Anyone who longs for an uncomplicated and fast-growing ornamental flower is well advised to use the morning glory. Here you can find out everything about planting and care.
In summer, the morning glory with its pretty funnel-shaped flowers is an attractive sight. The plants can be used to green fences or provide an attractive privacy screen. Because in a favorable location, morning glory can form tendrils up to five meters long.
Origin and characteristics
The morning glory belongs to the morning glory family and is also known to hobby gardeners as the morning glory. The tropics are the home of the lush flowering creeper. The genus of morning glory includes about 650 species. Numerous flower colors and shades are possible. By the way, the morning glory also includes the sweet potato.
| Morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor) | |
|---|---|
| Flowering: | July to October |
| Flower color: | white, blue, pink & multicolored |
| Leaf shape: | heart-shaped |
| Special feature: | suitable for wall greening |
| Location: | sunny |
| Floor: | nutrient rich, moist |
The flowers of the morning glory appear in July and can last into autumn. A special feature of the morning glory is the flowering period. Each flower lasts only one day. Flowers that appear in the morning are usually withered by the late afternoon.
Location and Ground
You should choose a sunny to partially shaded location for the morning glory. The plants thrive in a loose and permeable substrate that has sufficient nutrients.
Prefer morning glory - How it's done
The warmth-loving morning glory is usually cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. From March you can prefer the plant in small plant pots on the windowsill. The best way to do this is as follows:
Soak the seeds in water overnight. Then fill small plant pots with potting soil and press the seeds about one centimeter deep into the soil. At temperatures around 20 degrees, germination begins after about twoweeks a. The young plants are cultivated indoors and can be planted outdoors from mid-May.
Planting morning glory - step by step instructions
- Set Location
- Prepare the ground
- Remove weeds and roots
- Loosen substrate
- Dig planting hole
- Enrich substrate with compost or horn shavings
- Insert Morning Glory
- Fill substrate
- Press the earth well
- Water morning glory
When planting and transplanting the morning glory, you should be considerate of the sensitive roots. Dig out the planting hole over a large area so that the roots can be picked up well and do not break when the plants are planted.
A suitable climbing aid is also important for the morning glory. Thick rods are rather unsuitable. The fine tendrils can wind up on cords, fences or tight wire much better.
How to properly care for the morning glory
❍ casting:
The morning glory's need for water depends on its location. Daily watering may be necessary in midsummer because the numerous leaves evaporate a lot of moisture. The morning glory should not dry out, at the same time waterlogging should be avoided.
Tip:
A mulch layer of grass clippings can improve the soil's water retention properties.
❍ Fertilize:
A humus-rich garden soil usually provides the plants with sufficient nutrients. However, during the growing season, occasional fertilization can encourage growth and flowering. However, you should be careful when fertilizing. Because an oversupply of nutrients is at the expense of flowering. The plant then puts all its energy into developing the foliage. Therefore, when buying a fertilizer, make sure that it contains sufficient potassium. Also: If the morning glory is fertilized, you should water it sufficiently at the same time.
❍ Cut:
Morning glory tolerates pruning well. However, the shoots do not necessarily have to be removed, but can also be redirected in another direction. A cut is therefore not necessary. After the plant has withered and you have obtained the seeds, you can simply uproot and compost the morning glory.
❍ Diseases and pests:
Diseases usually only occur as a result of care errors. Even a hard jet of water can be effective against aphids. In the case of an infestation with spider mites, however, spraying with small amounts helpsCooking Oil.
❍ Hibernate:
The exotic morning glory is not frost hardy. The plants therefore die off in late autumn. If you want to enjoy morning glory again next summer, you can harvest the seeds yourself. Simply collect the seed pods and sow them again the following spring.