Damaged Sweet potato leaves

I planted a couple of sweet potato vines in my big pots as a bright green accent to my flowers.

Question:

I planted a couple of sweet potato vines in my big pots as a bright green accent to my flowers. Unfortunately I found out that the bright beautiful heart-shaped leaves have been damaged/chewed by some insects. I had looked into the pot and I did not find suspected insects although I really do not know what I suppose to look for. I am just wondering what I can do to prevent my sweet potato vine from this kind of damage?

âRui

Answer:

Hi Rui,

Sometimes tiny chew holes happen at night, or when we least expect it.Â Everything from June Bugs to Earwigs can be the culprit and they attack at night or in the early morning hours.Â The damage can happen over the course of a couple nights and then not again for the rest of the year.

If you don’t see any bug, it doesn’t make sense to spray an insecticide.Â However, I would recommend picking off the worst of the leaves and fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer.Â The sweet potato vine is pretty tough and can usually bounce back from even the worst attack.

I hope this helps!