Not Morning Glory, Sad Morning

I came home this morning getting ready to start my two days off. I made a stop at walmart to get a little pump to make bubbles in my pond plants that had to come in. When I finally arrived at home I was quite sad to see the my poor morning glories are doomed for the year. This is a photo of my poor babies. We had a freeze last night. My poor beautiful babies. And we are supose to get a freeze tonight and tomarrow, so no more Glorious mornings for me. :(. On the bright side of things. DGer's are so generous that I will not have an ugly ole chain link fence next year it will be plastered with Gorgeous MGs all around. I have 3/4 acres fenced in. How glorious will that be. So now I can smile for next year, but it is over for this and Dog Gone it I am not ready for that.

Beck

Before picture, But full of exceptional Heavenly Blue delight blooms

A sad time of year, isn't it!

We got it too, and will get it again tonight. I have a question. What about the seed pods. Very few of mine had pods ready to harvest. Are they lost as well?
blpender

That is a question for Ron I was wondering the same.

The vines might bounce back a bit if the frosts are not too severe and you get another spell of warm weather.

Joseph

blpender - The most mature seedpods should be near the base of the vines where the first flowers bloomed...if you didn't harvest them yet,the seedpods may have already split open and tossed the seeds out...

The plants may continue to ripen some of the seedpods that haven't been too adversely affected by the cold...but,it's probably better to harvest any almost ripe seedpods now(!) >as the temperatures are more than likely going to continue to drop >especially at night and any seeds that have not cured enough and are otherwise under-developed and contain alot of moisture will get killed and turned into dead mush...

The almost matured seedpods can often be allowed to continue to ripen by removing the seedpods along with a length of the stem(approx.6"-12") and placing the end of the stem in a vase of water in a partially sunny window...
keep the end of the stem clean by removing any decayed browning and change the water to prevent buildup of any organic muck and overgrowth of bacteria...

Using a water oxygenating airstone in the water will often significantly increase the root developement...an airstone that produces the smallest bubbles seems to work best...these are available at pet fish supply stores along with the little airpump to power the airstone...one pump can supply several airstones via an air tube splitting terminal...

sometimes the vine may produce roots in the water and this will help to keep the severed vine hydrated...if the stem produces alot of roots >you can try placing the rooted end in potting soil and along with adequate sunlight >this may help to keep the rooted cutting alive until the seeds fully develop and ripen...
watch out for any seedpods that develop a tannish colored slime as this will destroy the seeds...remove any slimey seedpods...seeds from slimey seedpods can someimes be saved if they are sufficiently developed >the slime is carefully removed and the seeds allowed to dry out in sunlight that is not too intense...placing the seeds in a brown paper bag can also help to cure the shells without spliting the seedshells...
seeds that dry out too fast will produce splits in the shells...seeds with split shells may still be viable,but the splits in the shells causes these seeds to lose viability at a faster rate and the splits render the seeds more susceptible to pathogens...

The indoor assisted seed ripening is usually worth trying for ripened seeds and for practice with the technique...

Wishing everybody a happy and healthy harvest...

TTY,...

Ron



This message was edited Oct 28, 2006 1:29 AM

It is sad isn't it? Mine froze last night too and I have only had one ripe seed pod this year. They seemed late to bloom for me. I will have to try bring a few stems inside and see what happens. I got a few seeds that way last year, but overall they set seeds much faster last year than this.

susan

Historical patterns indicate that a portion of the almost ripe seedpods should be picked premptively(!) and attempted to be ripened indoors before the killing cold hits...waiting until the last minute can often result in little or no seeds...
growing at least a few plants that are kept small in containers that can easily be brought inside to allow for ripened seeds is also a worthwhile practice...

Ron

Thanks Ron for you input. I think that maybe I better just color my seeds gone. It was 28 degrees wed. night and last night. I have probably allready lost them. Next year I will know better. Sorry Ron I wont be able to send you any of them. They were so beautiful and thier leave were so large. Are they supose to get that big, pictured below. And the blooms lasted so long in the day way past noon. I am so sad to loose them.



Thanks again Ron
Beck

Hi Beck,

Wow(!) ...looks like you did have some nice big leaves...the leaf size can vary with the particular strainof Ipomoea tricolor and the Ipomoea purpurea...some of the larger vines that see alot of sun and alot of water can develop striking nice large healthy leaves...

Maybe trying to collect some of the most matured pods would yield some viable seeds...check near the base of the vines...sometimes the seeds show a resiliency and can take a few initial cold spells...the large leaves will sometimes protect some of the seedpods that are buried beneath them...actual frost e.g., freezing rain,fog and dew moisture is often more damaging than a comparatively dry cold ...

I've noticed that some plants produce a seemingly oily substance in the sepals and inside of the seeds...the natural oils and waxes can sometimes act like a temporary partial antifreeze allowing some of the more developed seeds to mature before the cold temperature kills all of the plant entirely...

I'd suggest looking for some of the most ripened pods,but it's up to you...

Ron

Ok now you have got me excited. I will have to go check them. The plant was so thick that I could see or even get to the base of the plant. So maybe I am in luck and they were protected.

Thanks Ron
Beck

Ron, all mine are potted and were up near the house. We have a wind advisory tonight, and it's blowing like crazy right now. Would it be worth my while to carry those down to the basement and hope for the best? I think even if it doesn't freeze again, those pots are going to go sailing.
The shibouri are just about done, as are the milky way, but the rest are not near ready. This wasn't supposed to happen this early in autumn. I hate it.

I was pretty discouraged about the early frost and our MGs' not ripening seed pods, too. But, Beck, thank you for starting this thread. None of my pods fully matured, either. If y'all don't mind, I'm going to ramble about Ron's advice bringing some hope to our situation. If we get a percentage of viable seeds, I've put you and Susan down on my list to share (not ignoring others - it looks like you did get some?).

However, the vines were okay this morning, even though neighbors' roofs below us down the hill had frost on them. Sooo, Ron's advice inspired me to stop gnashing my teeth and get out there and take those stem cuttings and put them in water. There were quite a few pods almost ready on EmmaGrace's Yojiro 'Baby Blue' and Baby Pink'. My favorite from those seeds was a large midnight purple with a cream picotee and star points into which a kind of sky-turquoise blue bled. That one really beat NASA's Image for the Day ( http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html ). Her Chocolate/Rose Silk and Yagurama vines each produced 1 seed pod. I feel like a hen with 2 golden eggs here with those two. There were a few on her Cameo Elegance.

Ron, no seeds formed on any of the MGs you shared with me - you did suggest keeping at least one vine of each in a pot and I didn't do it. I feel terrible about this. Your MGs were quite a surprise. I wish you could see what your Ipomoea aquatica (Chinese water spinach) did. We sunk it in a tiny pond, and within 6 weeks, it looked like what one would imagine H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds might have looked when aliens with long, muscle-y tentacles landed. I can't believe how those vines on steroids traveled - it was all too fascinating to curb. I. pandurata put on about 6 wire-thin, delicate inches and stayed there. The flowers on your solid-throated Scarlet O'Hara climbed up out of clumps of pineapple sage and African blue basil - wonderful combination that also included lemon grass.

I to went out to my MG's this morning after Rons pep talk and I am sorry to say the I am not able to salvage any of them. :( I really wanted some of them too cuz they were so beautiful and the leaves my goodness gorgeous. They bloomed so long into the day sometimes til 3:00pm. It was even sadder this morning not a leaf was alive and the few seedpods that were there were not even close to being ready.

Mine too were like vines on steroids I loved it. My fence is so lonely and boring now. I wasnt prepared for that ugly ole fence again. I cut all the vines down and eeeeeewwwwwwww there it was CHAIN LINK FENCE. Green leaves and beautiful blue blooms is so much better. Well I guess there is always next year. I have my pictures to remind me just how beautiful it was.


So chins up everyone NEXT YEAR here we come.


Beck

blpender - I've just gotten a chance to get back to this thread...I'd say bring at least some of the vines inside and see how they do...a sunny window would definitely be a plus to help them onward...

bluespiral - You did good with the plants...you enjoyed them and the perennial species should continue to gather energy and hopefully bloom this coming growing season...The I.pandurata and the solid throated SOH did bloom and produce seeds for some other gardeners...various species can often respond differently in different parts of the country...that's why I try to get them to people gardening in a variety of geographic locations...what does well in a particular part of the country this season may not do as well in the next season and vice versa...


rwmedic - Okay,so you didn't get any seeds>but at least you know that you tried(!)...like you said >better results next season...

TTY,...

Ron

Ron,
I hauled all but a few down into the basement last night. I will deal with getting them set up with some light sometime today. There are windows down there, but not enough for as many as I have. I have plenty of shibouri seeds, and many of one labeled Ipomoea scarlet, that doesn't look like any I've seen pictures of. I was able to salvage a few seeds from the one you were wanting, and will send them off as soon as they are dry.Right now, these are more pressing than the brugs that I have stashed in the garage. I plan to de-nude them, cut them back, and bring them down into the basement in a corner I created for their dormancy. It's pretty crude, but they all survived last winter.
I think this weather has caught all of us with our pants down.
blpender

I looked through some other DG forums for someone to grouse with over this early frost, and only in the Morning Glory forum did I find a sufficiently gratifying dialog between outrage and consolation. It helps.

Yes, frost made my Hewittia malabarica pout and wilt big time, but the leaves are hanging on so far. I covered the vines all up with painters drop cloths (plastic) last night...will repeat tonight. the forecast for weather is a trend to warmer weather after tomorrow here in Delaware.

Joseph

I can understand everyone's disappointment. I knew the cold was coming, so I covered all my MG vines with sheets and plastic table cloths. My particular area set a record low AND we had a very small amount of snow. Needless to say the sheets and cloths didn't help at all. I was able to get some seeds, but I would have liked more!

I like to use the cotton drop cloths as the inside layer and plastic as the outside layer...

The plastic helps to prevent any rain or other moisture from soaking directly through to the plants and the cotton drop cloth helps to absorb any fog from condensing on the plant...the cloth also helps to seal up various type of openings that allow the fog to enter that may be hard for the plastic to address...such as around the side periphery of the plastic covering...

TTY,...

Ron

I'm an idiot, certified...the Hewittia needed only a nice drink of water and it perked up. LOL no freeze action yet on it!

Joseph, did we ever get to see Hewittia in flower? Memory fails me.

Jackie

Yes, I posted the flower picture in one of the MG threads. Don't remember which one tho. Sorry about that.

Haiku by Issa:

asagao ya futatabibae to aki wo saku

born again
morning-glories make
autumn bloom

May your MG's revive enough to bloom again. Mine are too far gone!

Beautiful, baolvera. Thank you for giving me the idea to put "morning glory" + autumn into the search hopper of www.google.com

Lots of haiku came up: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22morning+glory%22+%2B+autumn+%2B+haiku .

I love what Asians did in being spare with just a few words or brush strokes. Will root about in my files and see if I can find an example of the latter for morning glories.

patootie - Here's the links to the Hewittia flowers

Hewittia flowers posted to Morning Glories 2006 #3
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/630478/
Hewittia entered in the PlantFiles
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/120331/

TTY,...

Ron

Oh no! :(


well being in Fl I don't have the cold problems... I'll take some more pics of my MG's and if you like you can "shop" in my yard and I'll send you some seeds as well!

Ok now you all are making me want want want more MGs. And the autumn one is so beautiful. I am going to try. Like I said there will be no ugly chain link fence in my yard next year. Not to mention that it will hide the neighbors dogs that are so close to my fence in the fenced cage. My dogs and their dogs are always barking at each other. Driving me nuts. Putting up privacy fence on that side maybe. I like the neighbor but the dogs dont like each other I guess. And they have a slow grandson, very bright young man just alittle annoying sometimes, that lives with them and he teases my dogs horribly. He just doesnt understand. He has helped me in my yard some too and he likes it. Thanks to his grandparents he will have a chance at live and everything that comes with it.

Anyway back to the MG's I counted the 10' sections of my fence the other day and I have about 30 sections and I just might have enough now to cover it, that is if my green thumb kicks in and doesnt give me any fits. I just am beside myself waiting.

Beck

Morning glories should do a good job covering the fence as long as they get some sun. I was out pulling down some of my old vines yesterday and did find a few dried seed pods, plus I have a lot of seeds left over from last year so I should be fine for a next year. Like most gardeners, I'm already planning on what I will plant next year.

susan

I've been collecting seeds from the row of MGs I grew up some sunflowers planted along my neighbor's fence... There are tons of not-yet-ripe seed pods on those vines still, so I don't think I've got a representative sample of the mega-mix I sowed there, and I'm hoping to collect some more seeds. The frosts last week killed back most of the foliage, but a lot of the vines still look half-alive, so I'm hoping the seed pods will continue to mature. I think they will do as well out there as in the house (cut & in water as Ron suggested), since I don't think there's another frost in the forecast... Those freezing temperatures came several weeks earlier than usual!

I was curious about picking pods that had turned brown but weren't quite at the papery-crisp stage yet (when you open the pod, the seeds have black coats that have not yet hardened)... I picked a couple of them, and 2 days later the pods were crispy and the seeds inside were hard... so maybe pods can be picked at that stage and opened after the seeds have ripened further.

I have another question about seeds, since this is my first year for growing MGs. The pods and the seeds within them vary greatly in size, and many of them seem fairly small... I did plant a wide range of varieties... Does the seed size vary with the variety, or is it more a matter of the small seeds coming from pods that may have been formed during a period of stress, like when unhappy tomato plants produce smaller fruits... ???

I got One hyyuuge seed almost the size of a frozen pea off one of my crosses. I wonder if this is two seeds fused together? I`m definitely planting it next spring to see what happens!

The picotees and Hige types make smaller seeds and the larger flowered ones make larger seeds. So far from what little experience I have had the size of seed varies and is not always related to the size of the plant or flowers.

Yes, I already have witnessed that stressed morning glories will make smaller pods and rather pitiful looking seeds but they will still probably sprout and the the resulting plants are very likely to prevail and be beautiful planted in a better spot.



This message was edited Oct 21, 2006 10:45 AM

My vines are soooo bad looking right now, that it appears as if someone sprayed them to kill them! I suspect it was the spider mites that finally overwhelmed them. Is there an organic method to tame those little beasties?
I did discover that one of my neighbors sprayed not only the MG's on our shared fenceline but hit my tomatoes as well ...sigh.

I'll be pulling down all the vines on my fencing the next two weekends and I too, dread the bare fence look :(

But, thanks to many people here, I have lots of things to look forward to next spring!

~Sunny

My Chinese MG vines do not have any leaves now, but the vines look ok and seed pods have not mushed up yet, so there is hope. The other ones are not much better.

Sunny, you might try insecticidal soap (I have a spray with pyrethrum added) or neem... probably won't eradicate spider mites but may knock them back a bit.

I was encouraged to read that frost-bitten seed pods will turn mushy... I figure that means those that are still firm have a chance of ripening. Forecast for the next couple weeks shows some possible frost days (lows in the 30's), warming back up to lows in the 40's next week, but I don't think "real cold" is here yet... I'll keep checking the vines for more seeds!

critterologist - The seed size can vary from alot of reasons...species,cultivar,stress and genetic diversity within each taxa that may produce different size seeds on the same vine even during stable weather...
I've seen pods that developed and fully ripened very quickly from the same vine that produced larger seedpods from earlier blooms..
it's a survival strategy and I very much prefer plants that continue to display these survival strategies as compared to cultivars that always produce the same exact size seeds in the same exact time period...

I'd harvest some more of those seedpods and bring them in if you want to err on the side of caution...but if the seeds aren't very rare or particularly valueable...you can take your chances...they might do fine outside...

I only attempt to share from the stategies that have kept my old cultivars alive...Best of Luck (!)...

TTY,...

Ron

Thanks, Ron! I'm just trying to get a good representative mix of the ones I was growing this year if I can, as it was fun to have such a riot of different blooms out there. With cross-pollination, I'm sure I'll get an interesting variety even if I don't end up collecting seeds from each kind.

I'm learning a lot on this forum already -- thanks!

I have learned alot here also. And I cant wait til next year when I plant all the different one's that I hope to receive and collect form the open pollination also. Suprise is always good. If I get seeds before frost/freeze....LOL


Beck

Does anybody know if "Kanoko" and "Shikanoko" refers to the same type of Japanese bloom? I don't see these terms on Ron's Japanese word list.

baolvera - The e-bay merchants from Japan previously offered the "Kanoko" from the Yamato-Noen mailorder catalog...the term 'kanoko' means to have the reddish-brown markings of a fawn...It looks to me like the Shikanoko (re:shika = deer) currently offered is exactly the same Kanoko that the merchants are now offerring...there are people here on the gardenwebs that have the Kanoko and you should be able to locate it for alot less than the inflated prices that e-bay is 'testing out'...


TTY,...

Ron



This message was edited Feb 23, 2007 1:59 AM