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arabs4me_gw

Morning Glory won't bloom

arabs4me
18 years ago

I have several morning glories - some bloom profusely, and I have 3 that are enormous vines that are all over, but not a bloom in site. What can I do to get them to bloom? Is it a lost cause? They are next to the ones that bloom about 25 flowers a day...any ideas are appreciated. Thanks!

Comments (63)

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Morning Glories can exhibit delayed blooming from a number of different causes including excessive Nitrogen levels in conjunction with temperature and lighting variables...
    the sum total of all environmental factors and variables exert an inter-connected and sometimes synergistic effect...ratios of relevant factors can vary alot and so also does the response of the plants...

    The observance of 2 plants responding very differently when exposed to the same environment is an example of the adaptive genetic diversity present in the plants...the plant that blooms well in one environment may not bloom well in another and vice versa...

    Growing your next crop of plants from seeds collected from plants that responded the way you would like to see them respond is more likely to result in plants that are the most satisfying for you...

    Seeds collected from plants that grew and flowered well in your(!) zone(!) or a climate zone most similar to your own will in all likihood yield the best results...this includes summer and winter high and low temperatures as well as growing season daily(!) average(!) temperatures...
    latitude is also a factor because the Electro-magnetic spectrum(!) of sunlight varies at different latitudes...additionally >mountainous areas receive a different spectrum of sunlight than comparatively very low areas like valleys...

    The ratio(!) of all the essential and non-essential Macro and Micro nutrients will affect the growth and flowering response of the plants...a ratio that works well in Portland,OR may not work well for someone in Dallas,TX or Chicago,Tampa or New York...

    Nitrogen in excessive amounts can sometimes delay flowering,but since the word 'fertilizer' and even 'nutrient' are fuzzy terms that actually can refer to at least 25 or more elements...it it better to be more specific in relation to the particular element(s) being referred to...

    Plants can respond to both essential and non-essential(!) elements and nutrient like substances...again the ratios(!) of all substances present can exert widely varying results > and are often almost impossible to calculate in their vast all-inclusive sum total entirety...

    The trace minerals can affect the growth and flowering behaviour of plants,but the sum total of all environmental factors involved including the ever important ratios(!) are often very difficult to ascertain completely...
    so an intelligent guesstimate is the best that can most often be arrived at with regard to providing a plant with what will most likely induce it to behave the way we as individuals would enjoy...

    The macro nutrient Phosphorus is most often bloom stimulating and Potassium is good for healthy root systems...and although excessive(!) levels of the macro nutrient Nitrogen can result in delayed blooming
    >too little(!) Nitrogen can also delay blooming and reduce the overall viability of seeds...

    Every particular situation and person may discover a particular strain of plants and a combination of climate and soil conditions that work out well for them...if a particular formula works for you > continue with it...

    Seeds harvested from plants that have displayed the features that you like >that originate from overall conditions most similar to your own present growing conditions are more likely to do well >in your(!)particular garden than seeds that come from plants that were grown in significantly different overall growing conditions...
    that is why saving the seeds from your own plants that do well in your(!) own garden is a very important factor
    >because these seeds are most likely to re-produce plants that are progressively better adapted to your own particular growing conditions...

    Hope this is helpful and continue to Enjoy...

    TTY,...

    Ron

  • weave1022
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Will "pruning" the tops off of Morning Glories hurt them? My vines are humungeous but not a bloom on them anywhere. I understand about the soil, but want to trim them back out of the way of my other garden plants.

  • littleonefb
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wont do them any harm at all. Like most other plants, if you prune them back, you will get branches coming off where the pruning was done.

    It may or may not make a difference in whether they bloom or not. I use miracle grow fertilizer on my vines and if they are in pots, the soil I use is miracle grow potting mix.

    They bloom when they want to bloom and the weather has a great deal to do with it as well as fertilizer as Ron mentioned above.

    Fran

  • CBAUERC_YAHOO_COM
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, I'm here in Canada, zone 5, I've grown morning glory for years, usually Heavenly Blue, and Scarlett O'Hara this year. Always in the same spot because it's where the supports are, the south side of my deck. I buy the seedling from the same 2 nurseries. Some years they are smothered with flowers starting in Aug. even, and some years like this year, no flowers or buds in sight despite same soil conditions, no watering/fertilizing ever, south exposure to the sun, yet the vine is vigorous and lush.
    Why the difference year to year? Could the seed source be the problem? Maybe there's male and female plants and males don't blossom? (just brainstorming here, don't pretend to be an expert!!) It couldn't be the soil/light/water/fertilizer conditions since those remain the same yet maybe 2 out of 3 yrs. they bloom, and the 3rd yr they don't...actually more like 50-50.
    Also this yr. I started Moonflower from seed and planted in huge pot on deck with trellis, and just yesterday there was a huge white bloom, just gorgeous, no scent though and I see 3 or 4 more buds coming. This vine is quite small (maybe due to being in a pot?) I only watered when bone dry as it has no acess to the ground moisture, no fertilizer, only 5 or 6 ft. from the MGs at the edge of the deck.
    I'm kind of disappointed in them I must admit because I just love the lovely flowers. Just wish I had some answers...could it be the seed, or the variations annually in weather ......it helps knowing I'm not the only one.
    Thanks! Christine

  • IsMeToo
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi All,

    1st post here. I've learned a lot just from reading through this thread. This is my 1st try (this year) at growing MGs. I'm not a total novice, I've been gardening for about 25 years (not counting my kid years with my family), but I'm no expert either! I learn new stuff everyday. :-) My MG vines are about 3 months old & have just begun to set buds. But they just fall off before they can open. Am I experiencing a similar problem with regard to too much food & water? They do get a lot of water here & I feed about once a month with Miracle Grow. I have a small garden, about 8 X 20ish ft. They are growing up a trellis right next to Sunflowers & Zinnias, if that sheds any light on anything. My issue just seems to be 1 step away from no blooms, thus my wondering. I've also checked for any signs of disease or pests & I didn't see any. I do try to keep a regular care schedule here w/regard to those because of our climate & issues here. Any light would be appreciated. Thanks all!

    Sincerely,

    Lauree

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lauree - Do you ave a camera (?)...Can you post photos (?)

    You mentioned that "they do get alot of water here"...depending on conditions and the species they may need to be watered everyday.

    What is your geographic location as a 9b can be arid or wet or anything in-between...

    What are you feeding them...feeding them exactly what (?)

    Please consider enabling members to communicate with you via PM e-mail by allowing this in your profile settings...or click onto my name and send me an e-mail...

    regards,

    Ron

  • emmagrace2
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lauree

    You mentioned that you feed with Miracle Gro. Do you use the 'Regular' Miracle Gro or Miracle Gro BLOOM BOOSTER???

    If you do not use Miracle Gro Bloom Booster, that may be your problem as the BB has the highter middle number.
    Otherwise, using the 'Regular' Miracle Gro, you are more likely to get a lot of lush leaves and little to no blooms.

    I do use Miracle Gro BB, but have not this year. The only thing I have used this year is Bayer Advanced 2-in-1 Systemic Rose and Flower Care
    [BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR ‘ME’]
    http://www.bayeradvanced.com/rose-flower-care/products/2-in-1-systemic-rose-flower-care

    I like this product because we do have a LOT of pests in Texas and it also has a 6-9-6 fertilizer. You only need to reapply every 2 or 3 months
    When I feed my MGs with Bayer, they take off like a Rocket

    I grow at least 700++ Morning Glory Vines every year and always get fabulous blooms

  • ornata
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There is a theory that imidacloprid (the active insecticide in Bayer 2-in-1) is linked to bee colony collapse.
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120405224653.htm
    http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/01/bee-killing-pesticides-not-just-corn-fields

    If you're planning on using systemic pesticides in your garden, do please remember that they can be pretty indiscriminate about the types of insects they kill, i.e. they won't just target the "pests".

  • Lola50
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi there any help this past few days i have noticed my vines from the morning glory' the bottom leaves have gone all droppy some of them are yellow with holes all over the leave also there are lots of ants and flys all over the earth and leaves could they be the problem i have recently stopped putting miracle grow down and watering as often since reading some of advice thanks any help would be grateful
    Lorraine

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Lola50 - Check out the info on the link.

    I hope that basic Science is not unsavory for you.

    regards,

    Ron

    Here is a link that might be useful: Morning Glory's need Water

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've grown Heavenly Blues for the last 4 years (including this year) and I am always in awe of the spectacular displays of brilliant blue blossoms. They can be literally breathtaking. That is of course, only when they finally decide to bloom.

    The first year I grew them they started producing tiny little flower buds in early September and they put out the first blossoms by the end of September. By the middle of October they were in glorious full bloom and continued to bloom and bloom and bloom until the first frost, sometime after Thanksgiving. For the next 2 years, however, things were different. The vines would not start producing those little flower buds until sometime in October and they would not be able to reach full bloom before a killing frost would hit. It was frustrating to watch those vines grow huge and lush but for months not produce a single flower bud.

    This year, here in northern Mississippi, we had an early spring and I put a lot of things out earlier than I usually would. One evening I started transplanting seedlings into the back yard and garden and I got one of the usual four Heavenly Blues planted in the ground and then, at that point, had to quit for the day. That night it got unexpectedly cool - I'm not sure exactly how cool but, I would guess that the low was somewhere in the mid 30s. The next day I checked the little 6 or 7 inch Heavenly Blue seedling that I had planted the previous day and saw that it was somewhat wilted and looked like it might lose a leaf or two. I then went ahead and transplanted the other 3 Heavenly Blues. Over the next few weeks I kept an eye on these seedlings (mainly because the snails here seem to feast on them when they are small).

    Now, the seedling that had been subjected to the cold stress lagged behind the others in growth. It seemed to grow at maybe half the rate of the others. However, despite the slow growth, about a week or so latter it had produced a flower bud! (This was in March!) All this spring and summer it continued to produce flower buds and continued to lag behind the others in leaf and vine growth. It was not at all unhealthy looking, it was just not as big as the other three. It was however, covered with buds. And then before the end of July, it was blooming! And now, in the middle of August, it is almost in full bloom! None of the other three Heavenly Blues have produced a single flower bud yet. (But, they have grown huge).

    Now, I don't know if this plant is blooming because of extraordinary genetics or because of the cold stress it experienced when it was a seedling. But, I suspect it was the cold.

    In any case, I'll be saving some seeds from it to experiment with next spring.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LeafyGeneva - Can you post some photos of your HB's so we can see them...the GW is now doing it's own photo hosting...

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sure,

    I'll try and get a shot in the morning while the blooms are open.

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok, I'm going to try to upload some pictures of the Heavenly Blue morning glories I told you about in my previous post.

    It seems like you can only upload 1 image per post, so this will be a series of posts.

    This first image is a photo of 2 of the 4 Heavenly Blues I grew this year. These 2 are planted on either side of a gate (the gate may be hard to see) and each is growing over a section of wooden fence bracketed by brick posts.

    Things to note about this photo:

    1. Both of these HB-MG vines were grown from seeds from the same package and were started indoors on the same date.

    2. The vine on the left was cold stressed on the first night it was planted outdoors (which was the night before the vine on the right was planted outdoors). It is smaller than the vine on the right and it is blooming. Yesterday, there were in fact, more flowers open. But, we got a heavy rain about 2 hours ago and some flowers sort of just disintegrated.

    3. The vine on the right was NOT cold stressed, ever. It is larger and the foliage is "more dense" than the vine on the left (and it has completely covered both brick posts on either side of it). And of course, it is not blooming. The other 2 HB-MG vines I planted (in another location) look very much the same as this vine.

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is a closer view of the HB-MG vine on the left side of the photo I posted above.

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    And now, the HB-MG vine on the right hand side of the first photo.

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's a closeup view of the tendrils on the blooming HB-MG vine that shows the flowers and buds. Note that there are buds on every tendril of this vine and have been since the first bud appeared.

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    And finally, a closeup of the non-flowering HB-MG vine, showing a stubborn absence of flowers or buds.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Leaf Geneva - Thanks for posting your photos...

    They are indeed Ipomoea tricolor.

    There is a possibility that a cold stress might have done something to induce an early flowering , although I personally remain doubtful...
    Ipomoea tricolor simply does not like cold and although short day (light) treatment may last if initiated in the seedling stage , I have reservations that a cold stressed seedling would cause lasting metabolic changes that would induce early flowering...

    I suggest that there may be a difference in the amount of light that the 2 plants may be receiving at the onset of sunrise , during the mid-day and as the sun is setting....trees and buildings can often cause different amounts of sun to be received by plants which may be within a relatively short distance from each other as I experience that phenomenon in my small growing setting...

    There may be a difference in the amount of either phosphorus and / or nitrogen where the 2 plants are rooted.

    There is always the possibility that individual plants may behave differently even if exposed to relatively very similar conditions as I have seen this occur on many species of Morning Glories...unless you have clones , there are no 2 plants that are exactly the same...

    You might want to try some phosphorus based bloom booster and see if that initiates buds on the non-blooming plant , although most likely the shorter days will do the trick...hopefully before it gets too cold...

  • leafygeneva
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Ron,

    Well, who knows what caused that vine to bloom early. I suspect that it was the cold because the only difference that I can think of between how that vine was treated and how the other 3 I planted were treated was the one very chilly night that it spent outdoors.

    This is the 4th year I've planted Heavenly Blues on these 2 fences. And each year they have bloomed at a different time in the season; once relatively early and twice disappointingly late in the fall. However, each year, they had always bloomed simultaneously (or at least within a few days) - until this year. So, this makes me doubt that their relative locations are a factor in this.

    As for fertilizer, I have never even been tempted to apply any because they grow like crazy without it. However, in the first one or two weeks after they are transplanted outdoors they do get two or three applications of iron phosphate based slug bait pellets(Sluggo, I think it's called). But, all the vines get this and in roughly the same amount. I do occasionally water them during the height of summer when they look too wilted.

    So, who knows? Maybe it IS genetic. I will be saving some seed from this vine to experiment with next year.

    I'll try your suggestion and put some phosphorus on one of the non-bloomers and see what happens.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LeafyGeneva,

    Sometimes the plants behave in unusual ways and we like to pin down the cause although sometimes the exact cause is elusive...

    I did a google search on cold stressed seedlings and all of the results seemed to indicate that cold stressed seedlings have delayed (!) flowering...

    I would be interested (to review any studies) if someone could locate a study to indicate that cold stressed seedlings exhibit any early flowering.

    The possibility that the plants are flowering at different times due to genetics might require an extensive controlled grow-out of selfed (hand pollinated) flowers from each plant as well as cross pollinated (by hand) between the 2 different plants and notate the results...

    Simply growing out a few seeds from each plant (with the exact parenthood unknown as to gestational and donor plants) would likely yield 'fuzzy' results that wouldn't be of high quality scientific value but, hey, collect some seeds and let's see what you get...

    best,

    Ron

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cold stressed seedlings and delayed flowering

  • CarolGH
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The last 5 years I've had little success with Heavenly Blue MGs. Even though I'm careful not to contaminate them with old soil that might contain volunteers, they most often come up PURPLE and I'm wondering: Were HB MG hybridized from purple MG and are the seed companies sending me old seeds or are they reverting to the purple?? I buy fresh seeds every year and it's frustrating to plant them in the Spring and not get much at all until late Sept. I live in FL and used to have success.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    CarolGH -Interesting questions that you ask and they REALLY deserve their own thread , instead of being here on a thread devoted to Ipomoea tricolor and any related blooming difficulties.

    I will respond to your questions if you start a new thread devoted to your specific topic.

    I would also suggest that you allow members to communicate with you via e-mail by enabling this in your account settings....e-mail me if you can't locate the settings and I will help you out...

    Looking forward to your devoted thread on Heavenly Blue color variations and hybridizing...

    best regards,

    Ron

  • leafygeneva
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm not sure if this thread is still being watched, but I thought I would provide an update to a note I had posted back in August of last year. That note concerned four Heavenly Blue morning glory vines which I had planted last spring. Of those four vines, one in particular was a precocious bloomer, in that it put on flower buds very early (in March) and was in full bloom by early August. The other 3 vines only managed to produce a handful of blossoms before they were killed by frost (something that seems to happen more often than not with Heavenly Blues for me).

    Now, the precocious bloomer, had been exposed to a "near frost" on the first night after I had planted it outdoors and I had hypothesized that perhaps the exposure to cold had somehow induced the early blooming. So, I saved some seeds from that vine, intending to perform an experiment - to plant the saved seed this spring and expose some seedlings to cold and others not and then observe their relative bloom behaviors.

    Well, that was my intention.

    This spring, after starting about a dozen Heavenly Blues from the saved seed and then after moving the seedlings outdoors for sun exposure, we experienced a ridiculous number of unseasonably cold days and nights. And unfortunately, I just was not disciplined enough to keep moving half of the seedlings indoors every time the temperatures dipped. I gave up and just left them all outside unless the temperatures got into frost territory. And so, all the seedlings were exposed to several periods of down right cold (but not freezing) temperatures and my little experiment would provide no information concerning the effect of cold temperatures.

    Now, two days ago as I was finally transplanting the seedling vines to their final growing locations, I noticed that every one of them was exhibiting the same precocious bloom behavior as the parent vine had exhibited last year - they all had a few very small flower buds. These buds appeared on each plant after the 2nd, 3rd or 4th true leaves had emerged.

    The weather here has now finally warmed and yesterday I started about 20 of the saved seeds from last year. These plants will not experience any chill and so should hopefully demonstrate whether or not the early budding behavior is due to exposure to cold.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lady Geneva -Thanks for the followup info , although as you stated the seedlings will have been started at different times of the year...the day-length in March is shorter than the days are now and the days get progressively longer until June 21...

    The MG's are stimulated to bloom by short day-length...so the seedlings started later may or may nor respond to the days getting progressively longer as of this point , by exhibiting delayed flowering...

    Flowering will often continue once it is initiated but sometimes blooming will cease during long days and begin again when the days are getting shorter...

    Please do continue to post whatever occurs with your plants...

    regards,

    Ron

    This post was edited by ron_convolvulaceae on Sat, May 25, 13 at 4:56

  • kayjones
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, this thread IS being watched! Please keep posting.

  • surya55_gw
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree this thread's watched- I am new to growing MG from seed this year, Scarlett O'Hara and have not seen a bloom as yet. I started my seeds since 3/14. The vines are not that large either. I will hold off on MG fert. and see what happens.

  • Shanti1922
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I started growing Scarlett O'Hara from seed around Mothers Day and I have a very healthy vine growing. I admit I didn't know it was a vine. But I quickly learned how to tend to it. I have two MG sprinkled in for contrast and I just planted 3 more MG plants one week ago from seed because I love them so. I will keep a diary of their growth.

  • v1rt
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LeafyGeneva,

    On one of the pictures you posted, this one,
    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/vines/msg071108225028.081506357827.jpg

    How many seeds did you plant? I'm wondering why my MG on an 18" inch diameter pot is not that thick. I only planted 1 seed though.

    Thanks!

  • leafygeneva
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi v1rtu0s1ty !

    And please forgive my tardy response to your post.

    The picture you asked about is a picture of a single plant. By the end of the season last year - a killing frost on Nov. 9 - the trunk of that vine was about an inch and a half in diameter. Unfortunately though, it had not produced a single bloom. It had an abundance of flower buds by then, but not a single one that had actually bloomed.

    Morning glories seem to grow very well and very fast here. But even for around here that particular vine was unusually large - maybe because we had a very early and warm spring here last year. That location also gets full sun all day.

    In that location, this year I have planted 3 vines from seeds saved from a vine that bloomed very early last year. And the total size of the 3 vines together is quite a bit less than that of that single vine from this time last year. However, all 3 vines this year are now blooming - and have been blooming for at least 2 months. They seem to grow about 1/3 to 1/4 as fast as that huge vine in the picture.

    I've only grown morning glory in the ground, so I really would not know what to expect with container grown plants. But I would imagine that an 18 inch pot would be more than adequate. How much sun does your plant get? In my experience the morning glory plants that get the most sun grow to be the largest. Also, the soil here is sightly acid.

    By the way, farmers around here consider them to be very noxious weeds and sometimes look upon my garden with a look of horror.

    Leafy

  • true_blue
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the update Leafy.
    What happened to the other 20 seeds you started, that didn't experience the "chill"?

  • leafygeneva
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    true-blue:

    Thanks for the reminder - I meant to post the results of that little test. Of the 20 seeds planted in the last week of May, I had 16 that germinated. Of the 16 that germinated, 11 of the vines had produced buds by the end of 4 weeks. At the end of 7 weeks 1 more vine had begun producing buds and at that time I ended the experiment and re-purposed the growing containers. So, 12 out of 16 seemed to exhibit early flower budding.

  • true_blue
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, this is amazing, one month! You're so lucky, you've found a strain that flowers that fast. I bought a pot of Heavenly Blue, this June and it is just started to set buds and flower. Thanks for the update.

  • true_blue
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was under the impression, that some Ipomoea species (purpurea / tricolor /nil / alba) are short day plants, as they go into flowering mode, from mid August, culminating in Early to mid-september, in Montreal, Canada. Seems that your strain likes to defy the rules and I made the wrong conclusions :-)

  • v1rt
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My MG or MF is showing buds now. Finally after 2months and 20+ days of wait!!!

    I will not plant MG/MF anymore. 2 months is a very long wait.

    I will use hyacinth bean vine again.

  • marggg
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My heavenly blue MG got too big for the space and shaded other flowering plants, so we cut it way back. It was huge and gave us 3 flowers, so it didn't feel like a loss.

    My husband left the pile of vine cuttings on the concrete driveway. The attached image shows what happened about a week later. The rest of plant, still in the garden, isn't blooming.

    We got flowers finally, but I won't be planting this variety again.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The last 2 post serve to disprove at least ONE major MYTH and that is that all Morning Glories will always reseed like crazy and you'll never get rid of them...

    There are actually MANY factors that contribute to initiating flowering in different species of Morning Glories and major factors like climate zone , species , strain acclimation (a strain that has been growing in Florida for the past 20 years may not do so well in Maine) , type and hours of light and darkness, nutrient ratios all factor in...

    Ipomoea purpurea tends to flower earlier in the cooler zones than the species which originated in more tropical areas...

  • true_blue
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So from what you say there is no way to create an approximate /practical chart for the amateur gardener to know what species (and cultivars) of morning glories are more adapted to a certain climate, due to so many variables?

    I know in my experience the fastest flowering Morning glories species are in this order (grown from seed in April)
    Ipomoea sloteri (June)
    Ipomoea quamoclit (July)
    Ipomoea purpurea (August)
    Ipomoea tricolor (Mid August)
    Ipomoea nil (Late August - September)
    Ipomoea alba (Mid September)
    However, if I buy “nursery grown” plants, which are well established and full of buds, well that's a different story...

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well now let's be somewhat reserved about that and what I mean to say is this.

    You have a list there - Where and when did you acquire the seeds...do you buy new seeds every year and the new seedstock flowers reliably as you have stated or do you collect seeds from your own plants (for at least some) and start your new crop from homegrown seeds (?)

    I will say that Ipomoea sloteri that has been growing in Florida for 20 or 30years may not flower from that seedstock in your area in June but could either flower earlier or later depending on how it has acclimated to the area in Florida it has been growing in.

    Seedstock that has been selected from the earliest flowering strains that have been grown in Maine for the past 30 years may flower much sooner than mid-September in your area...

  • true_blue
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the follow up. It forced me to double check my notes, there were some major mistakes. You were right about I. Sloteri, I had started it very early!
    I try different vines each year, and experiment with growing in containers/ ground, different soils mixtures, fertilizers, light exposures etc.
    The seeds are new. Either bought at store or online.
    I have never grown Heavenly Blue from seeds, having read threads like this, I won’t attempt it and buy a fully grown plant from my local nursery, unless I find an early flowering strain :-)
    Here is the new list - I removed all info concerning fertilizer/ soil type etc. to make it more readable.
    Bear in mind that my plants grow in less than optimal condition, light wise, as my garden is part shade/ dappled shade.
    The new list:
    Ipomoea purpurea (Grandpa Ott/ Striped variety) From germination to flower 2.25 months.
    Ipomoea quamoclit (seedling May 5 - Flowered by July 15) 2.5 months
    Ipomoea nil (June 19 germination - Flower by Sept. 8) Xiong / Kiyomi / Little darling Varieties (2.5 months )
    Ipomoea sloteri (Calif seeds) (Planted mid Feb - Flowered by Early June) = 3.5
    (Planted in early June - Flowered by late August) = 3 months
    Ipomoea tricolor n/a Have never grown from seed.
    Ipomoea nil (June 19 germination - No flower yet bud lots of buds) Scarlet O’Hara, blue silk varieties.
    Ipomoea alba (Early June - 2flowers by October 5) = 4 months.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would like to suggest that you acquire new seedstock from other gardeners who harvest their own seeds from zones closest to yours and that you start your new stock from that seed.

    Select from your plants the seeds from the very 1st couple pods to form for next years crop and continue to repeat the procedure as this should gradually produce earlier blooming plants...

    Nature does this and it can take some time via purely natural forces , but you can speed it up by always using the earliest seeds that ripen...

  • true_blue
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks so much Ron, it makes sense now :-)

  • Barbie W Wyman
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I have a huge morning glory area and last year blooms like crazy and this year it is starting but slow
    I was wondering if it will hurt the plant if I clip off some of the big huge leave that are hiding all the little blooms no change in dirt or fertilizing as I do not put any in there

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    8 years ago

    Barbie - You can trim off the large leaves , although they are the major solar panels and source of energy production...


    I sent you a message on Facebook , so check your "Inbox" & "Other" message box...

  • Barbie W Wyman
    8 years ago

    I looked at it more and one I am getting double blooms on so I have decided to wait it out

    THNK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REPLY

  • Cindy Reynolds
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    mine never start to bloom before august but once they do they bloom clear to frost...doesn't seem to matter when I plant them...may or early june....

  • mreed18
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I believe morning glories are stress-induced flowerers. It was only after I stopped caring for mine well that I got any flowers. You can look this phenomenon up on the internet if you are interested.

  • getgoing100_7b_nj
    4 years ago

    I know this thread is old and inactive but it gave me some ideas and I wanted to share my experience. I planted a punch of seeds (Ipomoea purpurea (mixed) mid/late march. Separated seedlings after they got true leaves into 4 inch pots. after they had 6-8 leaves I put one in a cupboard to cut its light exposure to 10 hours or so for a week to 10 days. Kept another on heating mat for a 4-5 days and/or provided supplemental lighting. One pot was sent outdoors. End of a couple of weeks the one with limited light exposure had buds the rest did not. After another couple of weeks in the south facing window (default location) all were sent out on the balcony where they get 2-3 hours of sun if it's out. The weather has been pretty irregular, 23 one days 10 the next and mostly rainy. The buds on the one are holding up but the cold exposure outside has slowed their development into blooms and wind has been trying hard to kill them. Anyhow, got them back indoors today. None of the others have recognizable buds yet. Will update when the one with buds blooms. Bottom line if one grows in a pot and limit daylight (like for kalanchoe or poinsettia, but not for weeks, just days) to the seedlings, one could get at least Ipomoea purpurea to start blooming early. Whether, the blooms, once initiated, will stop after a while, I am not sure. Will update how this goes. I know this was not a rigorous experiment but take it for what its worth. I started more than a couple of dozen kinds of seeds and this was obviously not top of my list.

  • getgoing100_7b_nj
    4 years ago


    Here it is, the first MG bloom in cold rainy mid May. I love otit. Folks cut short your MG seedlings' light exposure and you will hopefully have blooms.

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