Morning Glories: Is soaking the seed really necessary?

I am about to plant morning glory seeds with the hopes of covering some sections of wood fence with lovely blooms. I used to grow mg as a child in my parents' garden. Some of my seed packets say to soak the seed overnight. Some of them say to scratch the seed and soak. Some don't say anything. Is the scratching/soaking necessary for germination? How big will my vines get in one season in zone 5a. And, am I too late to plant? Thanks!

no soaking is not nessasary but does help speed the process. what i did was surface sow and watered once a day and within a week they were sprouting.

its not to late i dont think to sow them.

once they start to take off theres no telling how big they will get. they are annuals so they will grow with all their might this season. but dont worry they readily seed for next season.

I nicked and soaked for only about an hour in very warm water, then planted. They are um...surpassing my expectations, lol! Maybe 4 days they sprouted up? So you probably save a few days.

Okay, an hour in warm water is easier than overnight....I'll try that method and see how I get along. I'm glad it is not too late to sow them! I just love all the pictures everyone is posting of all the different types and colors.

I soaked mine for 24 hours and nicked them w/a knife. Planted them Thursday night, and here it is Saturday & they're already 2"! I like the speedy method!

=)

I recently planted some MG seeds in a see thru plastic container with lid. I shut the lid, put it in the sun and the next day had sprouts! Almost 100% germination in 2 days! First and only time I have tried that method but am gonna do it again soon with diff seeds.

I soak my seeds [Mostly Japanese MG's] in very warm water and allow them to swell on their own, which most of the time is within an hour or two. Then I immediately place the seeds in a coffee filter, folded with seed side up, and put inside a small zippy bag. Place on my windowsill until the root sprouts - which is within two to three days. If the seed does not swell on its own while soaking, THEN, I nick the seed just enough to scratch the seed coat......'At the Eye'. Note: If you leave the seeds soaking in the water too long, they are more likely to 'Become Mushy' and 'Rot'. I never leave them in water more than 24-hours if they are being stubborn.

Here is a photo of Day #3 of my germinated seeds, at which time I plant them directly in the ground. I like this method also because it will allow you to see which seeds germinate and which do not.

Wow, I like the clear plastic container and the coffee filter in a baggie methods! These are great ideas. I will do them this week and see how it goes. That is really fast germination and growth so I'd be really happy with results like those. Can't wait to try now!

You can also put the seeds on a folded over damp paper towel and put that in a sealed baggie. Put it someplace warm like the top of the refrigerator. LEAVE YOURSELF A NOTE so you remember to check it. After a few days they will sprout.

I like Emmas method and it works great............and if I had the time I would do them all like that. At least you know what is gonna sprout and what is not. But lately I just throw those puppies in the dirt and let them go.............make it or not and almost all of them do.

I have never soaked a morning glory seed. I find the most important thing to be nicking. This makes it easier for water to get inside the covering.

Well, considering all the advice, I decided that it was worth it to do some nicking. I used a little serrated kitchen knife. I wonder how much "nick" is too much. By the time I was done it looked like I had been cracking peppercorns. I tried seven varieties that I had seed for and put them on folded wet paper towels in baggies. I put them on my light trolley (which I check pretty much every day) and will see how they go. I think I nicked about 80 seeds. It was a bit hard on the fingernails to hold those seeds and do the nicking. We'll see how it goes. I had seed packaged for 2005, 2003, and 2001 (!). I never planted them yet because I was always just too lazy/busy/forgetful about the soaking/nicking thing. I bet the older ones won't germinate but hopefully the new ones will!

Believe it or not, MG seeds are viable for years and years. Do let us know how your germination turns out. Be careful with the paper towels as when they shoot out their roots, they tend to grow into the paper towel, which is why I use the coffee filters. Also, after years of trying different tools to nick with, the easiest by far is nail clippers. The ones that have the weird 'slanted' tip with scissor-like handles. Much easier to maneuver. Also these will allow you to 'barely' scrape the seed just enough to break the coat to allow the water in to germinate the seeds. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Well, this morning when I checked, I was truly surprised to see what appeared to be roots. My word, if only everything germinated like that! I am not 100% sure if it was actual roots or just the seed matter swelling out of the casing, but there were white bits that looked pointy. I can't wait to go home (about 2 hours) and check up on them now that they've been under the plant lights all day! Woo hoo!

The nail clipper tip is great. Actually, I bet my dog toenail clipper would work for that....

if its white and pointy thats the roots. usually those are the first to come out the seeds.

Roots coming out of nearly all the seeds today. I am simply amazed. Can't wait to see some shoots emerging!

This a great method for almost all seeds. I was so surprised! I don't even bother to soak or nick. I just fold the seeds into a paper towel, drench the paper towel in hand hot water, place into a baggie (unsealed) and set the packet out on the picnic table. A couple of days later they are sprouting and ready to plant. And the paper towers are biodegradable, so it the roots are gowing into them, no need to tug or pull, just plant the whole thing! It's so nice to see what's doing!

Can't remember who first told me about this - think it was gaither! Great trick!

that sounds great Sequee, I'll have to give it a try and see how I like it. I am always trying new ways to germinate and most of them work. Thanks for the tip..