Growing morning glory from seeds

Morning glory is a very beautiful, but at the same time, a poisonous climbing vine with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped flowers of various colors: white, pink, purple, crimson, blue, blue, purple, striped. It blooms from mid-July to autumn and is often used for vertical landscaping. Its peculiarity is light sensitivity, the flowers close when there is a lack of lighting, and in cloudy weather they do not open at all.

Content:

• Growing morning glory in seedlings
• Sowing seeds in open ground
• Seed collection
• Morning glory care
• Pests and diseases

In sunny weather morning glory dissolves its flowers at the first rays of the sun, and closes in the afternoon. More than half a thousand species of this vine are known, of which 25 are grown in culture. It came to us from tropical Africa, where it is a perennial. In our conditions, morning glory is grown as an annual.

Growing morning glory in seedlings

Growing morning glory from seeds is practiced both by seedlings and by sowing in open ground. If you want the morning glory to bloom early, then sow it on seedlings in April or even March. If you decide to sow seeds in August, then the plant will bloom in October. But in this case, you will not be able to admire the magnificent flowers for a long time - they will soon be destroyed by frost.

For planting seedlings use peat pots or ordinary disposable cups, each of which can hold 2-3 seeds. It is advisable to add vermiculite to the soil.

In order for the seeds to germinate, it is necessary that the temperature is maintained at least +18 degrees. Seedlings will appear after 1-2 weeks. The peculiarity of seedlings, in contrast to adult plants, is the very slow growth of plants.

When the plant grows up, it is necessary to pour soil under it. As the seedlings grow, a couple of times, together with an earthen lump, trying not to expose the roots, they are transferred into a large container and twigs are stuck in so that it grows up.

You can pinch the top of the plant to get more side shoots.

The seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place at the beginning of June, when the soil warms up, and they immediately make a support. It can be a lattice made of twigs or just stretched threads.

Sowing seeds in open ground

You can carry out the cultivation of morning glory from seeds and in the open field. This is usually done in May, when the threat of frost has passed. In the southern regions, liana can reproduce by self-seeding.

For planting, it is recommended to choose a sunny, windless place: flowers, leaves and shoots often break from the wind. True, with abundant watering new shoots and flowers appear.

Plants should develop at a distance of 20 centimeters from each other, therefore, holes are made at about this distance, in each of which 2-3 seeds are also placed.

Whichever method you choose, the seeds must first be soaked for about a day so that they swell, otherwise they are very difficult to germinate. If some seeds are not swollen, they are pierced with a needle and soaked again.

Seed collection

It is advisable to collect your seeds for sowing, and not buy in the store. It is recommended to collect seeds from the second and third buds. But care should be taken, as the seeds are poisonous and can cause severe poisoning.

Morning glory care

Morning glory is unpretentious in care.The main thing for the plant is loose lime soil, enriched with organic fertilizers, and good lighting. It is not recommended to get involved in top dressing, especially nitrogen fertilizers. In this case, the plant will grow lush foliage, and bloom will be weak.

Is different liana high growth rate. If she is not provided with support, then she will cling to everything that gets in her way. Ipomoea can unravel along the ground, forming a green rug.

Air temperature and illumination do not affect its development very much. But if there is a cool, cloudy weather for a long time, then the blooming of flowers will be delayed, but when the weather improves, dozens of flowers will begin to bloom every day. When the flowers fade, seed pods form on them.

The plant does not like very low temperatures. If the temperature drops to +4 degrees, then the leaves begin to wilt, and at zero temperature the morning glory dies.

Morning glory needs regular watering, do not let the soil dry out, otherwise the flowers will be small and not very attractive. But also do not allow waterlogging: it is impossible for the soil to stagnate. In particularly hot weather, it is recommended to spray the plant.

Pests and diseases

The most common guests of the morning glory are the whitefly, aphids and spider mites. To combat them, the use of special insecticides is recommended.

Quite often there are diseases such as white rust, anthracnose, viral diseases, various rot: root, stem, black, soft. If the morning glory turned out to be affected by rot or a viral disease, then the plant will have to be destroyed.

This decorative liana is able to decorate any garden, help to equip veranda or gazebo, cover an unsightly wall and an unpainted old fence. Ipomoea can be used to decorate the garden with green figures. For this, an appropriate frame should be prepared and, if necessary, the shoots should be guided.