A Detailed Guide to the Characteristics and Planting Methods of Morning Glory

The morning glory is a flower shaped like a trumpet, which is why it is also called the trumpet flower. Morning glories come in fairly rich colors and often bloom with beautiful flowers in midsummer. Besides being grown as an ornamental flower, the seeds of the morning glory can also be used as medicine. Let us take a look below at what characteristics the morning glory has and how to plant it.

I. What characteristics does the morning glory have?

1. The growing habits of the morning glory

The morning glory likes to grow in warm, short-day, well-ventilated conditions. It has very strong survival ability, can tolerate drought and is not afraid of high temperatures and intense summer heat, but it is not cold-hardy. The morning glory also has no great demands on soil, because it is a deep-rooted flower, and it can even survive in dry saline-alkali land.

2. The flowering period and colors of the morning glory

The flowering period of the morning glory is from May to October, and its blooming time is generally from four in the morning to ten in the morning, which is also the reason it is called the morning face. The flower colors of the morning glory include white, pink, purple, blue and so on, and color-changing and mixed-color phenomena can also appear. Growing morning glories in pots on a windowsill, balcony or similar spot is also very pleasing to the eye.

3. The medicinal value of the morning glory

The morning glory has relatively high medicinal value and has a certain effect on diseases such as nephritic edema, edema of the limbs, constipation, ascites due to cirrhosis, and abdominal pain from parasitic infestation.

II. How is the morning glory planted?

1. Seed treatment

The seed coat of the morning glory is very hard, and direct sowing takes as long as ten days to half a month before the seeds sprout. In order to make them sprout earlier, the seeds can be soaked in warm water for one day, at which point the seeds become swollen, and they can then be sown. For seeds that still do not swell after soaking, the seed coat can be gently scratched open, but the embryo must not be damaged, so as to facilitate water absorption and sprouting.

2. Raising seedlings

Morning glory seeds can generally sprout smoothly in an environment of 20 to 30°C. Therefore, its sowing time is around late April and early May. Sow by variety in rows in a seedling bed of fine sandy soil, with moderate humidity, and they will sprout in about ten days. When the true leaves have just begun to emerge, the seedlings can be transplanted into small pots, and the small pots should be marked to note the variety.

3. Planting out

When the seedlings in the small pots have grown two or three true leaves and the root system has developed well, they can be planted out in medium pots, and a base fertilizer should be added in advance before planting out. Horse hoof and cooked hemp residue, among other things, can be used as base fertilizer. The development of the morning glory's root system needs temperature, so the pots should often be turned so that sunlight falls evenly and the root system develops fully.

4. Pinching

After the morning glory has grown three or four true leaves, the central leaf should be removed. After pinching, once the vines have produced three or four leaves, pinch again, while also combining this with shaping. After each pinching, appropriately apply additional fertilizer. Be careful that the leaves do not come into contact with the fertilizer, so as to avoid the appearance of yellow leaves.

If you want the morning glory to bloom with beautiful flowers, you must ensure sufficient nutrients. You can also remove the bracts of the flower buds, as this is even more beneficial to the growth of the buds.