Vines, observations, and questions!

Oh my! I DO remember your thread! So did you get them up-righted? That would break my heart to see that happen after all that beautiful growth! What a beautiful and lush vine! Love it!

Well ..... experience makes us gardeners even better and smarter! (I really hope so in my case .... I am the Queen of Gardening Mistakes!)

If you're the Queen, then I'm the Queen's mother! LOL

Here it was blooming the other day. Doesn't seem to have done a whole lot of damage, and now I can reach high enough to take pics at the top!!

Separate pots are best. Your setup http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=3951482 is great. Did you say ONE seed??

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 11:47 AM

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 11:48 AM

I couldn't agree with you more Ron about growing them because of their beauty and fascinating behaviors!

I also hadn't thought about how "fast" they grow depending on temps. Makes sense.

When the weather cools, do they produce less blooms? Or more blooms to produce more seeds to survive through the winter?

Also, do seeds that fall to the ground overwinter? Do they know when best to germinate? I had some seeds that just recently started germinating that I planted a month or more ago. Though the delay could be because they are in an area with less sun. Maybe took longer to germinate because of the shade in that area? Or it could be less watering in that area, too? I'm clueless. But I am learning!

Judith - Oooooh so pretty! Glad your lovely vine survived. :-)

The photo of the pot has 3 vines in it. And 2 have been blooming. Each had a different strain of genes from the parents because one vine had blizzard blooms and the other was solid blooms. Looks really pretty together! It's right by my front door so I see it every morning when I go to work. Nice way to start the day! :-) I smile all the way driving ..... and dreaming about what tomorrow's blooms will look like! :-) :-) :-) :-)

"When the weather cools, do they produce less blooms? Or more blooms to produce more seeds to survive through the winter? "

Depends on the species,strain and even individual plants that are more adapted to flowering when it is hotter or cooler...

The more you grow out plants from seeds produced in your own climate >the better they will do overall...

"Also, do seeds that fall to the ground overwinter?"

Depends on the species and climate,but most should survive in your area...

Do they know when best to germinate?

No,especially seeds that have become adapted to drastically different climates,altitudes and latitudes...

"I had some seeds that just recently started germinating that I planted a month or more ago. Though the delay could be because they are in an area with less sun. Maybe took longer to germinate because of the shade in that area? Or it could be less watering in that area, too?"

You got it >could be a combination of all of the above...

TTY,...

Ron

Becky, gorgeous blooms. No one would ever think that you're a 1st yr
m glory grower. Lovely blooms and foliage.

Jackie

I had a Wine and Roses seed or two overwinter here in our worst winter ever. They were in a pot with a clematis. They germinated pretty late, July I think, and are growing like crazy now. Also, I planted seeds from Emma, and some also germinated in July after the others were well up and growing. Who knows? Very strange...

seeds that show 'delayed' germination are the reason that life still exists on this planet...
the later sprouting plants may survive whatever conditions may have killed off the early birds...
this is often annoying to gardeners who want everything to jump right up,but it's an extremely good thing that plants are still showing delayed germination...

May there always be 'slow pokes' to continue where the 'racers' failed...

Thanks, Jackie! I am every bit a first year MG gardener and definitely feel like I am in infancy when it comes to learning about them. What a journey! :-)

Judith - Gotta love the unpredictability of MGs! It's very much a reward for me when they sprout, grow, and finally bloom! And the fact that most have blooms that only last for an hour or so just makes them that more desirable. It's like a taste or tease to see the blooms and then they are gone until the next morning! They leave you wanting more!!!

Ron - I agree with what you said,"The more you grow out plants from seeds produced in your own climate >the better they will do overall..."

I have received plants via mail from fellow DGers and they never do as well for me as seeds. The seedlings have adapted much better than any plants I've gotten from around the country. :-)

AND ..... I hope you don't mind me stealing your saying ..."May there always be 'slow pokes' to continue where the 'racers' failed..."
I love what you said. I work with Special Needs children and I immediately thought of my students when I read that! (I know that you weren't referring to what I was thinking..... but I love your phrase! Might be a good motto for my class! :-) ) Some students at my school look at my students as outcasts and they think they are better than them .... smarter, faster, etc. I love what you said!!!! :-D

Becky - "hope you don't mind me stealing your saying "

Help yourself to whatever portions you like...

Ron - :-)

I have 2 more questions that I am wondering about:

1) I've seen here on this forum MGs in almost every color imaginable! Are there any colors that you won't see on a MG bloom? I don't think I've ever seen yellow.

2) I noticed on the Blizzard grow-outs for Karen that all my early blooms (first few blooms) had the calyx fall off as well. Is this common for many MG cultivars? I was wondering if the first couple of blooms might be "weaker" and therefore the vine will not produce seeds from those? The vines now seem to be holding on to the flower heads. (Thank goodness!)

Becky,
We need to find you a cheap, TALL and easy trellis plan for all your MG needs! You know I have seen some advertisements for DIY copper trellis that might be nice... or maybe use white PVC and the trellis will not stand out against your white fence... the flowers will be more noticeable that way, the trellis itself would blend in, just a thought.

And are the pictures taken on the patio you have been working on??? Too cool, really looking good!
Pat

Hi Pat - Nice to see you here! I hope your MGs bloom!

I can't use metal ..... metal absorbs heat and would fry the vines. I have white vinyl trellis panels on the fence. The vines could meander along the trellis and fence, but there are flower beds in front of ALL my fencing. Makes it really hard to get to the vines to mark the blooms without stepping on plants. Maybe when they all die down in February, I will put a paver or two in the middle of each of the garden beds that I can stand on. Though I really do like the pot idea that I used for the front yard. I just need taller bamboo sticks! LOL! Thanks for the great suggestions!

And yes! ... that is the patio! We are ALMOST DONE!!! One more Saturday and only one single row of 2' X 12'! My dh and I had planned to finish it up yesterday, but after doing 12 of the 2' X 2' concrete molds we were beat! We figured that we are lifting (TWICE) and mixing 720 lbs. of concrete each weekend!!! (Whew!) We have completed a 14' X 12' patio .... and after next week it will be the finished 16' X 12' patio that we wanted. The cost is coming in at under $200. We are happy and love the way it looks!!! And the rain water is now running away from the house! (Nice bonus .... though we planned it that way by sloping it slightly down and away from our house.) What a job! Definitely NOT something we wanted to do every weekend. I told my dh that I would wait until it got much cooler to add the paths. We will be using the mold for that too. LOL! Gluttons for punishment!!! Thanks for the compliments! We love our new patio!!!

I just wanted to clarify something ..... each vine you see in my set-up came from ONE seed per each cultivar. I am trying out some MG seeds that were shared with me from Emma (and maybe another person.... not sure). It is ASTONISHING to see a small seed grow into a vine like these! I keep thinking of Jack and the Beanstalk! LOL!

I made the mistake of planting a whole bunch of seeds my first try and the rodent got them. Wasted all my seeds! So now I am more frugal! :-)

Yes, buds dropping off is common. You noticed it because you were looking. All kinds of morning glories drop buds especially if it is hot or if the plant is low on pollen. If no pollen gets to the end of the pistil then no fertilization will take place and the bud will fall off within a week.

Sometimes, the first flush of flowers will drop the buds and then the pods will begin to hold later. I don`t know all the reasons but do know I see this phenomenon in all morning glories I have grown. Karen

I left town for 12 days recently and I could not believe the growth I had on my MG's! Still no blooms, but I'm trying the Bloom Booster to see if I can promote a little color my way! I have stepping stones molds (bird bath, and garden bench too) if I can ever get them back from the couple I loaned them to when I went back to school... The trouble is they left town for 2 years and their "kids" have not found them for me yet! I really miss my cement molds now that I have a garden again!
Pat

I've got another question .....

I am growing a seed that is thought to be Joyce Cobb. The vine and leaves are huge but I'm not seeing any buds on this vine. Any idea what I might be doing wrong. All my other vines are either blooming or getting ready to. This vine is bigger than most of those, so I am very surprised it's not producing some blooms!

Becky - The first potential seedpods may not take due to incomplete fertilization but it seems as though the plants metabolism isn't fully ready to produce seeds yet...like the first blooms act as a sort of sensor that is 'sampling the environment' so to speak...

There are yellow Morning Glories and there are a very few that show an orange pigment although both yellow and orange are in very low levels in the species most grown as ornamentals...Orange and yellow would bring entire new color dimensions to the Ipomoea tricolor,Ipomoea nil and Ipomoea purpurea that we so enjoy...

Some Morning Glory species that have yellow or orange colored flowers include the following:

Ipomoea aurantiaca
http://www.cs.umb.edu/~whaber/Monte/Plant/Conv/img/Ipom-aura-fl-164-112.jpg
http://www.cs.umb.edu/~whaber/Monte/Plant/Conv/img/Ipom-aura-fl-839-b.JPG

Ipomoea coccinea var.aurantia
http://www.barbadine.com/pages/ipomoea_aurantia_lien.htm

Ipomoea hederifolia
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/88426/

Ipomoea microsepala
http://www.tropicos.org/viewer/main.asp?client=085&image=MOA-06904_001.sid&title=Ipomoea%20microsepala&desc=Flowering%20vine.&tropicos_id=08501601&ssdp=01489135&vt=CROAT%2045290&photographer=T.%20Croat©right=T.%20Croat&area=

Ipomoea neei
http://images.mobot.org/viewer/vieweronly.asp?client=&image=&cat=&imageURL=http://images.mobot.org/mrsid/085/08500784_001.jpg&mode=

Ipomoea obscura - Ethiopia and Keniaki
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/164030/

Ipomoea ochracea
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/93135/

Ipomoea pandurata - very rare in yellow
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/130640/

Ipomoea tuberculata
http://www.blumen-passiflora.de/bilder/htm/ipo5.htm

Hewittia malabarica
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/161267/

Merremia aurea
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/73052/

Merremia hederacea
http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/images/Fleurs_du_Vietnam/fleurs_du_Vietnam_2/Merremia_hederacea.jpg


Merremia gemella
http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/Asagao/Yoneda_DB/Images/PCD2522/D/14.jpg

Merremia tuberosa
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=2953976

Merremia umbellata
http://www.tropicamente.it/home/catalogo/cata/m-n/Merremia%20umbellata.JPG

Merremia vitifolia
http://www.natureproducts.net/Forest_Products/Convolvulaceae/morninggloryyellow.html

Operculina alata
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/145518/

Operculina pteripes
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/139571/


thread on native Calystegia and Convolvulus
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/666453/

Fragrance during the day is also something that should be strengthened...

TTY,...

Ron



This message was edited Sep 10, 2007 6:29 AM

Oh my gosh, Ron! You are an angel! I was thinking that if you told me that yellow and orange are colors that could be found in MG blooms, I'd spend days trying to figure out which ones they are. You did all the leg-work for me instead! THANKS!!!! That was really nice of you to spend the time looking many of them up and posting the links here for me and anyone else interested. You rock, Ron!!!! :-) :-)

This message was edited Sep 10, 2007 9:11 PM

If y'all get a chance .... Check out this link I posted earlier. I had an interesting encounter today and caught it on camera!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/770012/

Enjoy!

wow becky
your blooms are beautiful
you sure got a nice start :)

pamsue

Well, I'm impressed - your setup is very pretty and also intelligent - you won't have to climb to the top of a magnolia to harvest seed pods :)

Glad you asked about the flowers falling off and not setting seed - I was all ears on that one. As Ron says, they won't set seed without being fertilized, among other factors.

But how maddening that Ipomoea nil cultivars seem to be the ones to be most stingy when it comes to setting those seed pods, compared to the other dozen or so other species & 4 dozen or so nils planted here this summer. Ron, is there something special about the nils that makes them so persnickety in this department?

After reading the above and re-reading links I've saved on pollination from this forum, plus noticing how few pods ever set on our nils - whether open pollinated or on MG buds that have been bagged the night before they open and waggled (to shake the pollen around inside) the morning after - I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm going to have to get out the ol' tweezers and help things along. Becky, here's a picture/explanation of MG male & female reproductive parts, and how-tos on this tweezer business from Ron and Gardener2005 - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3858430 in case you'd like to try it some time.

To Ron or the forum, could the fertilization in the nils be more susceptible to summer heat than in other MG species that set pods so much more easily? A structural pecadillo in reproductive parts or something awry in the pollen? There seems to be lots of pollen in our nils, so...? Other beyond what was discussed here so far?

Becky, in this post - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3951362 - you mentioned keeping potted vines within the bounds of their stakes. Wrapping around & around works for a lot of folks, but additionally you might consider pruning at some point - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/698560/ .

Also, I understand that shorter days bring on flowering - does anyone know if it matters whether the shorter days are decreasing in the fall or increasing in the spring? Anyhoo, if the plant can be flowered during short days before it busies itself growing long vines, that might help, too.

Queen & Queen's mother of gardening mistakes??? Y'all better move over there.

So much of what was discussed on this thread helped to reinforce things I know but have not applied very well - especially here - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3954293 where you talk about accessibility to the vines. I so wanted to see MGs flower among other flowers in our garden, but you really have to think about what you want to accomplish. The baggies aren't very attractive among the posies in general, and too often the posies get trampled in trying to bag a MG bud. I could go on an on about foibles related to not potting MGs of which I have too much personal knowledge. Glad you brought that one up, too.

This is a wonderful thread, Becky. As Arlen said, we all learn something new or gain more depth when we return to these questions.

I enjoyed getting out there learning first hand and taking the pictures for the thread. It takes practice. Reading about it and doing it is two different things. There is nothing like watching a flower get torn to shreds and pollen dropping in the grass never to be found again to teach you technique. :)

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/732341/

Becky,
"Yes, unfortunately, the entire outer flower > the calyx is falling off!...
This often happens to mine on the first few nil flowers. I don't think the plant is ready or established enough to produce seeds when the first few blooms come along. I have very few nils that set seeds on the first bloom, although it has happened. If any bloom goes unfertilized the whole calyx will turn yellow and fall off. But don't worry, later blooms will more than likely produce seeds.
Beth

Thanks y'all! This thread has been very informative for me and I'm glad for others as well. :-)

Karen (Blue) - Thanks for all the great links! Very helpful!!!! :-)

Beth - You describe EXACTLY what is happening to my calyx falling off the vines.

I have more questions about some that I am currently growing out, but will do so later this week. My dd has to use the computer for a report, so I'm signing off for now!

Karen (Blue) - You asked .... "To Ron or the forum, could the fertilization in the nils be more susceptible to summer heat than in other MG species that set pods so much more easily? A structural pecadillo in reproductive parts or something awry in the pollen? There seems to be lots of pollen in our nils, so...? Other beyond what was discussed here so far?"

I about had a heart attack today after I got home from work (after 4:30 pm)...... all my vines were totally wilted! I thought for sure the sun had fried them to death. So I watered them and then watered them some more to try to get them hydrated. All I could think of was that all my hard work caring for them was going to be a loss (for seeds) because of the heat today. But I checked on them after dark about 9 pm and they all bounced right back as if nothing had happened! Whew! I hope this doesn't cause them to drop their seed pods. It's been miserably hot here this week!

Can this dehydration during the heat of the day cause any forming seed pods to dry up and die?

Does fertilizing regularly with Bloom Booster help with seed production?

These vines and especially the blooms look so delicate and fragile particularly when the sun gets the better of them during the hottest part of the day..... but they are tougher than I expected and the vine stems themselves seem almost impossible to break without cutting (unless it's new growth which snaps off too easily). If I decide to "prune the top growth" of these vines to keep them contained (as Karen suggested), what happens to the vine? Does it die off faster? Does it cause seed production to increase or decrease? Or does it have no affect on the vine at all? I'm trying to decide what I should do to try to allow seed production on each vine to obtain it's maximum potential. All the lower blooms/calyx on the vines have fallen off on almost every cultivar.

I hear that some vines are stingy about seed production, so I am wondering if there is something I can do to coax the vines to produce more seeds?

Becky - Here's a few thoughts/replies to your questions...

"Can this dehydration during the heat of the day cause any forming seed pods to dry up and die?"
If it is extreme and/or prolonged...

"Does fertilizing regularly with Bloom Booster help with seed production?"
it probably won't impair seed production and might help by strengthening metabolim and increasing the overal number of blooms...

"prune the top growth" what happens to the vine?"
usually cause additional side shoots...

"Does it die off faster?"
not necessarilly,unless you do it right after transplanting when it would contribute to the overrall shock...

"Does it cause seed production to increase or decrease?"
it might indierctly cause additional seed production if additional sidshoots on the particular vine increases the overall number of blooms...

"wondering if there is something I can do to coax the vines to produce more seeds?"
experiment with different things like you are thinking about(!)...

TTY,...

Ron

Becky, how about checking out the DG Container Forum - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/containers/all/ ?

The first topic has to do with water retention/movement in a pot. I have to confess that although I should read it, I'm too pooped from untangling vines all day to do it right now.

It seems that some wilting of MGs is normal at the end of a hot summer day, but I'm suspecting that pot culture might need some help in the water department. Some years ago, I read about a technique for keeping your plants watered if for some reason you could not be at home for a few days. It works by capillary action.

Some kind of coiled cloth/rag (some DGers swore by diapers lol) was put into each pot going down to the pot's bottom and then up into a bucket of water. Soil and plant went on top of the rag. If you had a big enough container, you could have a circle of plants around the container of water. Be sure the pots do not sit in water - you want constant drainage.

Well, there's more sophisticated ways of automatically watering plants - greenhouses use those systems, and I think drip watering gardens is a variation of the same thing.

I'm probably the only one around here that doesn't grow MGs in pots, so I really shouldn't be making suggestions. Anyone have any comments?

I think the most sure-fire way to coax seeds out of a plant is to gently brush anthers over the pistil so that some pollen from the anthers gets onto the pistil - see those links on pollination I gave above.

Ron and Karen - Thanks for the information and the ideas ..... AND the encouragement!!! I shall be looking at different ways to grow my next batch of MG seeds.

Here is a photo (sorry it's a little blurry) of a bee that was going from one MG bloom to another this morning! They hit the MGs and the Cuban Buttercups first thing before any other flowers. :-)

Becky - love your containers of MG's. Marvelous blooms. Great thread.

BTW, I had the same near-heart attack experience when my MG's in containers were wilting on very hot days. Thought for sure I wasn't giving them enough water, then I noticed even when well-watered they still wilted. But they always seemed to recover later in the day, so I assumed it was just an MG thing...

Joanne

Thanks, Joanne!

I am thinking that my vines stacked together on the patio table are all too close together. Which may make it hard for the bees to get to each individual bloom to pollinate them. It is also very humid here and the pollen probably doesn't float & mix to self-pollinate. So I am thinking that is why so many of the calyx are dropping off. I need to figure something else out as far as how I arrange them.

I will hopefully be finishing up the patio this weekend and perhaps will sit the containers on the ground around the patio to give them more breathing space and more opportunity for them to get sun (though that is not always a good thing here in the heat), but mainly to be easier access for the bees. I'm just not sure what to do yet.

My goal now ..... is to get as many seeds from each cultivar as possible for myself, to send some to Emma who so graciously shared with me, and still have some left to trade with. I sure hope so!!!

Y'all have seen my set-up. Any ideas?

This message was edited Sep 15, 2007 9:02 PM

Okay .... I am re-thinking my set-up. I have lined them all up along the new patio. I will rotate them each evening because part of that area is in full shade and the other part is in full sun.

While I was observing my vines this morning, I was also watching the bees. I am hoping by lining the containers up that the bees will be able to pollinate them easier. (Fingers crossed!!!) Most of the calyx I am seeing are dying. So I am really concerned about the seed production on all these vines. It doesn't look very good at this time from what I am seeing.

Okay ..... more questions and theories .....

I was thinking about the Star of Yelta vines that I grew first along the fence. I got a LOT of seeds from that vine. The blooms were smaller. I watched the bees go to certain cultivars of my grow out vines in the containers on the patio. I am thinking that perhaps some bloom cultivars produce more nectar than others to entice the bees to come. Perhaps the crosses and hybrids don't have the nectar production that older cultivars do? Or maybe it was because by the time I got everything done, the blooms were already wilting and perhaps are not attractive to the bees at that point. I do not know for sure.

Ron, you have been raising MGs for a long time. Do you rely on bees or do you do more of your own pollination? Have you observed the behavior of the bees now or in the past?

Also, I noticed ants (some larger and some smaller species) inside the blooms. Do they also pollinate the blooms? I know they are after the nectar.

Why are some cultivars of MGs more rare than others?

Do "struggling" vines produce more seeds as a means of survival? Or less seeds? Or does it not matter? When I say struggling, I mean vines that are growing in less than optimum conditions where the vine is barely making it.

What do the vines need to thrive and bloom..... I know they do well in full sun, but do they also do well in partial shade or full shade? Do they need full or partial sun to bloom?

I am going to rotate the vine containers to make sure each set of vines gets full sun, partial sun, and shade over a 5 day period. I am not sure what will happen to these vines when I move them continuously each day. Will it interrupt their growth or blooms?

That's my questions for now.

Oops! I forgot I posted this photo on the previous post. Sorry.

This message was edited Sep 16, 2007 5:58 PM

I am also taping a letter on the container to correspond with each vine to make it easier for recording purposes.

I have to be on the road early for work, so I don't have a lot of time for writing the name of the vine to correspond to each photo frame I take. I don't even get to look at the photos until AFTER I get home.

Another note ..... I noticed the bees going from bloom to bloom. If it liked the bloom it would crawl inside for the nectar and dig around. If not, it would fly on to another bloom.

Because all of my vines are so close together, I can see where there is a cross pollination possibility for ALL these vines if they are all compatible with each other. I don't know a nil from a purpurea, so I do not know which vines "could" be crossed. If I ever get seeds, it could have some interesting results ..... or not.

Becky,
Your MG are beautiful and having them in a container makes it so easy to "adjust your look". I have NEVER been a container growing but you are starting to make me rethink that. DARN it, I don't need another hobby, another ANYTHING!!! PLEASE I don't want another flower addiction... stop me before I surrender to this new temptation!!
Pat

Thanks, Pat! Did your MGs bloom yet?

Yes! A warning should come with this forum ..... Read and view the beautiful blooms at your own risk! Viewing can lead to MG growing addiction! LOL!

Becky, what's the depth of the soil in your containers? Just curious. Your set up is definitely giving me ideas for next year....I could grow a lot more MG's than I did this year.

Pat - resistance is futile...LOL


Joanne Ü

Becky - A few thoughts in response to your inquiries...

"I am thinking that perhaps some bloom cultivars produce more nectar than others to entice the bees to come. Perhaps the crosses and hybrids don't have the nectar production that older cultivars do?"

Wild strains will usually have more nectar production and natural selection of the fittest ensures this because if they didn't have enough of 'something' to insure pollination they would not survive...there are many signals that plants can potentially have to attact pollinators...color guides and volatile components in the fragrance and in the nectar are a few...

Or maybe it was because by the time I got everything done, the blooms were already wilting and perhaps are not attractive to the bees at that point. I do not know for sure."

The pollinator attractants are usually at max early after the flower opens and wanes considerably after the flower has been open for business for 'awhile'...

"Do you rely on bees or do you do more of your own pollination?"
Depends on what I would like as far as specific results...I most defintely hand pollinate all the most 'special' ones for any particular growout and those that I'm not overly concerned about crossing I let the bees do it...

"Have you observed the behavior of the bees now or in the past?"
Always...


"Also, I noticed ants (some larger and some smaller species) inside the blooms. Do they also pollinate the blooms? I know they are after the nectar."

There are many different locations on a plant for nectaries...the main inner flower nectary is thought to attract the main pollinators like bees and hummingbirds and the accessory nectaries(e.g., extra floral nectaries EFN) located both on the inside and on the outer flower(as well as on all other parts of the plant) are thought to mainly attract/distract the ants from the main nectaries...there are also other' payoffs' to ants like beltian bodies etc the full impact of which is still being studied...


"Why are some cultivars of MGs more rare than others?
That is a very broad question...but natural ability to reproduce combined with appeal to animals and humans probably plays a very large part in abundance and/or rarity...


"What do the vines need to thrive and bloom....."
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3951491

I know they do well in full sun, but do they also do well in partial shade or full shade?
You'll hae to experiment to see how they respond to your particular environmental lighting factors...

"Do "struggling" vines produce more seeds as a means of survival? Or less seeds?"

When plants respond to stress by producing seeds >the main drive is to reproduce,but the exact type of stress 'specifications' can vary with the species,strain and cultivar...e.g.,a perennial may respond differently than an annual...

"Do they need full or partial sun to bloom?"
Induction of blooming is very dependant on the hours of sunlight and darkness but can also vary as to the particular species and cultivar...if you get seeds of an Ipomoea purpurea adapted to New Guinea it is going to behave differently than an Ipomoea purpurea that has become adapted to Sweden...

"I am not sure what will happen to these vines when I move them continuously each day. Will it interrupt their growth or blooms?
Be sure to let us know...

TTY,...

Ron

Thanks again for being so nice to answer my questions, Ron!!!

Someone mentioned "brushing" the pollen to fertilize the blooms. What does that mean? Do you use a paint brush or what?

In this photo you can see the the calyx of several blooms. The yellow one is one that I have seen far too many times. It will dry up and fall off the vine. The green ones are yet to be determined whether they will form seed pods. (Hopefully!)