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pairtree_gw

Heavenly Blues are Pathethically pink MG

PairTree
11 years ago

Hi,

I planted some Heavenly blue morning glories, and they are starting to bloom. But, they are all super pale pink, almost white.A friend said it could be the acidity of the soil, and suggested adding eggshells. I thought, if that worked , it would take a long time to work, and wondered if there is a liquid solution that would be faster. Does anyone else have this issue, and if so, how did you solve it ? Thanks !

Comments (9)

  • Carrie B
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Where did you get the seeds from?

  • musarojo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Can you post a picture? It sounds like what you have growing isn't Heavenly Blue.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello,

    The Heavenly Blue cultivar is Ipomoea tricolor and although the acidity of the soil could potentially affect the color , if it was simply the acidity the color should be a richer pink.

    There is a lavender cultivar of Ipomoea tricolor known "Wedding Bells" and you might have an unusual sport of WB's.

    I agree with musarojo that a photo of the flower (especially the lower outer tube showing the sepals) would help to confirm the identity of what you have growing.

    Looking forward to solving this mystery.

    regards,

    Ron

  • PairTree
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for your replies ! I emailed the company, and they think it *may* have been mislabled. I probably should not mention their name ? The picture looks much darker pink, in real life they are more pale, really washed out. I direct sowed them in the Hudson Valley , NY, in March. Thanks !

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    PairTree - It's a good thing that you posted a photo because what you have there is unlikely to have come out of any seed-packet...

    The plant you posted is Calystegia sepium which spreads by underground rhizomes in addition to the seeds...it is usually way too invasive for most gardeners, although I have it growing along a fence in my yard (for about 10 years now) and it tends to stay where it is...although I'd suggest that you consider your situation very carefully...

    regards,

    Ron

  • PairTree
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    omg. I planted something like 1000 seeds.. um.. what to do ? cut them down ? Is it a type of MG, or really a weed ?

    Thanks !

  • PairTree
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is a photo of the side and leaves, and the stemes are a very dark purple. My other MGs are green

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pair Tree - Thank you for posting the sideview (and although generally a good idea) , it isn't necessary for my personal identification purposes as I am very (!) familiar with this particular species and can ID it with a very high degree of accuracy.

    I had stated in a post above
    "The plant you posted is Calystegia sepium which spreads by underground rhizomes in addition to the seeds...it is usually way too invasive for most gardeners."

    I would suggest that you remove the plant because of the very high potential for spreading by underground rhizomes.

    You can likely (very carefully) pull up the rhizomes taking particular care to try and get all of the roots in 1 piece...you can do this if the ground is very moist and if you use something like a short handled weed root remover to assist in loosening the dirt around the roots to help in removal...if the rhizome snaps , then you need to carefully dig around the pieces left in the ground until you have all the pieces out.

    Performing the root removal by hand is usually much more successful the looser the soil is and may be more successful after a heavy rain loosens up the soil.

    The rhizomes can all be removed by hand if you do it exactly as I stated and I know others may have different opinions...mine is based on having removed all the rhizomes from 1st year plants totally successfully...and yours are 1st year plants if (!) they came out of the packet as you stated...

    Now , if you truly have an extremely large number of Calystegia sepium plants growing , then removal by hand w/o using toxic herbicides may not be a realistic option for you.

    I never make suggestions on herbicides , especially Roundup or anything else made by Monsanto because based upon my own research there are no environmentally safe commercial herbicides despite the widespread propaganda from the manufacturers / distributors and those who are unfamiliar with the studies done by researches who are completely unaffiliated (and not funded directly or indirectly) in any way, shape , manner or form with Monsanto or it's subsidiaries.....any herbicide suggestions may issue from another gardener / contributor.

    You asked :

    "Is it a type of MG, or really a weed ? "

    Calystegia is a genus within the Family of Convolvulaceae which is commonly known as the Morning Glory Family , so it certainly could be referred to as a Morning Glory , but , different species have different growing habits...

    There are species within the Calystegia genus which DO NOT spread by underground rhizomes (believe it or not) but Calystegia sepium DOES spread by underground rhizomes and is often extremely invasive in a typical garden setting because of the soft soil , lack of competition from other plants etc.,

    The seeds of Calystegia sepium (in 10000 seed quantity) are unlikely to have come out of a commercial pack , but stray seeds can get into any crop...

    I am still 'somewhat skeptical' about 1000 seeds of Calystegia sepium coming out of a packet of what was supposed to be an Ipomoea (?) species

    There are smaller merchants with websites and on e-bay who do not know how to accurately identify species and I have seen these type of merchants post photos of Calystegia sepium and call them something other than what they are.

    Hope my offerings may prove to be of some help...

    regards,

    Ron

  • PairTree
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    HI Ron, Thank you very much for your detailed answer. They are indeed first years, from a seed packet. I really can not believe someone would sell such a thing... Anyway, i will remove, following your advice. The wet/ loose soil sounds great, but it is a heatwave now. I'm thinking about cutting them now, to stop the growth, and then waiting for the roots to dry / bake a bit, and then , when the next big rain comes, extracting them.

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