How to Root a Sweet Potato

If you love houseplants and are looking for a cheap and easy new plant for your home, look no further than your grocer’s produce section. Sweet potatoes make fantastic houseplants, and rooting a sweet potato is really very easy. The exotic looking deep purple vines and emerald green leaves of the sweet potato grow very fast, and they add a touch of interest and beauty to any home. Begin rooting a sweet potato today, and in about two weeks, you’ll have a beautiful new houseplant.

Necessary Supplies

To root a sweet potato plant, all you need are three toothpicks, a clear wide mouth container, and of course, and sweet potato. Look for a sweet potato that’s firm and free of soft spots.

Choose a decorative wide mouth jar for added interest and appeal while rooting your sweet potato plant. You’ll find a wide variety of decorative glass containers in craft supply stores as well as online.

Shop online to find the best deals on all of your houseplant supplies. Shopping online is a great way to compare prices, and also provides a wider variety of choices.

Rooting

To start the rooting process, stick three evenly placed toothpicks around the center of a sweet potato. Fill a jar of your choice three-fourths of the way with tap water, and place the potato in the jar. Keep it in a warm location.

The water should cover the bottom half of the sweet potato, so keep an eye on the water level. You’ll probably have to replenish the water every other day during the rooting process.

In about a week you’ll notice white roots beginning to protrude through the skin. The roots grow extremely fast as do the leaves. A few days later, you’ll see growth emerging from the top of the sweet potato. Move the plant to a window that receives plenty of indirect light while the leaves and roots continue to grow.

Planting and Care

Once the sweet potato plant has a sufficient amount of roots to sustain itself in soil, you can transplant it to a pot. Fill a well-draining deep pot ¾ of the way with a mixture of sand and potting soil. Dig a hole, and place the entire sweet potato beneath the soil mixture, leaving the foliage exposed.