New to starting MG's from seed

First of all, I thought I had a problem with how many morning glory varieties I started. After spending over an hour perusing this forum (my new favorite; used to be Roses) I think that starting 5 varieties isn't too over the top at all! (Picotee Blue, Flying Saucers, Clarke's Heavenly Blue, Picotee Red, and Crimson Rambler). My family may think I've lost it when they see I ordered about 8 more varieties. Diane's Seeds had such exquisite varieties I couldn't help it. I've decided not to even LOOK into the JMG's yet!
Anyway, my question is - Can the growlight be left on too long? I leave it on 24/7 and have been since I planted the seeds about a week ago. The seedlings seem fine but I'm wondering if they need rest like we need sleep:-) Also, what's the least amount of exposure from the grow light they need? I am going to have to switch it to half a day since I have another flat I just started yesterday that will need it too. I don't get quite as much sunlight as I need inside our home.
Thanks,
Cheryle

This is a good question to ask. Many people leave them on 24/7, and don't worry about it, but plants do need some rest. As a matter of fact, the quality of the dark period is very important to them and has been discussed at length before. A good number of people are growing them inside now, and even with bright lights.

Plants too have circadian rhythms. They shed oxygen during the daylight period, and they absorb oxygen during the dark period. How much oxygen they need isn't known to me. Because some outstanding varieties take up to 8 months to produce ripe dry seeds, we get a head start by starting them inside. If you live where they won't bloom from seed, because the growing season is too short for them, then you have to compensate by starting them early inside to gain some extra time. The first frost always stops them in their tracks.

There are various opinions available, based on peoples experience. My belief is that the photo period tells them how far north of the equater they are, or what month of the year it is. This informations tells them what they are supposed to be doing. So if we give them 18 hours of light, in December they may bloom because they think it is July, and so forth. It is interesting to note that, they produce their blooms during the shortest rest periods.

If you haven't gone back and read the older posts yet, let me tell you they are very very informative. Did you know there is a morning glory tree native to Mexico? and there are numerous morning glory bushes.? You will find the pics of these in the plant file. Be sure to type in Convolvulaceae in the family line, and cruise on from there. We don't have a sticky for the frequently asked questions, so we recommend reading the older forum and threads, and welcome aboard the good ship Morning Glory. Frank

Cheryl, normally if we start out with mg seeds, we want to hurry them up, so we scarrify them by grinding through the see coat, and then soaking them for up to 12 hours, and in this way they take only about 3 days to germinate. Only because we cheated their internal clocks. We also use heat mats for bottom heat which speeds thing up for us a litttle more. Efery day we can cheat their own clocks, is one more day of blooming during our 3 to 4 nmonth growing season. Frank

Frank,

Thanks for all the info! I have looked at previous posts but only went back about 3-4 pages since there is so much to read. I'll keep reading. I came across the MG bush in past posts and the tree somewhere else on the internet. I wasn't convinced it was true! Funny to learn that it is:-)
I'm in zone 5 and since it's been especially cool this "spring" I decided to start some inside. I didn't nick the seed coats but I did soak them in water. Had to start the soak over a few times as my teenage son and husband both accidentally tossed some, thinking they were used tea leaves:-) I got lucky with the varieties I chose since it was exactly 3 days for germination. I also bought heat mats for the seeds this year and was using them.
I took them off the lights last night and am glad I did after reading about how they absorb oxygen in the dark. I'd had them on those lights without rest for almost a whole week. They're back on the lights now. I could tell they were wanting more light since they seemed to turn like a sunflower (heliotropic?). I'll keep the rest periods short since you said they produce more blooms. I'm definitely in favor of that since I like the blooms much more than the foliage.
BTW, I did nick the seed coats on the moonflowers I started soaking last night. Eegads those seed coats are like armor!

I start MG's inside, but for a different reason -- I'm out on a farm, and the first year I planted seed in the ground, there was NOTHING that wasn't eaten to the nubs by earwigs (and ????) the second it came up.

I don't start in soil. I use the coffee filter method, and when the seeds have sprouted, I have two options:

1. transplant to a paper cup, then score the sides of the cup, cut the bottom off, and plant the cup in the ground. If the earwigs are really bad, I use a plastic collar -- made from a recycled yogurt cup with the bottom cut off, or from a small nursery pot (2 - 3") with the bottom cut off. That collar gives my seedling a chance to develop some bigger leaves, which appear to be a lot less tasty.

2. transplant directly in the soil, often using the same plastic collar method.

I often don't have to do this in later years, because there is so much seed that it's not possible for pests to eat every seedling.

Would love suggestions from anyone else dealing with this problem. I can control the snails and slugs by hand picking and baiting with safe snail bait, but the earwigs are a real challenge. They love eggplant seedlings, too.

(I have cats, so I don't use pesticides that pose a health risk to kitties.)

"Tokoro" means place in Japanese. When you garden, you really get to know your place.

Great name and perspective Tokoro. I love hearing about the different ways people start seeds. Last year, I started a lot of seeds in a plastic baggie with a moist paper towel and taped the bags to the window. It gave my children, my students at school, and myself a chance to see the roots - just everything developing. I loved that. Another thing we did with the kids at school was have a seed race. Using a clear plastic cup, a moist paper towel molded to the shape of the cup, and whichever seeds you're interested in "racing." It's lots of fun and the kids can "water" the plants with a mister.

Here are some links that might help - especially the ones involving Cornell University: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Cornell+University%22+%2B+earwigs

I apologize for not putting more time into this right now.

Tokoro, welcome to the MG forum - I love your DG name - that's what I love so much about Japanese woodcuts from the Edo period - the way they explicate (better word?) the "sense of place" within nature/flower/seasonal cycle contexts - http://www.hiroshige.org.uk/ (I'm not a collector, just an admirer) But, I guess, "sense of place" can also be interpreted as a meditative trip to the present - wherever we may be - a lot of potential healing there.

Karen