How to grow Blue Potato Bush

Lycianthes rantonnetii

Full Sun
OR
Partial Sun
Medium

It likes moist, well drained soil. Pruning should be carried out in the winter months and a maximum of one third of the stem should be removed. The plant will flower more prolifically when pruned³. These plants respond well to pruning and because they grow extremely fast, will require regular clipping and pinching in order to keep them bushy and compact. A light prune after main flower flushes will also encourage further flower production.

Note: too much watering will result in lots of foliage, but not enough flowering³. Feed during spring and late summer (preferably after a good pruning) using potassium-rich fertilizer³. Potted plants respond well to feeding with a liquid fertiliser.

They love full sun but will tolerate semi-shade. Potato bushes will grow in sandy, chalky soil but do best in the garden in well composted soil that drains well. Water regularly in summer, never allowing the soil to dry out totally, but take care not to overwater or this may impede flowering. Potato bushes grow best if fertilised regularly, so mulch the roots with compost twice a year, in spring and again in autumn, together with a slow release fertiliser.

Too little sunlight can cause sparse growth³.

Watch out for attacks from caterpillars, aphids and thrips. Other issues may include powdery mildew, grey mould, damping off, virus diseases, stem rot and blight.

How long does Blue potato bush take to grow?

These estimates for how long Blue potato bush takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

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Blue potato bush Etymology

The species rantonnetii is named for Barthélémy Victor Rantonnet, a 19th-century French horticulturalist¹. The genus name Lycianthes is derived from the Greek lykion meaning ‘a thorny bush’ and anthos meaning ‘flower’.

Other names for Blue potato bush

blue potato-bush, Paraguay nightshade, Kiesieblaar (Afrikaans), blue solanum shrub, royal robe, blue Lycianthes

Solanum rantonnetii, Lycianthes rantonnei

Misspellings: Solanum rantonetti

Footnotes

¹ Wikipedia entry on blue potato bush

² Blue potato bush on Keith Kirsten’s Plant Info

³ Solanum rantonnetii