How to prune sweetpotato

Mid-summer once vines exceed 12–18 inches and are sprawling. Pinch or snip vine tips back by 6–12 inches, cutting just above a leaf node, to redirect energy to tubers. Lift any secondary roots that have formed where runners touched soil. Avoid cutting back more than one-third of the foliage at once.

Once or twice mid-season as needed to control spread. Sweet potato vines benefit from occasional tip-pinching when grown as an edible crop: trimming long runners stops them rooting where you don't want them and keeps energy directed to the developing tubers. In containers, prune vines by up to one-third to control sprawl. Remove any dead or diseased foliage promptly.

Pinch or snip vine tips back by 6–12 inches, cutting just above a leaf node, to redirect energy to tubers. Lift any secondary roots that have formed where runners touched soil. Avoid cutting back more than one-third of the foliage at once.