Other Reasons for Sweet Potatoes with Yellow Leaves – Nutritional deficiencies may also contribute to sweet potato leaves turning yellow.
The most common deficiency is lack of nitrogen, which can be treated with a nitrogen rich fertilizer, A magnesium deficiency will also show as yellowing leaves since magnesium is used by the plant to make chlorophyll. Use an all-around fertilizer to treat a magnesium deficiency.
The best way to avoid yellowing leaves on sweet potatoes is to start them out correctly.
Use disease free seed tubers and amend the soil with compost. Water from the base of the plants to avoid spreading disease and keep the area around the plants free from weeds and plant detritus. Rotate your sweet potato crops every three to four years, practice good garden sanitation, and immediately treat with the appropriate fungicide at the first signs of fungal infection.
This article was last updated on 06/28/22 Read more about Sweet Potatoes
Why are leaves on sweet potato plant turning yellow?
Why Does Sweet Potato Vine Leaves Turning Yellow? – Root rot is the most common reason for sweet potato vine leaves to turn yellow or brown. To help prevent this, make sure your soil, and the container if planted in one, drain well, they don’t like wet feet.
What do you do when sweet potato leaves turn yellow?
Watering Issues Cause Sweet Potato Leaves To Yellow – One of the first things you should consider when your sweet potato leaves turn yellow is watering. Are your sweet potato vines getting the right amount of water? During the growing season, provided they’re in the right temperatures (more on that later), sweet potato vines should be watered enough that the soil remains consistently moist.
- While most sweet potato plants are tolerant of droughts, they will do better with more consistent watering.
- If you stick your finger all the way into the soil and it’s dry, it’s time to water your sweet potatoes.
- If they get too dry, especially in high temperatures, sweet potato leaves will start to wilt and turn yellow.
On the other hand, it is possible to over-water sweet potatoes. This usually leads to root rot. While the soil should be consistently moist, you don’t want it to be waterlogged either. When it comes to sweet potatoes, it’s probably safer to slightly underwater than to over-water. Yellow Sweet Potato Leaves
Can sweet potatoes be overwatered?
Sweet potato vines like to grow in moist but not wet soil. Water them once a week if no natural rainfall occurs. Water more frequently during unusually hot weather or if the sweet potato vine is part of a container garden. Overwatering causes the root system to rot. 
What is the best fertilizer for sweet potatoes?
Soil pH and Fertilizer – Sweet potatoes are tolerant of variations in soil pH between 5.5 and 6.8. However, the optimum soil pH for high yields of quality sweet potatoes is 5.8 to 6.0. Apply lime if soil pH is too low. A crop of sweet potatoes utilizes about 110 pounds of nitrogen, 15 pounds of phosphorus, and 150 pounds of potassium per acre from the soil.
Based on OSU soil test results, the following amounts of P2O5 (phosphorus) and K2O (potassium) are recommended (Table 2). Fertility recommendations based on soil test results for specific vegetable crops can also be found online from the Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory, Other fertility recommendations are available in fact sheet HLA-6036 “Soil Test Interpretations for Vegetable Crops.” Table 2.
Phosphorous and potassium requirements for sweet potato.
| Phosphorous Requirements (lbs P 2 O 5 /Acre) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| When test shows | 10 | 20 | 40 | >65 | |
| Add lbs. P 2 O 5 | 120 | 100 | 80 | 45 | |
| Potassium Requirements (lbs K 2 O/Acre) | |||||
| When test shows | 75 | 125 | 200 | >250 | |
| Add lbs. K 2 O | 120 | 100 | 80 | 40 |
Nitrogen – Pre-plant apply 30 pounds per acre of nitrogen along with P 2 O 5 and K 2 O by using a complete fertilizer. With most soils, but certainly sandy soils, leaching of nitrogen will occur. It is best to use a split application of nitrogen to prevent leaching of nitrogen out of the root zone of the crop.
In this case, 30 pounds would be applied pre-plant and incorporated into the soil with the second application of 30 pounds coming. four to five weeks after transplanting into the field. During transplanting, a starter solution high in phosphorus can be applied at a rate of one-half pint of solution per plant.
This starter solution can be prepared by adding three pounds of soluble 15-30-15 in 50 gallons of water.
How do you water a sweet potato plant?
How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Containers – If you want to experiment with growing edible sweet potatoes, try starting them off in containers. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow in containers, Start small plants you purchase in the spring or grow slips in pots.
Loosely fill a large container of any material with lots of drainage holes with high-quality potting soil. Make a hole large enough to cover the roots of your plant or slip. Water it thoroughly, and put the pot in a sunny spot. Move the pot outdoors once the threat of frost has passed. You can try to grow sweet potatoes indoors, but it is challenging.
The yield is often small after a four-month wait. They require a lot of sun, heat, and water, which is harder to replicate indoors.
Do sweet potatoes need full sun?
Harvesting sweet potatoes –
The foliage is edible and very nutritious. Eat it fresh in a green salad or sauté with other vegetables. Harvest roots as soon as they reach eating size and before a frost. Sweet potatoes generally mature in 85 to 120 days. Check root size after 80 to 85 days because they don’t stop growing and can start to split when overgrown. Digging is easier if you cut the vines off first. Use a garden fork or spade to loosen the soil and gently lift up and expose the sweet potatoes. Handle them with care, gently removing attached soil clumps. Don’t rub the skin or wash roots prior to storing indoors. If the vines are exposed to frost, dig the roots immediately because decay in dead vines passes down to the roots. If immediate digging isn’t possible, cut away vines and throw loose soil over the rows to protect the sweet potatoes from the cold. Temperatures below 55 degrees F can cause chilling injury.
How do you water a sweet potato plant?
How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Containers – If you want to experiment with growing edible sweet potatoes, try starting them off in containers. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow in containers, Start small plants you purchase in the spring or grow slips in pots.
Loosely fill a large container of any material with lots of drainage holes with high-quality potting soil. Make a hole large enough to cover the roots of your plant or slip. Water it thoroughly, and put the pot in a sunny spot. Move the pot outdoors once the threat of frost has passed. You can try to grow sweet potatoes indoors, but it is challenging.
The yield is often small after a four-month wait. They require a lot of sun, heat, and water, which is harder to replicate indoors.
How do you keep sweet potato vines green?
Water – Sweet potato vines are drought-tolerant, though they will grow more vigorously with frequent watering. Water enough to keep the soil consistently moist but not overly wet. Its leaves will wilt when the plant is thirsty.
How do you prune sweet potato vines?
When to Prune Sweet Potato Vines – Sweet potato vines are grown as annual plants in most climates. They are only hardy to about 45 degrees F. Prune them back anytime their length becomes excessive. Also, cut off any damaged stems and ones that have become leggy with little foliage. If healthy, the trimmings can be placed in water and left to root to create more plants.
Why are my potato vines turning brown?
Inconsistent Irrigation and Dry Soil – Potatoes need even, consistent irrigation from the time you plant them up until the potato tubers are fully developed. The soil should never be allowed to dry out during the growing season; however, you should stop watering when the tops of the potato plants turn yellow to prevent the tubers from rotting, advises North Dakota State University,