The Potato Vine, also known as Nightshade Jasmine, is a lovely Brazilian plant. Its flowers are similar to those of jasmine. It has the benefit of climbing when latticed and produces really lovely blooms with a jasmine scent.
The Potato Vine will add texture and aesthetic appeal to your garden. This climbing climber is ideal for covering fences and walls and blooms in summer and fall with white, star-shaped flowers.
The plant is easy to grow and care for; you may put it at the base of a wall, fence, or even a tree to give a climbing platform. It grows well on wet, well-drained soil in a sunny to partly shaded area.
Potato Vine
Potato Vine, also known botanically as Solanum jasminoides or Solanum laxum, is a rapidly growing and low-maintenance evergreen vine. If the clusters of white flowers appear familiar, it’s because this plant belongs to the Nightshade family.
Solanum laxum has fragrant, star-shaped bluish-white blooms with small yellow centers and glossy, dark green leaves. This jasmine-scented climber can be used to cover sheltered walls or to grow through other shrubs or climbers.
The plant climbs 4-6 m and can cover a complete pergola with a bit of guidance. The white, jasmine-like flowers are transformed into attractive violet berries late in the year, and the foliage takes on a red tone.
It’s a quick green growth in the early summer months, climbing eagerly and wrapping itself around whatever it can get its hands on. This eye-catching plant produces beautiful white star-shaped blooms with yellow stamens.
Plant Overview
- Binomial name: Solanum laxum
- Common Name: Potato climber, jasmine nightshade, Solanum laxum, Solanum jasminoides
- Family: Solanaceae
- Plant Type: Shrub, Climbing vine
- Mature Size: 8–10 ft. long, 5–12 in. wide
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
- Soil pH: Neutral to acidic
- Bloom Time: Spring, summer
- Flower Color: White
- Hardiness Zones: 9–11 (USDA)
- Native Area: South America
How To Grow Potato Vine
Potato vine can grow almost anyplace, from full sun to complete shade. It can suffer in full sun during the warmest months in hot-summer areas like Southern Florida, especially if the soil dries up.
Potato vines are rarely grown from seeds since they may be growing by cuttings and their tuberous roots. Harden seedlings before putting them in the ground or in an outdoor container.
Potato vine grows best in moist, well-drained soil; if the earth is wet for a long time, the plant will rot and die. If you plant it in pots, make sure the pots have drainage holes to allow excess water to drain.
Remove the plastic wrap and place it in a sunny window or under a grow light after seedlings emerge. It abhor root disturbance, transplant them quickly they sprout or grow in biodegradable pots.
Pruning
Pruning isn’t necessary, but it may help to balance or lower the total number of branches. Never prune potato vine in the fall since this will weaken it right before winter.
Potato vine may quickly become invasive if it has rooted itself well, which is why pruning it often can better handle it. If you need to prune several times, do it in the spring and summer. If once a year is plenty, do it in the spring.
The potato vine can take heavy pruning with ease. Hard pruning will actually cause it to bloom more. When pruning, keep an eye out for dead wood, broken branches, or weak branches and remove them.
Propagation
Potato vines are simple to propagate from existing plants. Cutting is the best option of propagation, but tubers can also be planted in the spring.
If you reside in a cold climate, take a cut from potato vines in the autumn before the first frost. When exposed to frost, the plant dies.
Cut a branch with many leaf nodes with clean, sharp garden pruning shears. Remove the lowest few inches of leaves. Soak the stem in water. The plant will grow roots in a few days.
The plant may survive the winter indoors in water in a sunny area. Keep a constant water level. Replant it in the garden in wet, well-draining soil in a sunny area after the final frost in the spring.
Potato Vine Care
Potato vine is an easy plant to care for, and only very little care and maintenance is required of you. Easy to care for and to grow, set it up at the foot of a wall, fence or even a tree that will serve as a surface for it to climb along.
Potato vines are versatile plants that may be used to fill outdoor containers, flow over a wall, or cover ground in a landscape design. They are popular as indoor plants since they can be grown all year.
The plant develops best at an average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit and cannot endure cold. It enjoys warm nights and bright days. The plant is drought-tolerant yet prefers to be wet.
Soil and Fertilizer
These plants like wet, well-drained soil that has been enriched nutritionally with organic matter. They are prone to root rot if their soil becomes too damp. Make sure the container choose has a lot of drainage holes.
Fertilize potato vines if you want them to grow vigorously. During growing season, a weekly feeding with a well-balanced fertilizer can encourage growth, but given their naturally robust habit, find that feeding also increases the need to prune them back.
Light and Water
Potato vine like full sun but may grow in partial or full shade as well. The more sun the plant receives, the more brilliant its leaf color will be.
Potato vines are drought-tolerant, although they grow more vigorously when watered often. Water enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy. When the plant gets thirsty, its leaves wilt.
Temperature and Humidity
Sunlight is preferable to high heat for these plants. They will benefit from some shade in hot regions, and they must be regularly monitored that their soil does not dry up. They grow in a variety of humid regions but do not require high humidity like other tropical plants.
Pests and Diseases
The golden tortoise beetle enjoys eating potato vines. The bug resembles a molten gold teardrop. The beetle will nibble holes in the leaves, causing them to resemble Swiss cheese. Aphids are also fond of potato vines.
Potato vines are also prone to leaf fungus, especially if planted in the same area for multiple seasons. Reduce this issue by varying planting places from season to season.
Verticillium and fusarium are the most common soil-borne fungus. It might be a fungal infection if the plant yellowing at the base and moving up the plant.
Hope you enjoyed reading the Planting guide of Potato Vine. If you think we missed something or have a suggestion, please leave it in the comments section below.
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