12 How to Grow Morning Glory Flowers Plant Care Guide 2022

12 How to Grow Morning Glory Flowers Plant Care Guide 2022

Morning glory is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux.

A true old-fashioned beauty, the annual morning glory vines with large trumpet-shaped blooms are easy to grow.

Sunlight:  Full Sun

Maturity:   75-110 days from seed to flower

Height:   6 to 15 feet if grown on a trellis

Spacing:   4 to 6 inches apart in all directions

One of my favorite plants! Gardeners are admiring the morning glory, in Spanish, the morning glory (  Ipomoea  ) for its vibrant colors, which include purples, reds, pinks, and blues. This energetic vine plant often covers country fences where its delicate flowers greet you with the morning sun.

Perfect for covering walls, privacy screens, and trellis, support these hardy annuals and watch them grow! The dwarf varieties, with their multi-colored flowers, are incredibly unique. Because these climbing beauties are self-seeded annuals, you’ll likely get them back in the same spot year after year.

Fast guide

• Colors range from bold purple to pink, red, and blue
• Annual self-seeded; climbs 6-18 feet tall if supported
• Direct seed after last frost, but the seed must be prepared for best results (see above)
• It needs full sun and constant humidity
• Blooms in late summer to early fall

Site preparation

Choose a planting site that has full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Use organic compost or aged animal compost in the soil before planting to help retain moisture and prevent plants from wilting during the heat of the day. Please read our article on garden soil preparation for more information.

How to plant

Morning glory is easy to grow from seed. Plant 1/2 inch outdoors deep after the last frost and stay moist while germinating. The seeds will germinate in 5-21 days. The seeds can be cut and soaked in water for 24 hours before planting for best results. Seedlings thinly 4-6 inches apart. Provide support for young plants to climb.

If you have trouble getting started in the morning, make sure the planting site is in full sun, and the seedlings never dry out until they are established. Provide an organic bloom fertilizer two to three times during the gardening season.

Insects and diseases

A couple of garden pests, including aphids and leaf miners, are found attacking the morning glory. Watch closely and take the following common senseless toxic approach to pest control:

• Remove weeds and other yard debris to eliminate alternate hosts.
• Dispose of severely infested plants by stringing and dumping them in the trash.
• Release commercially beneficial insects – ladybugs, lacewings – to attack and destroy insect pests.
• Locate pest problem areas with neem oil or another organic pesticide.

The foliage and flowers are susceptible to fungal problems, such as rust and Fusarium wilt. To reduce these plant diseases:

• Avoid overhead watering whenever possible (use soaker hoses or drip irrigation)
• Plant-friendly space to improve air circulation
• Apply copper or sulfur sprays to prevent further infection
• If problems persist, remove and discard infected plants

Seed Saving Instructions

Morning glories will cross-pollinate. Gardeners should only grow one variety at a time to save pure seed or isolate varieties within 1/4 mile. The seeds are ready to harvest when the seed capsules are completely dry and brown.

Growing Morning Glory from Seed: A Guide to Planting Morning Glory Seeds

Morning glories are an annual creeper flower that blooms, as the name suggests, early in the day. These old favorites love to climb. Its trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in vibrant purple, blue, red, pink, and white shades that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Growing morning glories from seed is easy enough if you know the trick to ensuring quick germination.

Morning Glory Seed Propagation

When starting morning glories from seed, it can take 2½ to 3½ months before they flower. In northern climates, where cold winters and shorter growing seasons are the norms, it is best to start morning glories with seeds indoors four to six weeks before the date of the last frost.

When germinating morning glory seeds, use lime to cut through the seeds’ hard coating. Soak them in water overnight. Plant the seeds ¼ inch 6 mm deep in fertile soil. This trick helps the seeds absorb water and germinate quickly.

The germination time of morning glory is four to seven days at a temperature of 65 to 85 ℉. 18-29 .. Keep the soil moist but not soggy during germination. The seeds of morning glory are toxic. Make sure to keep seed packets, soaked seeds, and those planted in trays out of the reach of children and pets.

12 How to Grow Morning Glory Flowers Plant Care Guide 2022

Morning glories can also be sown directly into the ground once the danger of frost has passed and the soil temperature reaches 65 ℉. 18 ℃. Choose a location that receives full sun, good drainage, and is near a vertical surface for the vines to climb. They do well near fences, railings, trellises, arches, and pergolas.

When planting seeds outside, cut and soak the seeds. Water thoroughly. Once they have sprouted, thin out the seedlings—space morning roundabouts six inches 15 cm apart in all directions. Keep the flowerbed watered and weed until the young plants are established.

Working aged compost or animal manure into the soil before planting snowdrop seeds or transplanting seedlings provides nutrients and helps retain soil moisture. A fertilizer designed for flowers can be applied according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Avoid over-fertilizing, as this can cause bushy vines with few flowers. The mulch will also retain moisture and control weeds.

Although morning glories grow as perennials in USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11, they can be treated as annuals in cooler climates. The seeds are formed into pods and can be collected and saved. Instead of planting morning glory seeds each year, gardeners can let the seeds fall to self-sow. However, flowering can be later in the season, and the seeds can spread the morning glories to other garden areas. If this troublesome happens, head dead the spent flowers before they have a chance to form seed pods.

How to grow Morning Glories

Table of Contents

• Morning glory care
• Is morning glory toxic?
• Morning Glory varieties
• Pruning
• How to grow Morning Glory from seed
• Common Pests / Diseases

As familiar with morning glories as people in North America, these fascinating flowers hold many secrets for the casual gardener. Morning glories are annual plants that belong to the same family as the sweet potato, but the morning glory plant is not edible; its seeds are toxic. With their characteristic trumpet-shaped flowers, Vines can grow more than 10 feet in a single season.

Fast-growing morning glories are planted in the spring, usually from seed, and climb via tendrils that can easily attach to a trellis, fence, or wall. If you live in a warm winter climate, your morning glories may be perennial, but otherwise, you can usually count on new “volunteer” plants sprouting from the seeds thrown up by last year’s plants; these are excellent self-seeders.

Morning glories get their name from fragrant blooms that stay tightly coiled until awake and open in the morning sun and then close again in the afternoon before dying (each flower lasts only one day). Not surprisingly, these large, sweet-smelling flowers are a favorite with hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Botanical name Ipomoea purpurea

Common name Morning glory

Plant type Annual vine

Mature size 6-10 feet long, 3-6 feet wide

Sun exposure Full sun

Soil type Moist, well-drained

Soil pH Acid to Neutral (6.0 to 6.8)

Flowering time Summer-Fall

Flower color Purple, pink, blue, white, red

Hardiness zones 2-11 (USDA)

Native area North America, Central America

Toxicity Toxic to humans and animals.

Morning glory care

Morning glories are easy to care for. They don’t need a deadhead, which is good because they bloom profusely. Start with seeds or seedlings, and plant them next to a fence, wall, gazebo, or other structure, and they’ll go up. It is sometimes referred to as the back-to-school vine, suggesting a flowering time that could wait until late summer. If late blooms are common in your area, try starting a few seeds indoors before the last frost to improve the season.

Widespread use for morning glory vines is a privacy screen when grown over lattice or chain-link fences. It is also common to see morning glory vines growing on trellises and pergolas. They will offer shade in late summer if you can get them to cover a gazebo completely. These vines are often grown in containers, as are several other types of Ipomoea.

Light

Grow morning glories in full sun and well-drained soil. Direct exposure to the sun causes the flowers to open and stay open. Planting them in partial sun conditions can mean that they won’t flower until later in the day, shortening the already short flower lives of one day.

Earth

Morning glory vines tolerate poor soil but prefer moist, well-draining soil that is slightly acidic to neutral, with a soil pH of 6.0-6.8. Moderately rich soil does not need to be amended before planting, as morning glories do not like being too rich. If necessary, you can add organic matter if the plants seem to need it.

Water

Your vines should receive about 1 inch of water per week or whatever is necessary to keep the soil moist (not wet). In dry areas, a layer of mulch over the root area helps retain moisture and reduces watering needs.

Temperature and humidity

Morning glory vines can thrive in various temperature and humidity conditions, but they are not frosted tolerant. Seedlings should not be planted outdoors until the soil is 64 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. The seeds can be planted before the last frost.

Fertilizer

Morning glories generally benefit from a monthly feeding of low nitrogen fertilizer. Too much nitrogen promotes leaf growth at the expense of blooms while feeding a high-phosphorous fertilizer can promote blooms on dull plants.

Is morning glory toxic?

While the plants and flowers of morning glory are not toxic, the seeds are poisonous, especially when ingested in large quantities. The seeds contain an alkaloid that causes effects similar to the drug LSD and potentially more dangerous symptoms.

Symptoms of poisoning

If a person has eaten morning glory seeds, they may experience hallucinations, increased heart rate, numbness in the extremities, tingling, an upset stomach, or muscle tension. Call 911 immediately.

Animals that eat snowdrop seeds may experience incoordination, an upset stomach, or agitation. Call your vet immediately.

Morning Glory varieties

• Ipomoea tricolor ‘Heavenly Blue’ – A popular cultivar with large sky-blue flowers and heart-shaped leaves
• Ipomoea alba: also called moonflower or belle de nuit; a night-blooming species with 6 inch wide white flowers
• Ipomoea x multifida: known as the cardinal climber; a hybrid with relatively small but deep red flowers that resemble morning glory flowers
• Ipomoea purpurea ‘Yelta’s Star’: dark purple flowers with dark red stars and tiny white throats
• Ipomoea purpurea ‘Kniola’s Black’: another purple flowered cultivar of Ipomoea purpurea but with flowers even darker than those of ‘Star of Yelta’

Pruning

Most people let their morning glories run wild, but that doesn’t mean you can’t trim yours to avoid overcrowding. First, untangle the wines and separate them so that each one gets plenty of sunlight. Then prune a third of them, just after the first leaf sprout, to encourage rapid growth and more over-blooming.

How to grow Morning Glory from seed

Morning glories are fast-growing vines but can take a long time to flower (August, in the north) if not grown under ideal circumstances. You can encourage earlier blooms by starting morning glory plants indoors from seeds in peat pots filled with potting mix, then transplanting them outside after all danger of frost has passed.

Sow the seeds indoors about three weeks before the estimated last frost date in your region. Keep the seeds moist for 24 hours before planting and lightly mark the surface. Plant the seeds just under 1/2 inch deep and cover with potting mix. Keep the potting mix moist and warm (at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit).

If these sun-loving vines are started from seed indoors and given plenty of sunlight (exposure to the south or west) and adequate water once planted outdoors, even in the north, they should flower in early July.

The seeds can also be sown directly in the garden once the soil reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Space the seeds about 6 inches apart in rows, or space them closer together if you plan to train them on a trellis. You can speed germination by scarifying the seed. Rub the seeds between sheets of coarse-grained sandpaper, then soak them in water overnight before planting.

Common Pests / Diseases

Mites and various animal pests can pose problems for morning glories. When you spot insects, spray with organic neem oil. To cope with intense pressure from deer and other animals, such as rabbits and marmots, put up deer fences or apply repellants. The fence should only extend about 3-5 feet from the ground and will eventually be hidden by the plant’s foliage, although animals may eat the vines that grow through the fence.

Too humid weather can lead to fungal diseases, such as thread blight, white blister, stem rot, and leaf spot. To combat fungal diseases, trim the affected areas and use fungicides.

What is morning glory good for?

The morning glory has been used as a laxative in Asian and Mesoamerican countries for centuries, and a tea was sometimes concocted from its roots as a diuretic and expectorant. Tea brewed from the dry leaves has been used by herbal healers to treat headaches, too.

Why is it called morning glory?

The morning glory earned its name from the fact that its beautiful, fragile flowers unfurl in the morning. However, as we all know, beauty is often fleeting. Such is the case with the morning glory. The flowers last only a day and begin fading about two hours before the sun dips below the horizon.

Can morning glory grow in shade?

Growing morning glories is easy. They’re great for containers when provided with a trellis or placed in a hanging basket. Morning glories prefer full sun but will tolerate very light shade. The plants are also well known for their tolerance to poor, dry soils.

What is another name for morning glory?

Ipomoea aquatica, known as water spinach, water morning glory, water convolvulus, ong-choy, kang-kung, or swamp cabbage, is popularly used as a green vegetable, especially in East and Southeast Asian cuisines.

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