How long until Morning Glory seedlings become too big?

I've always direct sowed MGs from mixed packets from Wal-Mart. This year, I'm trying a bit more controled colors and placement, and have sowed indoors in the Jiffies. To my surprize, they germinated and popped up in days and already are 3 inches tall - but I expected to plant them 5-6 weeks from now! I'm worried they will outgrow my tiny tray before then!

Also, the moonflowers are also just now emerging, any tips to keep those suckers happy until planting time? Will they be ok outside in 40-50(f) degrees temps in 5 weeks? I've always direct-sowed them and they never germinated for me before, so this is exciting.

Lari, check the root ball and see if it's outgrowing the container. If it is, bump it up into a bigger pot. To control the SIZE, you can prune them back to a managable size. That will serve two functions, the other being that the plant can concentrate on growing roots instead of foliage. You can start feeding them one-quarter strength fertilizer as well.

I'm confused. The replanting to bigger pot I understand. But you say I can prune back, but how far? How much? How will that effect the end results when I want it to grow tall outside?

And I was always told never to fertilize MGs, lest you get too much foliage instead of flowers...

can prune back, but how far? You can safely do tip cuttings where the vines begin to show signs of twining. BE SURE to dip your clippers in alcohol between plants to prevent any organisms from infecting and killing your baby plants.

How will that effect the end results when I want it to grow tall outside? It will have no effect on the end results - you aren't SHEARING the growth - you are merely taking a few inches off to keep them managable.

And I was always told never to fertilize MGs, lest you get too much foliage instead of flowers... You DON'T fertilize mg's, but when the seedlings have lost the seed coat they soon will use up the nourishment provided by the seed from which it grew, so a VERY WEAK solution of fertilizer will allow the baby plant to grow strong and remain healthy enough to fight diseases and bugs.

An alternate view on 'fertilizers'...
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/684152/

Ron

Thanks, Ron! That link makes me feel better about the fact that they are going into fairly good soil ... well, I assume it's good because it has been neglected for years while leaves, etc, were left to just decompose on the spot.

Great information, Ron. Thanks for posting those sites.

Larissa,
I am having the same problem, they are outgrowing their homes really fast. This is what I have done, put bamboo sticks on each corner and place a plastic sheet over them.. the sticks will hold the tent up and keep the humidity in. hopefully this will work till I can transplant. Mist them a couple of times a day and I've used clear plastic trash bags as covers.

Here's another photo where I've placed the domes over the plastic to keep the seedlings (in my case the cotyledons) from drying out until they get at least their first leaves.. the bamboo sticks keep the dome up high allowing for more growth.

Gourd, I notice that you live in Mesilla Park.....in Las Cruces??? All these beautiful African violets we are finding at both Lowes and Walmart say that they are grown by Aldershot in Mesilla....I used to live in las Cruces and wonder if these growers ship out? do you happen to know?
gail

Hi gail,
I don't know, we just moved here from Southern Cal, but will certainly go check it out for you.. will go google the addy.

Antoinette

edited to add: Gail, I just called them and they do not have mail order.. but they do have public sales, so I left a message for one of their sales reps.. maybe I can get in there and let you know what they have.. hopefully, it is not only for contractors. The person I spoke to was the operator..

This message was edited Feb 7, 2007 3:35 PM

So.... If we want to start MGs inside, say in 2 inch pots, when should we sow them in order to have sturdy seedlings to plant out after last frost? Eight weeks before last frost? Six? Four?

Also, has anybody wintersowed MGs, especially Japanese MGs, with success? Or should I just reserve a flat for them under the lights?

Thanks!

Critter, Shirley1md has successfully wintersown Ipomoea purpurea here in zone 7a, but I don't know which strain of I. purpurea it was. Ipomoea purpurea 'Kniola's Black' self-sowed prolifically for years in our garden, so I think there's a good chance that could be successfully wintersowed. If you have enough seed, I think it would be worthwhile to experiment wintersowing with any MG of the I. purpurea persuasion.

I don't have a clue as to whether wintersowing Ipomoea nil varieties would work in our zones; however, since I. yojiro is a cross between I. nil and I. purpurea, you do have to wonder to what extent those I. purpurea genes would enable any strain of I. yojiro to be wintersowable around here. I don't have enough seed to experiment with those two kinds right now, but if anyone else does this far north, I'd love to know the results.

Regarding other MG species, any of the species that self-sow here would probably be good candidates for wintersowing like I. hederacea and the white form of I. quamoclit (probably the red one, too). OhioBreezy says that I. coccinea has self-sowed for her in zone 5b. And, I'm about to find out if Evolvulus nuttallianus from Ron will germinate via wintersowing in our zone, because I wintersowed it on February 19.

Hopefully one of the experts here can answer you more comprehensively about the Japanese MGs - I'd like to know, too.

Blue, after I posted, I found an entry of Shirley's over in the WS forum -- if I'm reading her shorthand correctly, she didn't wintersow those MG seeds until the end of March, and she did have a couple of JMG names on her list.

Somebody told me that I could sow MG seeds in a planter in Feb/March and put it in a protected location (out of the wind)... I did that, but the only one that sprouted under those conditions were a couple very sturdy vines of Brazilian MG. I'm thinking the extra protection of covered containers might help... I'll try it with a few seeds that I collected, but I may wait another 3 weeks...

I can save a spot under the lights for a flat of MGs... but I don't have space to put a bunch of them into 4 inch or 6 inch pots... so I'm hoping somebody will know how long they'd be happy in a 2 inch starter pot. :-)