Ipomoea batatas Solar Power Black ('Balsolablack')

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sweet potato [Solar Power Black]

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Synonyms

Ipomoea batatas 'Balsolablack'

Annual Biennial

Twining climber usually grown as an annual foliage plant to 30cm tall, with a compact, mounded and trailing habit, densely branched with tapering, 5-lobed, dark-purple leaves

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H1C
Drought Resistance
Yes

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Convolvulaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Trailing, Bushy
Genus
Ipomoea can be annuals or perennials, often twining, or evergreen shrubs, with simple, lobed or dissected leaves and tubular or funnel-shaped flowers which may be solitary or borne in racemes or panicles
Name Status
Trade

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow outdoors in the summer months in well-drained soil in full sun with shelter; overwinter or grow in containers under glass in peat-free, John Innes No.2 compost in full light with shade from hot sun, watering freely in growth and use a general fertiliser monthly; water sparingly in winter

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring or summer, or by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Hanging Basket
  • Patio and container plants
  • Bedding
  • Conservatory and greenhouse
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pinch out tips to keep the plant bushy and compact

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite if grown in a conservatory or greenhouse

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus and powdery mildews