How Does the Morning Glory Spread Its Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Seed Propagation Methods

Morning glories come in a rich variety of cultivars, and their flowers are extremely vivid and beautiful, so using morning glories to decorate the home is a great choice. What's more, morning glories have very strong reproductive capacity and are very easy to grow. But speaking of this, you may want to ask me what their propagation method is. For morning glories, sowing can be chosen as the propagation method, as it is fast. Let's take a look together.

How Does the Morning Glory Spread Its Seeds

The seeds of the morning glory are wrapped inside the seed pod. After the seeds mature, the fruit wall splits open, generating elastic force that flings the seeds inside outward. So the morning glory mainly relies on its own ejection to spread its seeds.

Morning Glory Seed Propagation Methods

1. Prepare materials

First of all, you need seeds and a flower pot with a diameter of 20 cm. If the pot is too small, the roots of the morning glory cannot extend easily and the plant will not grow vigorously. However, if you want to improve the germination rate, it is best to use small seedling pots, with one seed per pot, and replant after the seeds germinate and grow leaves. Soil and the necessary gardening tools go without saying.

2. Soaking the seeds

Because morning glory seeds have a hard outer shell, they do not germinate easily without soaking, so soak the seeds in water for one night.

3. Changing pots and filling with soil

Put the prepared seedling soil into a small flower pot; here a seedling pot is used. While filling, press with your hand, crush the large clumps of soil, and throw the ones that cannot be crushed into the bottom of another pot beside it. Then water thoroughly and set aside for later use.

4. Sowing

Morning glory seeds are relatively small, so when sowing you can use a tool; use tweezers or a spoon to place one seed on top, then press it down slightly. After sowing, place it in a humid environment, or put it in a seedling box.

Morning Glory Pests and Diseases and Their Control Methods

I. Morning glory diseases

1. Morning glory brown spot disease

Symptoms: When the morning glory develops the disease, round or polygonal lesions appear on the leaves, with a dark gray center and dark brown edges. The surface of the lesions produces many pale black mold layers. In severe cases, the lesions will not cover the entire leaf, and the leaves wither.

Control methods: Plant at an appropriate density, avoid excessive watering, and promptly remove diseased leaves when found; at the early stage of the disease, promptly spray Guoguang Bixian, once every 7-10 days, and spraying 2-3 times in succession is sufficient.

2. Morning glory damping-off disease

Symptoms: The morning glory itself grows prostrate, but damping-off can also occur. When the disease occurs, the whole plant droops and lies on the ground, and the leaves gradually turn yellow and rot.

Control methods: Once the disease occurs, promptly pull out the diseased plants, and use agents such as Previcur, Yishuangling, and Genbingzhi to irrigate the soil. You can also use 800-1000 times dilutions of chlorothalonil and thiophanate-methyl for control.

II. Morning glory pests

When grown at home, morning glories have relatively few pests; unless your home is especially messy, pests rarely appear. Common pests of morning glory include: aphids, leaf-rolling moths, red spider mites, and cabbage caterpillars. Pay attention and observe during care, and when pests are found, simply spray the relevant agents.

How to Prune Morning Glories

1. Pinching

Morning glories have very strong reproductive capacity, and most can be grown from seed. When the seedlings grow 3-4 leaves, vines begin to grow from the center, and at this point the first pinching should begin. After some time, vines begin to grow between the leaves again, and when 3-4 leaves have grown, pinch again.

(Note: Each time you pinch, you need to apply fertilizer in time. When fertilizing and watering, keep as close to the ground as possible and do not dirty the leaves, so as to avoid causing the leaves to fall off.)

2. Removing flower buds

Morning glories grow rapidly, and after planting they can bloom in the same year. Flower buds will grow among the branches and vines. After the flower buds form, you can cut off the stipules below the buds to promote the development of the buds. To ensure an adequate nutrient supply, you can also remove some of the small buds.

After flowering, promptly remove the spent flowers. If controlled properly and the temperature is suitable, morning glories can bloom 3-4 times a year. 3. Shaping

Potted: For indoor potted ornamental plants, you can set up a support when the seedlings grow to 6 cm tall and let them grow by twining, or when the seedlings grow 7-8 leaves, keep 4 leaves and pinch, ensuring that each pot has no more than 9 flower buds. This can ensure a full plant shape. If conditions permit, you can also use hanging baskets, hang them in the air, and prune regularly.

Ground planting: Morning glories planted in the courtyard can be used as a green hedge decoration. The principle of pruning is to ensure that each branch grows evenly. When 9 vines have grown, they can be evenly distributed on the wall and tied, allowing them to grow, and soon a green hedge and flower wall can be formed.

Although the common use of morning glories is generally as home decoration, in fact, they can also be used as medicine, and their seeds have a swelling-reducing effect. But it should be noted that medicine is three parts poison; you can use morning glory seeds to treat illness, but you should also pay attention to their certain toxicity, and never take them orally directly.