Morning Glory, also known as Ipomoea purpurea or Convolvulus purpureus, is one of the best flowers to decorate the walls of the house. It belongs to the family of Convolvulaceae, which has more than 50 genera and 1000 species.
It is a fast growing plant with heart shaped leaves, and different colors like white, red, blue, purple, yellow, pink and magenta. As the name suggests, the flowers bloom in the early morning hours. These plants can be easily grown in pots. Let us know how to grow Morning Glory from seed?
How to Grow Morning Glory Vine from Seed in a Pot or Seed Tray?
– Fill the seed tray with a good quality seed starting mix / potting mix or you can make it yourself. You can also use pots instead of seed trays.
– Plant two seeds in each cell or three seeds in each pot. – Cover the seed with a thin layer of the same potting mix. Although not necessary, you can also cover the seed tray or pot with newspaper or clear/colored plastic sheet to retain moisture.
– Keep the potting medium moist, don’t overwater or let it dry out. – The ideal temperature range for optimum germination rate is 21 C – 30 C (70 F – 85 F). – Seeds will germinate in between 6 – 25 days depending upon the quality of the seed and the weather of your place.
– After germination, remove weak shoots. In the case of pots, remove the weakest plant and allow the two plants to grow as they protect each other from heat and burns.
Seedlings
– Begin to harden off the plants at least 7 days before transplanting. – Prepare garden soil or potting soil by adding well-ripened compost or fertilizer at least 7 days in advance. – When the plants have at least 8-10 leaves then only they should be transplanted.
– There should be a distance of 20 inches between two plants on the ground or plant two plants in a medium sized pot. – Insert 2-3 matchsticks into the hole with the plant. This will give your plant much needed sulfur and potassium. Water it well.
Suitable time for flowering
Although Morning glory flowers throughout the year, but it flowers the most in summer.