Trumpet vine container growing???

10 years ago

Hi,

I have a slip on a dock at a marina and have had pretty fair luck container growing tomatoes, so I'd like to try some trumpet vine to try attracting hummingbirds. I already have some seeds sprouted and know it's late in the year, but I'm hoping it will end up being early for next year instead of too late in this one. If they die over the winter I'll start new seeds in spring, but if they make it through then they'll hopefully have an early start for next year.

I have a couple of basic questions. Is it best to only grow one plant per container like with tomatoes, and let it branch out for itself without having more than one plant compete with each other? Will one plant spread out and make more than one vine?

The soil I use for tomatoes is Miracle Grow potting mix. Is that as good as anything for trumpet vine too? That soil has worked GREAT for the tomatoes.

Should I let the vine get several inches long in a smaller pot, and then bury it along the surface of the final container so it spreads and sends up several more shoots, or won't it do that?

Thanks for any help!
David

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Comments (4)

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
You want to grow this vine specifically for the hummingbirds? Are there hummingbirds in the area?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
Unless you have a very large container, you do not want to grow trumpet vine. It is a big, aggressive vine and needs space. And something to climb on/be supported by. Also growing it from seed will take a good few years before you see any blooms.

I'd reconsider this choice and consider a smaller, better behaved vine. Any number of easy to grow annual vines are hummingbird attractants. But then so are scores of annuals and perennials, all of which will fare much better in a container on a dock than the beast-like trumpet vine. If you can provide location, we can get more specific as to suggestions.

And I would not recommend Miracle Gro potting soil for any long term container planting. It may be OK for a seasonal period (like with the tomatoes), but it does not hold up well enough for anything long term. It compacts and loses both aeration and good drainage qualities.
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Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
Hence my questions, 8 days ago, a lot of these folks never come back.
edlincoln
10 years ago
I actually have a trumpet vine growing in a pot. (Temporarily...I plan on putting it in the ground in the Fall).

I have it in a pot with sand at the bottom, plain old dirt in the middle, and Miracle Grow potting mix in the top. They aren't picky about soil. It seemed to die when I tried to transplant it, but it came back.

If you mean transplant the plant from a small plant you are growing inside, that should work fine. I wouldn't completely bury the plant...most plants die if you bury the leaves.

If it survives it should spread and fill the pot. I'd put a couple seedling in the pot anyway, in case one dies. I find them easy to start from seed, but I've never got a seedling to really take. Bigger plants (which I obtained by digging them up) seem to be pretty tough and survive a lot of neglect.

The biggest catch with this plan is I've never known trumpet vines to produce flowers until they get fairly old and big.

On the plus side, it's fairly salt tolerant. Another plant you could put in a container on a dock is Virginia Rose.

This post was edited by edlincoln on Thu, Sep 19, 13 at 22:14