation

This is perhaps the most frustrating problem. Your vines might be lush and green, but when you dig, there’s nothing!

  • Too Much Nitrogen: As mentioned, excessive nitrogen encourages leafy growth at the expense of roots. Use a fertilizer lower in nitrogen (the first number).
  • Insufficient Sunlight: Sweet potatoes need ample sun to produce energy for tuber development.
  • Poor Drainage/Heavy Soil: Compacted or waterlogged soil makes it hard for tubers to expand.
  • Early Harvest: You might just need to wait longer!
READ MORE  Potato Vine In Pots - Grow Lush, Vibrant Displays On Your Patio!

Pest Infestations

Beyond the sweet potato weevil, other pests can bother your plants.

  • Aphids: Small, pear-shaped insects that cluster on new growth. Blast them off with water or use insecticidal soap.
  • Spider Mites: Tiny pests that cause stippling on leaves and fine webbing. Increase humidity and use insecticidal soap.
  • Wireworms: Larvae that feed on roots and tubers. Improve soil drainage and rotate crops.

For sustainable solutions, always start with cultural practices and organic pest control methods before resorting to stronger chemicals.

Advanced Tips for a Superior Sweet Potato Harvest

Ready to take your sweet potato growing to the next level? These full grown sweet potato plant tips can help you achieve an even more impressive harvest and maintain a healthier garden ecosystem.

Companion Planting

Strategic planting can benefit your sweet potatoes.

  • Marigolds: Can deter nematodes and other soil pests.
  • Bush Beans: Fix nitrogen in the soil, which can indirectly benefit sweet potatoes (though be mindful not to over-fertilize with nitrogen).
  • Radishes: Break up heavy soil, improving the environment for tuber expansion.

Crop Rotation

This is a fundamental principle of sustainable full grown sweet potato plant cultivation. Avoid planting sweet potatoes in the same spot for at least three years. This practice helps prevent the build-up of soil-borne diseases and pests specific to sweet potatoes, ensuring healthier soil and better yields in the long run.

Saving Slips for Next Season

Want to be self-sufficient? You can save some of your best-looking sweet potatoes from your harvest to grow slips for the following year. This is a fantastic way to ensure you always have your favorite varieties and reduce costs. Simply store them properly and then, a few months before your last frost date, start them in water or moist soil indoors.

Frequently Asked Questions About Full Grown Sweet Potato Plants

Here are some common questions I hear from fellow gardeners about their sweet potato patch.

How long does it take for a sweet potato plant to be full grown?

A sweet potato plant typically takes 90 to 120 days (3 to 4 months) from the time you plant the slips until the tubers are mature and ready for harvest. The vines will be extensive and lush during this period.

Can you eat the leaves of a full grown sweet potato plant?

Absolutely! Sweet potato leaves are highly nutritious, packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as antioxidants. They can be harvested throughout the growing season and are excellent in stir-fries, soups, or sautéed like spinach. Just harvest the younger, tender leaves for the best flavor.

Why is my full grown sweet potato plant not producing tubers?

Several factors can lead to a lack of tubers. The most common reasons include too much nitrogen fertilizer (which promotes leafy growth), insufficient sunlight, heavy or compacted soil that restricts tuber expansion, or simply harvesting too early before the tubers have had enough time to develop.

How do I know when my full grown sweet potato plant is ready to harvest?

The best indicator is usually the number of days since planting (90-120 days). Additionally, if you live in a climate with frost, harvest before a hard frost hits, as it can damage the tubers. You can also gently probe the soil near the base of the plant to feel for the size of the developing sweet potatoes.

Can full grown sweet potato plants grow in containers?

Yes, they can! For container growing, choose a large container (at least 15-20 gallons or a half whiskey barrel) to allow ample space for tuber development. Ensure it has excellent drainage. Varieties labeled as “bush” or “compact” sweet potatoes are often best suited for containers.

Conclusion

Growing a truly full grown sweet potato plant is an incredibly rewarding experience, offering both ornamental beauty and a delicious, nutritious harvest. By understanding their needs—from sunlight and soil to consistent care and proper harvesting techniques—you’re well on your way to success.

Remember, gardening is a journey of learning and discovery. Don’t be afraid to experiment, observe your plants, and adapt your methods. With these full grown sweet potato plant tips and a little patience, you’ll be enjoying your own homegrown sweet potatoes in no time.

So, roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and embrace the joy of cultivation. Your bountiful harvest awaits! Go forth and grow!

Rimon Chowdhury
Latest posts by Rimon Chowdhury (see all)

Similar Posts