Ipomoea – ‘Sweet Caroline Red’ – Sweet Potato Vine – Ipomoea batatas
"A Real Simple magazine Top 10 goofproof Plant"
"A Real Simple magazine - Top 10 goofproof Plant"
Features
"A Real Simple magazine Top 10 goofproof Plant"
"A Real Simple magazine - Top 10 goofproof Plant"
Award Winner
Dead-Heading Not Necessary
Heat Tolerant
Foliage Interest
Maintenance Notes
Ipomoeas are great additions to combination planters, but they can sometimes overwhelm less vigorous plants. If you are like me you can let your combination plants duke it out Darwinian style, however, if you prefer to keep a more balanced look to your combination planters, you can cut back or remove stems at any time.
Ipomoeas also make great annual groundcovers in the landscape. They love the heat and humidity (growing up to 36" a week in the Deep South), cooler temperatures and low humidity cause them to stay more compact.
While Sweet Potatoes all come from the same parent material out of Southeast Asia, there is a big difference between the Sweet Potato you buy in the store and the tubers produced by the Sweet Caroline and the Illusion plants. Commercial sweet potatoes have been bred for over 100 years selecting for those with the best sugar to starch content (hence the name SWEET Potato), the ornamental have been bred to produce good leaves and no tubers, though they do form, they are composed of almost pure starch and no sugar; making them a poor choice for eating. So yes you can eat the tubers, but don't expect anyone to come back for seconds! Also always be careful when eating any ornamental plant unless you know how it was grown, and if pesticides or fungicides were used on it before you got it; a tuber is a storage root, and yes they store chemical as well as starch.
An application of fertilizer or compost on garden beds and regular fertilization of plants in pots will help ensure the best possible performance.
Uses Notes
Works great in landscapes as an annual ground cover, as well as in combinations and containers by themselves. The plant is very adaptable, working in both sun and shade conditions, atlhough the colors are deeper and brighter in full sun than they are in shadier environments where colors are tinged with more green.
Maintenance Category Easy
Water Category Average
Bloom Time
Flower Form Container, Landscape, Mass Planting
Soil Fertility Average Soil
pH C - pH 6.0 - 6.5
EC (2:1 Extraction Method) 0.6 - 0.9
Fertilization 150 - 200
Light Requirements Medium, High
Water Requirements Moderate to Moist
Rooting Out Temperature 65 - 72° Fahrenheit
Growing On Temperature 70 - 75° Fahrenheit
Holding Temperature 50 - 60° Fahrenheit
Planting and Timing Information
Spring through Summer Finish. Standard PPP.
Finishing Times [weeks]
4-5" and Quart Pot : 5-6
6" and Gallon Pot : 6-8
7-9" Pot : 8-10
10-12" and Two Gallon Pot : 10-12
Pinching and Growth Regulators
Pinch once, 1-2 weeks after transplant. PGRs are not necessary on Sweet Caroline and Illusion varieties.
Pest and Disease Management
General pest and disease practices as listed in notes. Watch for aphids and white flies. Thrips and spider mites can be problematic, scout and treat as necessary. Thrips are especially prevalent on chartreuse colored Ipomoea. Spider mites are especially problematic on Tricolor.
Under high humidity and low light conditions, Oedema (syn. Intumesence) causes small bumps to form along the leaf veins. It is caused by the roots absorbing more water than the leaves can release. It usually resolves itself within a few weeks when light levels are higher and circulation is better.
Prolonged wet foliage can lead to bacterial leaf spotting. Copper based fungicides will treat for this problem.
Grower Tips
Illusion varieties are more compact and are better suited for combinations with less vigorous varieties. They also work well in landscapes.
Sweet Caroline Bewitched is more upright and compact than the other Sweet Carolines and is the best choice for small pot production.
In low light conditions avoid wet soil and moisture on the foliage.
