I.coccinea var.aurantia

budgielover (Jan) - mine are getting ready to bloom. I thought the vines had fallen victim to Fall, but it seems like these are literaly "late bloomers"! I had a hard time getting a good close-up, but hopefully this won't turn out (too) fuzzy.

Did your seeds come from Ron also? Can you post a pic when it blooms? The bud appears shorter and fatter than mine at that stage. Yep I had give up on it also but I had many growing in shade all summer and just moved them to the sun so I thought maybe I "tricked" them into a change of seasons. LOL

Mine just started and if I get seeds, it will be quite awhile before they are available.

Yes, mine came from Ron also. I thought maybe they wouldn't bloom, since I had them in full sun all summer. I'll be out tomorrow with the camera taking pictures and measurements. Are yours blooming in clusters? Mine look like they're 3-5 bloom clusters.

Yes they are in cluster but don't bloom simultaneously.

This was my first year growing Morning Glories. I'm confused: will Heavenly Blue and Moonflower be weedy here in N.Georgia? And if they ARE going to be all over the place, will they (esp. HB) at least come true from seed? I too am lusting after that peachy-star MG!

cedar, what zone are you in?

Here's a rare one...a salmon-coral Ipomoea hederifolia...

I got a grand total of 12 seeds collected from a small plant...gave out 9 seeds to be multiplied but none of the plants 'thrived'...many turning to a crisp in the seedling stage...one can only wonder...

I have exactly 3 seeds left...so,let's hope...

TTY,...

Ron

Wow. that's a nice one too. Do you know what happened that they didn't make it past the seedling stage. Were they place with different growers or all the same grower?

Fortunately, the above coccinea is setting seeds and if all goes well, I will have some to share. Hopefully we can get them growing country wide.

Jan

Jan - You asked
"Do you know what happened that they didn't make it past the seedling stage. Were they place with different growers or all the same grower?"

Placed with several different growers...but human error that is based upon misconceptions about MG's are difficult to dispel...except the hard way...

People strongly still 'like' to think of almost all MG's as 'weeds' and they insist on believing that a strain that has acclimated for at least several generations (and often many decades) growing prolifically in e.g. a warm moist area is going to do as well in a very hot dry climate...but, these environmentally pre-acclimated strains/species don't immediately grow like 'weeds' >especially during the (still) critical seedling stage...
so,unless an adequate life supporting environment can be provided to the seedlings to sustain(!) the changing acclimation/survival rate >they will variously turn to a crisp,'fail to thrive' or whatever other euphemisms are used to describe plants that have rapidly dropped dead and not from some 'mysterious disease'...

The synergistic combination of humidity chambers,bottom heat and overhead fluorescent lighting is a powerful set of germination tools that I am particularly partial to
although sprouting outdoors exposed to all of the natural elements and fluctuations is sometimes(!) more effective ...additionally all seedlings/very young plants transferred from a high humidity environment with fluorescent lighting to a very dry environment in sunlight must be done so gradually..

My experience is that MG seedlings are more likely to fail through some form of dehydration in general and/or during a critical transition stage than from any other cause....

So,> Keep the seedlings well hydrated...

Gradual acclimation to different environments is the correct technique for continued success...

Relatively simple concepts,relatively easily applied and produces powerful results...

Your available time and attention must be properly rationed/allocated and applied along with correct timing(!)...

Let's all Continue to Live and Learn...

TTY,...

Ron

This message was edited Dec 1, 2007 3:00 PM

You know Jan ... I do find all the MG seeds that I have grown here in my area of Florida seem to have done very well. We do have a pretty high humidity here and lots of year round sunshine. :-)

Ron - Where did the I.coccinea var.aurantia seeds originate from?

True. I think a lot depends on your location as to what kind of care you give seedlings. In my area, added heat and humidity can be a death sentence to seedlings. Quickly causes "afungus amoungus", not to mention knats. I prefer to bottom water to keep the top of the soil try and give plenty of air circulation. Even with the a/c on, I have never had a problem with lack of humidity. When starting seeds indoors, during the winter, I do use plant grow lights. During thr warmer months, I often sow in flats and put on a table in the yard under a tree

Jan - Is your vine growing inside or outside? Just curious.

I do concur with you about the fungus issue here. Definitely an issue with the Florida humidity as I can attest to the problem with some of my MG vines, Plumeria, and Canna plants.

This message was edited Dec 1, 2007 5:08 PM

It was started outside in a 4 in pot and was moved up to a 3 gal pot.

I would love to see how long of a vine yours has gotten to be. I grew Orange Noah and it never got that long. It is still alive, but doesn't seem to be growing much longer. It has set several seed pods, of which I have harvested seeds, but I don't think it will last much longer. But then again, I could be wrong and it may take off! LOL!

I'd say it goes only 6-7ft

Here are a couple photos from today

Loaded with blooms

Jan - Could you post a closeup of the most mature seedpods...

I'm wondering if the seedpod pedicels are reflexing like in the photo here of
Ipomoea coccinea
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/174039/

or are remaining erect like in the photos here of
Ipomoea hederifolia
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/89583/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/173738/

TTY,...

Ron

Ron
I'll take more when they are more mature but this is a close up from the above photo. So far, they are upright.

Janice - Your vine is magnificent! I really love that it blooms profusely! Thanks for posting a photo of the entire vine! Very, very nice! :-)