Morning Glory Question

I know when my I. nils seeds are ready to be harvested, and also my I. purpurea, but how can I tell when the tri colors are ready??? I have a bunch that are a red brown color, but I"m afraid to touvch them yet. Anyone have a pic of them ready to be picked??

TIA

Janis

Janis, mine aren't ready here yet (i. tricolors) and I am looking now thru my photos to see if I did keep a photo of a ripe tricolor pod, will post if I find it for ya :)

Laurrie

Do the I. tricolor pods get paper dry, brittle and brown when they are ready for harvest? That is what I look for with the JMGs.

Joseph

yes they get a dark brown to almost nearly black looking when mine are ready, and yes they are brittle too. I can't find a photo from last year, sorry, I thought I would have one :(

A sure sign is the seed color, yes? Black or dark brown? Or is tricolor weird in that it has light colored seeds like that JMG Blue Silk?

yes a pretty good sign, brown/black looking and crunchy/brittle and ready to pick, and my seeds are definitely black and tear shaped, more elongated than the normal mg seed

groovy, far out, thanks, Laurrie!

Thanks guys :) Mine need a while yet

Janis

I do have seeds saved from last year, I should get them out and snap a photo for you of the actual seed huh? perhaps tomorrow if I remember. You folks are very welcome!!

Blue Star and Flying Saucers can have a light color beige seeded form as well as dark colored seeded forms...
Heavenly Blue,Pearly Gates and Wedding Bells I have only seen or heard of as having dark seeds
Summer Skies(MIA) I only saw in a light seeded form...

interesting info....... my flying saucers have always been black, same as my heavenly blue and wedding bells, can't remember on pearly gates and never grew blue star???? will have to note these findings :)

They'll be dry and crispy to the touch when they are ready. Get them as the outer shell is breaking open to be sure you get a perfect seed. Sometimes if you water them too much they will rot very quickly, so let them dry for a few days or a week before you pick them. You will know when they are ready by the crunchy sound is how I describe it :)
Dennis

Heavenly Blue, Pearly Gates and Flying Saucer seeds are black, but Blue Star seeds are white or cream color. The outer shell is same for all, dark brown. I guess they are all classified as I. tricolor however in one book I have they are called Ipomoea rubrocaerulea

This message was edited Sep 18, 2005 1:19 PM

Thanks Dennis!!

Janis

I never saw dark colored seeds of "Blue Star" or "Flying Saucers" until they were 'revived' in the mid-90's...and the first re-releases had Holland or Netherlands stamped on the packets...
The FS,BS and "Summer Skies" that I grew in the 60's and 70's always(!) had all light beige seeds...never saw a dark seed on any(!) of these 3 cultivars,until the FS,and BS were 're-released' after being unavailable commercially for about 13 years...
I have plenty of light beige "Flying Saucers" and dark colored "Blue Star"...
Anybody who grew these cultivars out years ago and still remembers can verify what I stated...I used to get my FS,BS and Summer Skies from Redwood City Seed Co.,in the early 70's,as the big companies like Burpee and Park had stopped carrying them...
You can take the voice of first hand experience for what it's worth...
Cheers...

What fertilizer should I use that will produce larger flowers?



Tony

Tony - My experience has been that of the 3 macronutrients Phosphorus will help to stimulate flowering per se...this should preferably be present in the growing medium from the time the seeds sprout,as later applications may not always be as effective in stimulating flower induction...
Too much Nitrogen can sometimes inhibit flowering,but not always and seeds that are produced under very low nitrogen conditions are usually not as large or as viable...
Potassium/Potash is helpful to the overall chemistry and helps to produce strong disease resistant roots...
Trace minerals as micronutrients are needed for a variety of reasons,but helping to stimulate the reproductive processes is well established...liquid kelp is a good source of trace minerals...and the micro-flora that grow on the root surfaces are a major modulator of how nutrients and other chemicals are both absorbed and processed,thus affecting the plants metabolism in a big way...each plant can have a very individualistic combination of microflora on and around the roots that respond in a feedback system to the secretions exuded by the plants roots...this can be a very symbiotic relationship or not,which exerts a profound influence on the developement of the plants...
There are some plant hormones that may help to temporarily increase the flower size,but this temporary increase will not (in all likelihood) be passed on to future generations,unless the chromosomes happen to be affected...I don't recommend using plant hormones due to general toxicity involved...
Selecting your plants that have the largest flowers,and growing the seed from the plants you select is the tried and true method for increasing the size of the flowers,but adequate nutrition is a solid foundation for the healthiest plants and seeds (!)...
Good Luck (!)...

Does the plant's health and soil have something to do with pollination?

Does water have an effect on pollination? This question has poped up in my mind. I'm planning on doing an experiment on pollination. Do y'all have any ideas?

This message was edited Nov 16, 2005 5:09 AM

Sorry, no help here from me

Good luck!!

Janis

"Does the plant's health and soil have something to do with pollination?"

Please see response above...


"Does water have an effect on pollination?"

I would say that the optimal water requirements as per each species as it grows in the 'wild' would approximate(!) the optimal water conditions suited to optimal pollination and fertilization...

Hope that helps...

Thanks for the advice.


Tony