I grow the majority of my JMG's in pots. I don't fertilize much, if at all, but I do water them regularly. Some needed watering 2x/day as we had temps in the upper 90's to low 100's for a good part of the summer. Most are in full sun. I don't dead head, nor do I prune them. The JMG's usually bloom later in the year then my I. purpureas and other MG's and they don't reseed much. I don't know if the seeds are more sensitive to freezing temps or what. Some of my JMG's produce very few seed pods.

What kind of potting mix do you use, Karyn? Size of pot per plant? I was concerned about using potting mix because most have fertilizer added. There are a few that don't and in some cases, I have used Al's 5:1:1 mix with lime added to offset the use of pine bark fines. This might be best since I can refrain from using any fertilizer.

Oh, gosh, yes, the purpureas reseed like crazy. I have grown Chocolate and Picotee Blue nils and neither reseeded much, tho the Chocolate reseeded more than the PB.

Thanks for the input!

Susan

You may need to try different types to see what works in your climate. When I lived in foggy coastal California, nils didn't do well for me. Now that I'm in a warmer climate they do very well. Purpurea morning glories do well just about anywhere, however mine didn't start blooming until late this year because of blistering temperatures. Tricolor morning glories did very well for me in California, but only so-so here in the desert. This year they were almost killed by the heat and have only just started to bloom. There are some other species that might work for you, such as I. indica.

I've had luck with giving morning glories a growth fertilizer early in the season, and then using a bloom fertilizer after they have a bit of size. I grow them in pots so I can control the nutrients they receive. They will also bloom in response to a bit of trauma, such as pruning off most of the vine ends. You may have to experiment to see what works for you in your climate. If you have very rich soil that's high in nitrogen, you may need to grow them in pots in order to get them to bloom.

I don't care for most potting soils with additives other then FoxFarm (OceanForest) and Happy Frog. Both make very high quality potting mixes but for everyday use I stick with Fafard, usually 3B. I also recycle soil from the previous season and mix it in with the new potting mix, especially with the larger pots. I stay away from Miracle Grow products but it's probably fine for morning glories. They'll grow in just about anything. If using MG or one of the other brands commonly sold at the big box stores I'd add a good amount of perlite or even orchid bark mix to help with drainage.

I've used pots anywhere from an 8" to a 17" diameter.

I NEVER use MG products ever..... I think I'll go with Al's 5:1:1 mix. It is 5 parts of pine bark fines, 1 part perlite, 1 part peat moss. Add handful of lime and whatever slow release fert to it as well. I use a 5 gallon container from Lowe's and a 1 gallon pot, to measure.

Another consideration is Al's gritty mix, which is equal parts of pine bark fines, Turface (cheap kitty litter, or oil absorbent), chicken grit, and gypsum.

These are both well draining mixes created by Al Tapla on the Container Gardening forum. I have used them and they work well. Most people have a few problems finding the ingredients, but I use various sources in the OKC area and haven't had any problems yet.

Susan

I use a similar gritty mix for succulents and some plants that need especially well draining soil but I think that might be too well draining for MG's. They can do well in solid clay. You might want to increase the amount of peat and maybe add some leaf mold to make it more "soil-like". If you can find Fafard 3B anywhere get some. A lot of nurseries use it. You can use it straight from the bag for many plants. It's an excellent potting mix.

Like Karen, I grow most of my JMG in pots.
I use several different kinds of potting soil, depending on where I happened to buy it that day.
I fertilize very little, if at all.
I only planted a few kinds this year, but had a lot of volunteers anywhere near where last years pots were.
Some volunteers bloomed as early as April, but then nothing bloomed during our 100's weather.
No deadheading or pruning. You'll want to save your seeds and if you deadhead, you won't have any.
I find my JMG need light shade or the flowers will wilt as soon as the sun hits.
In light shade they often stay open all day and sometimes into the next day.

I do have a local source for Sunshine and Fox Farms Ocean Forest, also Metro Mix and Berger potting mixes, and Sun Gro products as well. I'll check these out. Since it is a local wholesale company, I can get them for much less $ than at a retail store.

No Fafard anywhere here. I may still stick with making my own and as you said, adding a higher ratio of Peat.

I did see one older post where the OP stated she used a high bloom boost fert when the vines were close to flowering. ????

Susan

With as much soil as I use for my MG pots OceanForest is too expensive, even at wholesale, but I love it for my tropicals.

"I did see one older post where the OP stated she used a high bloom boost fert when the vines were close to flowering. ????"

This person is apparently doing something similar to what I do. A bloom fertilizer will have a high middle number and encourage plants to bloom. You may have to experiment to see what works best for you in your circumstances. What works in one part of the country may not work somewhere else.

musarojo - ditto - You took the words right out of my mouth...

Forgive the new guy!
But what is JMG & MG ?

JMG = japanese morning glory

MG = morning glory

Nothing to be forgiven about. questions are how we learn

Fran

I fertilize, water and pamper them. I grow the more vigorous ones in the ground, but I put the ones that tend to sprawl on their short vines like Kikyo and Sunsmiles in pots. Beware rust during prolonged rainy periods. It kills them completely. JMG's are extremely vulnerable. This is why I prefer the tricolors.

Ransome, one thing about living in Oklahoma City is that we don't get much rain during the summer at all. We have a pretty low annual rainfall average overall, and it appears we will once again experience drought this year.....ugh! Thanks for posting the warning; I'll be on the lookout just in case.

Susan