How to grow potted morning glory and points to note: light must be sufficient

Growing Techniques Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Morning glory, also called trumpet flower, everyone has surely heard of it. I remember as a child, the editor often saw small trumpet-shaped flowers by the roadside on the way to school, and those were actually morning glories. Because morning glory has beautiful flowers, in recent years it has gradually become an excellent choice for indoor growing, so how do you grow potted morning glory?

1. How to grow potted morning glory: light must be sufficient

In the wild, nature creates the best soil, light and moisture environment for morning glory, but once you grow it in a pot at home, all of these must be created by us. Besides the necessary potting soil, watering and light are also indispensable. How to grow potted morning glory? The specific methods are all in the growing methods and points to note for morning glory, so let's continue reading.

2. Morning glory growing methods and points to note

1. Soil: drainage must be good

How to grow morning glory? First, of course, is choosing the soil. Although morning glory has strong adaptability to soil, because it fears excessive water and this causes root rot, growers should choose well-drained, dry sandy soil.

Points to note: For potted morning glory, growers had best choose in early April half ordinary potting soil and half plain sandy soil, as this is beneficial to the growth of morning glory.

2. Light: must be sufficient

Morning glory originally grows in the wild and has high light requirements. So in morning glory growing methods, growers should provide relatively strong light so that its photosynthesis can proceed properly. If conditions permit, you can give morning glory 12 hours of light per day, and then it may bloom in all four seasons.

Points to note: Morning glory's daily light must be sufficient; if light is insufficient, the branches and leaves tend to grow leggy, with few flowers or poor flower quality.

3. Temperature: 13-18°C

Morning glory likes warmth. To grow morning glory healthily, it is best to place it in an environment with a temperature of 13-18°C. It is worth mentioning that morning glory can withstand high temperatures above 35°C in summer, which is enough to show its strong vitality.

Points to note: Morning glory is not cold-tolerant; if below 4°C, plant growth stops. So after winter temperatures drop, growers should move morning glory indoors, and if necessary turn on the air conditioner.

4. Watering

No matter what plant you grow, watering is indispensable, and in morning glory growing methods, watering is equally important. Morning glory is not drought-tolerant, so after planting it needs a thorough watering; after transplanting, water thoroughly once, and afterward water once every 7-10 days.

Points to note: In the early growth stage, water can be appropriately increased, but about 7 days before leaving the nursery it is best to keep it dry to prevent the plant from growing leggy. In addition, watering morning glory should always follow the principle of not watering when not dry, and watering thoroughly when you do water, otherwise too much watering easily causes root rot.

5. Fertilizing: should not be excessive

Morning glory likes fertilizer; if fertilized properly, it can produce abundant flowers. However, fertilization does not need to be excessive; before transplanting, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied along with soil preparation, and afterward no further fertilization may be needed.

Points to note: Morning glory has a long flowering period and needs continuous nutrient replenishment to keep blooming. In the early growth stage of young seedlings, apply dilute fertilizer frequently; for potted flowers produced in winter, apply compound fertilizer frequently in March-April, and according to growth conditions, appropriately apply additional nitrogen fertilizer.

3. Points to note when growing morning glory

Although there are already quite a few points to note in the morning glory growing methods above, to grow morning glory well there are still many places growers need to pay attention to, such as pruning, pests and diseases, etc. The points to note for growing snapdragon, simply put, also include the following:

1. Prune in time

Morning glory is a vine plant, and its branches and leaves have strong reproductive capacity, so timely pruning is very important, otherwise it will grow very unattractively. When the vines grow to 6-7 leaves, pinch off the growing tip; this can ensure larger flowers and continuous blooming, and can also prevent morning glory from growing too fast and becoming difficult to control.

2. Pest and disease control

Among the points to note in morning glory growing, pests and diseases must be guarded against. Morning glory is very prone to white rust, and leaves, petioles and tender stems may all be affected; at the same time, morning glory is also easily disturbed by pests such as aphids. Once discovered, promptly pull out the diseased plants to reduce spread. For specific solutions, you can look at morning glory pest and disease control, which has detailed introductions.

3. Clean water quality

Do not use fertilized water or muddy water to water the leaves (including cotyledons), so as to avoid leaf drop. At the same time, when watering, try not to let soil get onto the leaves.

4. Pinching off flowers

Morning glory only blooms when the vines grow robustly, so to ensure sufficient nutrients are supplied to the flower buds and produce large, brilliant flowers, you can also remove some buds and cultivate single flowers, just like cultivating specialty chrysanthemums. After blooming, remove the spent flowers and do not let them set seed, so as not to affect the nutrients for the next batch of flowers.

How to grow potted dwarf morning glory: dwarf morning glory growing methods and points to note

Dwarf morning glory is not the morning glory everyone usually knows; it is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Petunia. It has a long flowering period and brilliantly colored flowers, and is often used to decorate flower beds and other places. Now potted dwarf morning glory is also relatively common, and the growing method is not very difficult. Below, the editor will introduce in detail the growing methods and points to note for dwarf morning glory.

How to grow potted dwarf morning glory

1. Pot and soil selection

The pot should be breathable and slightly larger, and the soil should be loose and slightly acidic. Dwarf morning glory is best grown in a clay pot with good breathability and an inner diameter of 20 cm to 30 cm, with two or three plants per pot. If using a purple clay pot, plastic pot or porcelain pot with poorer breathability, place a layer of crushed charcoal pieces or crushed hard plastic foam blocks at the bottom of the pot to enhance air permeability and drainage and prevent root rot.

2. Water control

Dwarf morning glory likes moisture and fears both drought and waterlogging. In spring, summer and autumn it should be watered often; water as soon as the potting soil is dry, and keep the soil slightly moist, but never waterlogged, as overly wet conditions easily cause root rot and overly dry conditions easily yellow the leaves. In winter, as long as the potting soil is not dry and slightly moist, that is enough. When watering in the north, it is best to often add a little ferrous sulfate to the water (500:1), to prevent long-term watering with alkaline water from alkalizing the potting soil and causing yellow leaves and poor growth.

3. Fertilization management

Dwarf morning glory likes fertilizer and is also tolerant of poor soil. If fertilized too much or too often, it easily grows leggy with few flowers. When transplanting or changing pots and soil, you can add a little bone meal or nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer to the potting soil as base fertilizer. In the seedling stage, apply a light, dilute nitrogen fertilizer about once every 10 days. In the bud stage and flowering stage, do not apply nitrogen fertilizer again, otherwise it easily grows leggy and lodges, with many leaves and few flowers. It is best to apply nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer about once every 15 days, and spray the leaves once a month with a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution to promote more buds and more brilliant flowers. In winter after bringing indoors, do not fertilize.

4. Light

With sufficient sunlight the flowers are abundant; after bringing indoors in winter, let it see more light. Dwarf morning glory likes light and warmth and is not cold-tolerant. The most suitable growth temperature is 15°C to 25°C. Except that at noon during the high heat of midsummer (above 34°C) it needs appropriate shading, in the other seasons it should see more sunlight, and the more sufficient the sunlight, the more luxuriant the growth and the more flowers. It is best placed in a sunny courtyard, rooftop garden, south-facing or west-facing balcony, or windowsill.

Dwarf morning glory growing methods and points to note

1. Growing methods

1. Sowing and growing. Dwarf morning glory is often cultivated as an annual. The sowing time depends on the market release time, and the actual sowing time should also be adjusted according to different varieties. Dwarf morning glory seeds are tiny, with 9000-10000 seeds per gram. The suitable germination temperature is 20-22°C. Use indoor pot sowing, with a mixture of sterilized potting soil, leaf mold and fine sand. After sowing, no soil covering is needed; just press lightly, and germination occurs in about 10 days.

2. Cutting propagation. Indoor cultivation can be carried out throughout the year. After flowering, cut off the sprouted tender top shoots, 10 cm long, and insert them into a sand bed. The cutting medium temperature is 20-25°C. After insertion, they root in 15-20 days, and after 30 days can be transplanted into pots.

3. Tissue culture propagation. Explants use seeds, leaves and fertilized ovaries, etc. Under sterile conditions, first soak in 75% alcohol for 8 minutes, then soak in 0.1% mercuric chloride solution for 7 minutes, take out and rinse with sterile water, then inoculate on MS medium; small buds appear 15 days after inoculation.

Cut the small buds and transfer them to the original medium for subculture; after 20 days, one small bud can produce more than 10 buds. Insert the 1 cm strong buds into 1/2 MS medium containing 0.05-0.2 mg/L naphthaleneacetic acid; after 10 days, 100% root and become complete small plantlets.

2. Points to note

Dwarf morning glory likes dryness and fears moisture. During growth it needs sufficient water, especially in the high-temperature summer season. But when there is a lot of rain and the potting soil is too wet, the stems and leaves easily grow leggy; if there is a lot of rain during the flowering period, the flowers fade, easily rot, and the petals easily tear. Long-term water accumulation in the pot often causes root rot, and the whole plant wilts and dies.

When does dwarf morning glory bloom?

Dwarf morning glory has a very long flowering period, from spring to autumn, and if the winter temperature is relatively high, it can also bloom. Each flower of dwarf morning glory stays open for a long time, continuously, generally blooming continuously for 2 or 3 months.

However, the specific flowering period also adjusts with the sowing time. Generally, if sown in November, it can bloom in April; if sown in January, it can bloom in May; if sown in April, it will bloom in July; if sown in July, it will bloom in September; if sown in September, it will bloom in April of the following year.

Differences between million bells and dwarf morning glory

1. Differences in flowers

Million bells: the flowers are smaller than those of dwarf morning glory, the corolla is funnel-shaped, and the flower colors are relatively rich; the flower shape resembles a bell, so people affectionately call it “million bells”.

Dwarf morning glory: the flowers are larger than those of million bells, the flowers are funnel-shaped, and the colors are white, purple or various reds, edged with colored borders.

2. Differences in leaves

Million bells: the leaves are smaller than those of dwarf morning glory, relatively smooth, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, with entire margins.

Dwarf morning glory: the leaves are relatively large, relatively soft in texture, and ovate.

3. Differences in branches

The branches of million bells may become semi-lignified or even lignified, but dwarf morning glory does not show this condition.

Dwarf morning glory is a long-day plant, especially favoring an environment with sufficient sunlight, but it should not be exposed to harsh sun; semi-shade is best. At the same time, dwarf morning glory is not cold-tolerant and stops growing below 4°C. So in winter be sure to place it in a relatively warm spot.

How to grow morning glory? Morning glory growing methods and points to note

The small trumpet-shaped morning glory is a roadside flower that cannot be forgotten in memory, and for this reason it is loved by many people and has even become one of the choices for home potting. So how should morning glory be grown? Next, we will introduce the growing methods and points to note for morning glory.

Image: morning glory

1. Morning glory growing methods

1. Soil selection

For potted morning glory, it is best in early April to choose half ordinary potting soil and half plain sandy soil. Potted morning glory is either sown or dug directly from outside. When potting small seedlings, note that one plant per pot, do not damage the root system, and keep a small amount of soil around the roots to reduce damage.

2. Water and fertilizer requirements

Morning glory is very easy to grow; as long as the environment has sufficient light and good ventilation, the rest is just the watering issue. If the potting soil is chosen appropriately, you can water when the surface of the potting soil turns white. As for fertilizing, it should be done once every half month, choosing a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, and note that nitrogen fertilizer should not be excessive, to avoid the stems and leaves becoming too luxuriant.

3. Prune in time

Morning glory is a vine plant, and its branches and leaves have strong reproductive capacity, so after planting it is best to set up a support. Insert a bamboo pole in the middle of the flower pot, or place the flower pot by a railing, letting it grow by twining. But this is still not enough; it must also be pruned in time. When the vines grow to 6-7 leaves, pinch off the growing tip; this can ensure larger flowers and continuous blooming, and can also prevent morning glory from growing too fast and becoming difficult to control.

4. Pest and disease control

Morning glory is very prone to white rust, and leaves, petioles and tender stems may all be affected; light green spots appear on the leaves. Once discovered, promptly pull out the diseased plants to reduce spread. Then spray 500-times Bordeaux mixture, once every 10-15 days, to avoid infecting other plants.

Image: morning glory

2. Points to note when growing morning glory

1. Clean water quality

Do not use fertilized water or muddy water to water the leaves, and when watering try not to let soil get onto the leaves.

2. Pinching off flowers

It only blooms when the vines grow robustly. Ideally, the first leaf of the vine produces an axillary bud, and the second and third leaves produce flower buds. When the buds are differentiating, you can pinch off a portion, which is more favorable for blooming.

The above is the introduction to morning glory growing methods and points to note. Plant a pot of morning glory on the balcony, let it grow along a climbing vine, and the breath of spring comes right to your face.