It is easy to grow sweet potato vine by taking cuttings from existing plants and rooting them in water. Use this method to fill out your summer planters or take cuttings to grow plants indoors during the winter.
You can also grow clematis and honeysuckle vines from cuttings and more help for growing from seeds and cuttings.
Grow Sweet Potato Vine Cuttings
Ornamental sweet potato vine never goes out of style. It’s bright, beautiful, fast-growing, and adds a punch of cheer to any garden container.
There are tips for growing sweet potato vine here.
And better yet, it’s easy to grow more from cuttings.
This easy-going plant can grow in soil or water so your options are wide open.
You can also use it as a houseplant, though it can be attractive to various pesky flies that hold parties indoors, so beware of that.
I’ll show you how I propagate it in jars of water.
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Supplies
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- Ornamental sweet potato vine (lime green is the most common color but also check for the darker varieties too).
- Scissors or fine garden snippers (clean with rubbing alcohol, or bleach solution (4 teaspoons bleach per quart or liter of water).
- Jars or vases with warm water.
1Take a cutting below a leaf node
What is a leaf node? It’s the location on the plant where a leaf grows out of the main stem. When leaves are removed, roots can grow in their place. Cool, right?
I like to have about 6-8″ of vine to use for a cutting.
Using clean scissors (I keep rubbing alcohol handy), clip off a piece of vine just below a leaf node.
Roots will sprout wherever nodes have contact with water.
2Pinch off lower leaves
See all the leaf node stubs in the image (above)?
I’ve removed the leaves to expose the entire section that will sit in water.
New roots will form at those nodes.
Just don’t submerge any leaves: they will rot.
3Place the stems in fresh, warm water
Warm water is a key to successful gardening. Plant roots do not like the cold the same way we don’t like cold feet.
I keep the jars in a slightly shaded area. They don’t need a lot of sun and you don’t ever want the water evaporating and exposing the roots.
After a week or so, you’ll see white roots start to form at the former leaf node locations.
Some sweet potato vines grow really fast—with tons of roots—and others take their sweet time.
Either way, it’s a tough plant to kill. And I hope I didn’t just jinx your efforts by saying that.
4Replace the water every few days
You don’t want the water getting gross or murky so keep it fresh. You can use the old water to water other garden plants.
You might notice the remaining leaves wilt slightly for a few days. Don’t panic. They should get perky again soon.
5Plant them in containers or keep them in jars
When the roots are at least 3″ long, you can plant your vines in containers (use potting mix, not garden soil) or continue growing them in jars.
Various insects will nibble on the leaves but it’s rarely tragic. You can see tiny bite marks in the image below. No big deal. They seem to nip and run.
Grow Sweet Potato Indoors
As mentioned, you can bring the cuttings indoors and keep them going all winter long (either in containers with proper container mix) or in water jars or vases.
They can attract whiteflies and other tiny insects so keep this in mind. I like to keep a fan running for good air circulation and to discourage indoor soil pests.
You could also overwinter them in a heated greenhouse so long as the temperature remains moderate (not cool and definitely not freezing).
Last year I tried keeping the cuttings in water all winter long in our house. The plants grew like crazy and lasted right through until April when they started to brown.
I hope you’ll give this a try. It’s a super fast way to get more plants from the purchase of just a few!
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How to Grow Sweet Potato Vine From Cuttings
Equipment
- Mason jar
Supplies & Materials
- 1 Sweet potato vine plant
- 1 Water room temperature
Instructions
- Clean snippers with rubbing alcohol.
- Take an 8-inch cutting by snipping below a leaf node.1 Sweet potato vine plant
- Pinch off lower leaves from lower 4-inches of stem.
- Place stem in mason jar of room temperature water, submerging leaf-less section of stem.
- Replace water every few days.
- When roots are at least 3-inches long, plant in potting mix.
Charl says
Great site. Thank you for the clear and succinct instructions. Well, I’m off to go and propogate some sweet potato vines…I have the red one. Have a great day (or night, I am in Cape Town and I dont know what part of the US you are in). I will let you know how it goes.
Myrna says
I did exactly as you said, and my potato vines are doing great. Thank very much for your advice. ☺️
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Myrna,
Great to hear. Thanks for letting me know and happy growing!
Mary says
Followed your instructions, my snippings were doing great. Now several of them the stems are turning purple and so are the leaves. Not sure what to do. Do not want to lose them.
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Mary,
I assume you propagated green sweet potato vine and not a purple variety?
By “purple” do you mean the plant is healthy but changing color or looks like it is dying?
If changing color, they could be getting too much light or the light is too intense. Dial that back if applicable.
Good luck!
Don Fowler says
Very informative. Thank you for posting this article with excellent pictures.
Sandra Bowman says
I started a sweet potato vine in water. I put a whole potato half way in water and it’s vining but the potato above water is rotting. What am I doing wrong ?
Melissa J. Will says
The potato can’t handle that much water. Just stem cuttings can.
Tina Johnson says
Can you eat the tubers that come from ornamental sweet potato vines? I had some under each color of vine I had growing in my porch containers.. purple, yellow and cream color potatoes depending on the color of vine. Some were very large!
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Tina,
My understanding is that while they are not harmful to eat, they are unpleasant with a bitter taste.
Judi says
THANK YOU for this simple post! I’ve been looking all over for the answer to my question…Can you grow sweet potato vines indoors to keep them alive all winter so they can be re-rooted and planted in the spring? According to your post, yes you can! I’m trying it for the first time. I just planted some in a container in potting soil and have others in jars in hydroponic nutrient solution. Those may be planted in soil at some point, but I’ll just wait and see. Your post gave me encouragement for my intended endeavor. I’m taking measures in hopes of warding off fungus gnats in the container. Fingers crossed! Thank you again 🙂
Michelle Huber says
Fantastic instructions! Thank you!
I do have one question. Are cuttings (rooted in the winter) not usable for planting in containers for Spring. You mentioned the leaves started turning brown in April. Please advise.
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Michelle,
It may depend how long your winters are. I’ve kept cuttings indoors over fall and winter (6 months) and they grow like crazy but lots of leaves die off in the process. Theoretically you could keep the cutting alive long enough for replanting in spring, though. If you like experimenting, give it a try. I haven’t got a way to test it in different climates or circumstances.
AMC says
I’m in the Chicago area. This winter, I have been growing sweet potato vine in the house from a tuber that Mother Nature created inside one of my outdoor pots last summer. I placed the tuber in a mason jar, and now there are many leaves springing from it. I’m ready now to make more vines from those sprouts, so your article told me just what I needed to do next. We’re still in winter, so I’m hoping not to have to purchase any sweet potato vine for my pots in the spring. Thank you!
Sam Welch says
I have a HUGE ornamental sweet potato tuber, bigger than a football! Can this tuber be split and new plants started from them or just from cuttings?
Melissa J. Will says
Each tuber is (biologically) a stem with a ‘root’ end and shoot end. They are not related to potatoes and behave differently. My understanding is that you cannot split them. For new slips to grow, they need the root end to stay in contact with water or moist soil. The slips will grow all around the top end. If your football has a bunch of tubers (stems), these can be separated with a disinfected knife.
Jeanne Fraioli says
Im in the Northeast and started my sweet potatoe vine cuttings in water. I think you said i can keep them in water and change water every few days. Can i do this until April when i’m ready to plan in dirt?
Melissa J. Will says
Probably. I’ve had some last that long in water and others do not. Also, lots of leaves will brown and die—that’s just how the plant behaves. Occasionally they will flower too. If you have several rooted, try potting some of them in late winter and compare how they do next to the ones in water.
Dawn says
I enjoyed the tips for growing sweet potatoes in water! I did this for almost 2 weeks now and the roots are 2″ now from cuttings. I noticed today that my leaves are yellowing. We change the water every 2-3 days. Is it the well water we are on causing it or do I need to fertilize?
Melissa J. Will says
Lots of drying foliage and yellowing is normal. I never fertilize them. You can continue in water or potting mix but the yellowing/dry leaves is always going to happen. Just remove old ones and carry on.
Gina says
I propagated these vines in water and they have roots now. Can I plant them in my flower bed in front of my house to grow as ground cover to discourage weed growth? I’m in Houston, Texas. Garden zone 9a. Thanks
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Gina,
I know it is supposed to be perennial in your zone so yes, you could plant it. Whether it is tough enough to compete with weeds I do not know. I’d check if you see others using it in their gardens. Best wishes,
Whitney says
Thank you for the instructions! Would this method work for edible sweet potatoes as well? Or would it be better to bury the snipped vine directly into the soil where I want the new one to grow?
Melissa J. Will says
Yes, it works for sweet potato vine as well and yes, you can propagate in water or soil.