First Morning Glories

Most of these guys are starting to get their first true leaves now...I noticed that the cotelydons on some of them, like Sunrise Serenade on the right, look kind of rough...as do the ones of Mixed in the next pix...

...I'm wondering if the damage is being caused by the cotelydon having to wrestle its way out of the seed coat; some of them have been pretty dry.

Ya did good Jo! They all look so healthy and happy! Need to transplant into bigger pots soon.

X

Thanks X! Yes I've got four or five seedlings per 16 oz cup, will get a bit crowded no doubt. Umm, I'm going to have an awful lot of MG's; I've got 8 kinds started indoors, 4 more kinds yet to start indoors, and then 4 kinds I'm going to wintersow in pots outside (still winter here, we're in for 4 - 6" of snow tonight, for heaven's sake). Oh, and did I mention I ordered more MG seeds this weekend? I sure hope they like our climate! My DH is building me a large trellis along one of our fences that has good eastern exposure; hope the MG's like it, though they won't be going outside for a couple of months yet.

Lol ... good to see another addict in the making!

X

I'm pretty sure that the Morning Glory forum was the first one I stumbled upon when I joined DG earlier this year; I saw Beth's thread about her indoor MG and I was hooked! I am also a rather impatient gardener to some extent, so these guys thrill me with their amazing germination speed; and what robust little seedlings! I compare them to the wussy little salpiglossis and pansy seedlings that I've got started and think seriously about tossing the salpiglossis and pansy to make room for more MG's!

Grow_Jo - the cotyledons can become damaged from the seedcoat clinging and drying out causing the part of the cotyledon still in the seedcoat to incur damage...excessive dehydration (pre or post germination) and physical damage from nicking the seeds too deep would be the main causes...

I like the behaviour of the MG's also...they are very active(!) plants...the flowers opening and closing in a daily circadian rhythum and the constant observable transformational processes that are taking place make this group of plants more like a very active and animate pet...there is a constant vital flow of energies and most other plants just sort of 'sit' and are inanimate in comparison...

The relatively constant activity makes for a higher 'instant gratification' factor...

Glad to know that this is happening in your zone...

TTY,...

Ron

Congrats! Nice looking plants!

Joseph

Way to go, Joanne! You go girl!!
:) Donna

So trot us out another picture!!!

X

Joanne, I think you must get the blue ribbon for growing the most morning glory seedlings, inside, in zone 3a. That is a first I think.

I don't know what your north lattitude is, but I am at 46 degree NL, and it frosted here last night, at 700 feet elevation, on 1 April.

Don't worry abut those scruffy looking seedlings, the rest of us either have some too, or have had in the past. I have some I. setosa right now that popped up yesterday, and all three have the seed coats stuck on their heads like helmets. And it is on there like a bear trap. Maybe next time I will score through the seed coat full length of the seed and soak it longer. Frank

Nice plants.can"t wait to see the blooms.

Thanks for the comments & encouragement all!
Frank - I like the analogy of seed coats stuck like helmets on their heads - exactly! LOL. I must admit to carefully helping a couple of my MG's to shed theirs. Umm, our elevation here is around 3300 feet. It is currently snowing and I hate to think of how much snow we will accumulate in the next few days. Our overnight lows will be 10F. Doesn't it make ya want to move here??? I didn't think so.

I'm posting a couple of pix so you can see how the MG crop is doing. I've transplanted most of them to their own 16 oz cup, and I picked up some more grow lights so I'll have a bit more room as well.


Joanne

Other part of flat...

First MG's to get climbing support...2 Flying Saucer at the back, Star of Yelta in the front.

They look nice and green...they must be getting some good lighting...

Wow! You have been busy. they look great! You're gonna need a machete by the time Spring rolls around for you! Thanks for posting more pic's.

X

Thanks X!

Just regular shoplight fluorscent lights Ron, one cool, one warm in each fixture.

Joanne, your MG's look great! I'm so glad you asked about the rough-looking cotelydons because I'm starting 3 kinds of MG's for the very first time and had a few like that. Phew! I was worried I was doing something wrong. My other worry is that I started them too soon as I didn't know they grew so fast.

A new MG lover,
Erynne

Wow, they look great. I haven't been here for about a week, but wanted to say ... Great job.

A.

Thanks Gourd! How are your MG's doing? I would imagine they've outgrown their domes?

Hi Erynne! You will have to post pix of your new MG's! Most of mine that had scruffy looking cotelydons have done okay. Usually only one side of the cotelydon was affected and they all seem to be developing true leaves now. I'm pretty sure I've started mine too soon, but that's all right - if so, I'll know better for next year. Having these happy healthy green MG's growing like mad in the house has been so good for the soul, given our seemingly endless winter this year...It's currently -10C (14F) and snowing...

Joanne

Looking Good!!!

Joanne, at what stage did you move your MGs to a bigger pot of their own? First true leaves stage? My MGs germinated on March 29th and they're about three to four inches in height.....it's comical how fast MGs grow!

Looking back to my childhood, MGs were the first plant that I was able to recognize and know by name. I remember our family moving into our first house in Nov 1977 (I was 4 yrs old) and the next year Morning Glories growing on the chain link fence. My mother didn't grow any sorts of plants so how those MGs got there I never knew. I actually liked the blooms better when they were closed and the way they twirled to a point. Sorry for the reminiscing; it's just a wonder that I haven't tried to grow them until now.
So far I have sowed: Candy Pink, Heavenly Blue, & Grandpa Ott's.
Today I bought seed for: Flying Saucers and Sunrise Serenade

I'll post pics as soon as I can find the battery charger for the digi.

Erynne

Erynne,
I transplanted my MG's just as they were getting their first true leaves. See the pix right at the top of this thread; I transplanted them a couple of days after I took that. I had 3,4 or 5 seedlings per cup and I didn't want to cull them, so I moved them into their own cups to make room. They really took off right after I transplanted them.

Joanne

Hi Joanne and everyone on the MG forum.
Here are some pics from my first MG seedlings......Heavenly Blue and Candy Pink. The Candy Pink are the shorter ones.
I'm having troubles getting Grandpa Ott's to germinate; second round of seeds and nada. Very frustrating.
Hope these look okay!

....and these would be Sunrise Serenade that are just making their appearance.
I'll be starting Flying Saucers next. If there is a trick to starting Grandpa Ott's, I'd sure love to know before I chuck the seeds.

Erynne - Nice photos...I'd be interested to see a top view of the cotyledons of your Candy Pink...

The GOTTS may just be a slow sprouter for you...if the seeds are already in a planting medium...just keep it watered and try to be patient...they may have a delayed sprouting and could sprout in a few more days or a few weeks...

TTY,...

Ron

Tks Ron! I'll get a top view of the Candy Pink tonight when I get home this evening. I should warn you that the cotyledons don't look perfect because they had a heck of time losing their hats and I, um, tried to help them (admission of guilt, lol). Probably something to do with the air being too dry in my house though.
Call me curious, but what are you going to be looking for when you see the Candy Pink cotyledons? I'm all nervous now, lol.

Yeah, I've been scratching my head over Grandpa Ott's and wondering how the others germinate so fast and this one doesn't. I'll wait it out another couple of weeks then.

Thank you kindly,
Erynne

Great job Joanne and Erynne. Can't tell you two are newbies.
I've got one glory germinated, cause it's the only one I've planted....
operculina, proudly wearing it's helmet. :(
Hope I don't over react and hit it over the head with a hockey stick. lol

Jackie

Erynne - really lovely looking plants! Congrats! We'll have Canada growing up a storm of these guys yet! LOL.

As a side note, I had a near tragic accident with my MG's on the weekend; knocked over the whole tray of 24 MG's onto the CARPET. What a mess. Amazingly didn't break a single stem. Geez, could have been ugly. Will post an update of mine a little later. I am also starting to wonder what to do when the MG's reach the end of their bamboo stakes; I can see why people who grow them indoors use the spiral supports.

Joanne

Ron, here is the best pic I could get of my Candy Pink's cotyledons. I sure hope the blooms will be a nice solid pink colour as I've seen some pics here & there that look a little different.

Thanks Jackie! I definitely am new to growing MGs and will be estatic when I get to see my first blooms on these. Operculina......now that's a new name for me to read up on.....I hope you will post a pic!

Joanne, oh yikes.....the whole tray?! I imagine your heart was just thumping when that happened! I'm glad to hear that they are all okay as I know how much effort has been put into growing them. It must've been clumsy Canadian weekend because I knocked over two pots of annual seedlings this weekend too! Unfortunately, several didn't survive.
Forget about spiral supports; I think we may need to set up an arbor in our living rooms! Next year, I'm waiting just a bit longer to start MGs.....live and learn.

Erynne

Yes Erynne, I totally agree on the start time - will be a little later for me next year too.

Here's 'Mixed', 'Cameo Elegance' and one 'Candy Pink'

These are 'Scarlet Star' and 'Star of Yelta'

Sunrise Serenade....

And last but not least, Flying Saucers & one Scarlett O'Hara.
Flying Saucers are struggling; they were close to a window (so perhaps too cold overnight) and they were not quite under my growlights far enough either. Their leaves were wilting and had turned a very light green. I've moved all my MG's downstairs under a growlight that has more space under it; the Flying Saucers seem to be improving.

Joanne

Joanne, you mentioned you were wondering what to do when the MGs reach the ends of their growing stakes - there's a couple of pretty things to do -

One approach is to wind the vines around the stakes - here's a great explanation on how to set up your stakes and wind your vines - http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/Asagao/Yoneda_DB/E/Introduction/htmls/36.html

And, then, there's pinching - when you pinch the top, side shoots will form. Ron has said that this technique may double the number of your flowers - here's a great thread on the subject: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/698560/

Yup, I've fallen with a few pots myself over this past winter & spring, but no MGs were involved. Poppies were in one and primroses in another, and they still germinated fine. It's always such a surprise when Mother Nature can be so obliging in some cases, while exercising our ingenuity to the limit in other cases.

I think it's wonderful you're growing MGs indoors - I'd do it on purpose, too, if I had the room. Some of the most fascinating threads in this forum in the past were by Janett_D, who grew morning glories all through her Swedish winter and on through summer into fall - very ingenious, resourceful gardener.

edited per Ron's correction - thanks Ron

This message was edited Jun 1, 2007 1:44 PM

Thanks for posting those links Bluespiral - they are excellent.
Glad to hear I am not the only one knocking over plants! Yes Erynne, my heart was indeed pounding - thought I'd lost the whole bunch.

Erynne - Thanks for posting the cotyledon of the Ipomoea nil Candy Pink...I like to look at the specific features of cotyledons for comparative purposes...

I've noticed that the Candy Pink has cotyledons that most closely resemble the cotyledons of the older strains of Scarlett O'Hara that are being grown out...
http://davesgarden.com/journal/d/i/23862/

bluespiral - Yes, I did mention that pinching the main stem can sometimes,but not always increase the total number of blooms...

Thanks for your contributions

TTY,...

Ron

Joanne, you have a nice variety going on there and they look soooo good! Tell your DH he may have to make that trellis extra large! Or maybe he'll have to make two! I have two arbors that I would love to have MGs growing on and endless chainlink fence, which I can't stand btw.
Grandpa Otts finally sprouted ........his ears must've been burning, lol.

Hi Erynne,
I've got even more varieties to try (& MGJapan is sending me some JMG seeds too) but I don't have anymore room under my growlights. My DH is building an 8' H x 12'W lattice trellis against our fence, so I'm hoping that will be large enough for a bunch of my MG's.
He also has made me some spiral supports from coat hangers; they fit right into the 16 oz cups I'm using and along with a bamboo stake I think they'll give my MG's a bit more room to climb until its time to go outside.

Joanne