Ipomoea loach wrapped around a bucket in a well during the night.
Do not tear the fleeting beauty?!
I will go to the neighbors for water to wash my face.
Matsuo Basho

What plant will help you make the gazebo in the garden more comfortable and beautiful? Or camouflage the shabby walls of the barn? Or hide the long unpainted balcony railings from view? Of course, it must be a liana. And it is better that it blooms with beautiful flowers. And just to take care of her.
All these requirements are met by a plant under the exotic and gentle name "Ipomoea".

• How to grow ipomoea seedlings and plant them in the garden in time?
• When and how to sow morning glory seeds in open ground?
• How to choose the best place for this creeper on your site?
• How to care for a plant during the season?

Read our article and you will know everything you need about morning glory.

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Planting and caring for morning glory

• Landing: sowing scarified seeds for seedlings in March-April, followed by planting seedlings in the ground in early June. You can sow the seeds directly into the ground in May.
• Bloom: from July to October.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: loose, nutritious, calcareous, not very fertile.
• Watering: regular but moderate.
• Top dressing: twice a month with mineral fertilizer solutions for cacti or flowering plants.
• Pruning: in September.
• Reproduction: seeds and cuttings.
• Pests: aphids, spider mites.
• Diseases: white rust, anthracnose, root, stem, soft or black rot.

Read more about growing morning glory below.

This haiku by the Japanese Basho is about the morning glory plant, or farbitis. Ipomoea (lat. Ipomoea)- a genus of flowering plants, the most numerous of the Bindweed family, with more than five hundred species. Its representatives are found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and are both perennial and annual plants - bushes, trees and vines. There are among the plants of the genus Ipomoea and food crops - sweet potato and water spinach. The name "ipomoea" comes from two Greek words: "ips" - a worm and "homoios" - similar, that is, "worm-like", and this definition refers to the rhizome of perennials of the genus Ipomoea.

In floriculture, creepers of this genus are used, the flowers of which open in the morning before all other flowers, for which Ipomoea is called the "flower of the dawn." It is hard to imagine that the field bindweed weed, the nightmare of farmers, is a close relative of the luxurious morning glory, an ornamental plant that is so in demand among flower growers and gardeners.

Ipomoea flower - description

The ipomoea plant that grows in our gardens is the garden ipomoea, a liana sometimes reaching a length of five meters. Stems densely leafy, heart-shaped. The large, fragrant flowers on long stalks, profusely covering the stems, open early in the morning and turn after the sun until they close at noon, although on a cloudy day they close only in the evening. The shape of morning glory flowers, simple or double, resembles a gramophone trumpet, their colors are for every taste: white, red, pink, blue...

Ipomoea blooms from early summer until frost. Perennial morning glory in tropical latitudes is grown in our gardens as an annual.

Growing Ipomoea from seeds

Ipomoea from seeds - sowing

Ipomoea is propagated by seeds that remain viable for three to four years after harvest. Ipomoea seeds are sown in the substrate in mid-May, but they are first scarified (violating the integrity of the shell) or simply soaked for a day in water at 25-30 ºC to swell. If the seeds do not swell, their shell must be pierced with a needle and soaked again.

Particular attention should be paid to the composition of the soil, and this is where difficulties arise, since each species needs a specific substrate. Species of African origin prefer succulent soil with the addition of fine expanded clay, American varieties do not like this soil, and you will have to mix them with two parts of leaf humus, adding to it one part of peat, vermiculite, coke fiber and half a fine expanded clay.

Seeds are planted in small cups with a substrate, two to four pieces each, and covered with glass or film to make a greenhouse. Water the soil as needed, ventilate, remove condensation, keep the 18-20-degree temperature regime, and the seedlings will appear in 10-12 days.

Ipomoea seedling

When the seedlings grow up to 15 cm in height, a cord is tied to the base of the sprout, the second end of which is pulled up and fixed: the growing loach will climb along this guide. As the seedlings grow, they will have to be moved once or twice to a large container by transshipment, so as not to damage or expose the roots. If you want to get more side shoots, you need to pinch the seedlings.

Ipomoea planting

When to plant morning glory

Planting in the open ground of the grown seedlings of morning glory is carried out in late May or early June. At this time, the soil has already warmed up and you can not be afraid of night frosts, which could destroy the young vine.

How to plant morning glory

Young shoots are transplanted by transshipment at a distance of 20 cm from each other and immediately a support is placed above them: it can be a lattice of rods or a stretched fishing line.

You can sow seeds directly in open ground, bypassing the seedling period. They do this at the end of May after frost, choosing a sunny and calm area for planting. Ipomoea prefers slightly acidic soil and requires good drainage. Whatever method of planting you choose, be careful, because morning glory is very poisonous. That is why it is grown outdoors.

morning glory care

How to care for morning glory

Caring for morning glory is simple: water regularly, but moderately so that water stagnation does not form in the roots: from May to August - without waiting for the ground to dry out, and from September - after the soil dries.

Fertilize during the period of active growth every 2-3 weeks with fertilizer for decorative flowering plants or for cacti. However, an excess of fertilizers, especially nitrogen-containing ones, can lead to intensive foliage formation, but the morning glory does not bloom, so it is important to observe the measure when feeding. The concentration of fertilizers should be the same as for indoor plants.

From time to time, morning glory needs pruning: you need to remove damaged or sick-looking shoots, it is best to cut the vine in September, putting the plant in order before the dormant period. In the spring, pruning is carried out to thin out the bush, leaving no more than three stems in each. Sometimes you have to thin out morning glory during the growing season.

Ipomoea propagation by cuttings

Some types of morning glory are propagated vegetatively, using cuttings. For example, Ipomoea sweet potato. Cuttings 15-20 cm long with two internodes are cut from cut shoots, and the lower cut should pass at an angle of 45º 15 mm below the node. After removing the leaves from the bottom, the cuttings are placed in water.

How to collect morning glory seeds

When to Harvest Ipomoea Seeds

Experts recommend collecting seeds from the second and third bud. When the flowers wither and a brown box forms in their place, let it dry and open a little. This will happen in about a month. Pour the seeds from the box into a paper bag and write the name of the variety on it. As already mentioned, morning glory seeds retain their germination for three to four years.

Ipomoea after flowering

Ipomoea in winter

Ipomoea in our latitudes is grown as an annual, so in the fall, when the leaves wither and fall off, you can cut the ipomoea stems, dig up the ground by removing the rhizome. Next spring you will plant the seeds and you will have a new ipomoea.

Or it may happen that you don’t have to sow the seeds, since morning glory reproduces well by self-sowing, and if seeds from ripe boxes woke up in the place where it grew this year, then it is likely that next year they will begin to grow in this place young shoots of morning glory.

Types and varieties of morning glory

Of the more than 500 species of morning glory, only 25 are grown in culture. Let's briefly talk about the most popular of them.

It comes from Asia and Australia, its shoots grow up to 5 m long. They are so densely strewn with blue flowers that morning glory looks like a real carpet. The leaves are lobed, palm-shaped, carved.

In the photo: Ipomoea cairo (Ipomoea cairica)

An annual liana, the pubescent stem of which reaches 8 meters. Leaves glabrous, oval or lanceolate, opposite. Single red, dark purple, purple, blue, white or pink gramophone flowers up to 7 cm long. There are varieties with variegated and even double flowers. Ipomoea purpurea is considered to be native to the tropical zone of America. Varieties: Starfish, Scarlett O "Hara, Nochka, Giselle.

In the photo: Ipomoea purpurea (Ipomoea purpurea)

Or in Japanese asagao (morning face) - strongly branched annual liana up to 3 m long. The leaves are large, broadly oval, opposite, long-petiolate, dark green. Funnel-shaped flowers of red, pale or dark blue, pink or purple, up to 10 cm in diameter. This morning glory blooms from mid-summer to October. Varieties: semi-double Pikoti blue or red with white edging, hybrid Serenade - double corrugated flowers of dark red or lilac color 8 cm in diameter.

In the photo: Ipomoea Nile (Ipomoea nil, Ipomoea Imperialis)

Or Ipomoea red-blue (Ipomoea rubro-caerulea) - Native to the American tropics. Perennial used in cultivation as an annual plant. The stem reaches a length of 4-5 m. The leaves are large, opposite, heart-shaped, glabrous, wrinkled, petioles are long. Funnel-shaped flowers 8-10 cm in diameter are collected in bunches of 3-4 pieces: pale blue with a white tube, but when they fade, they become pink-purple. This morning glory blooms from early June until the first frost.

Some varieties contain psychotropic substances used in medicine. Popular varieties in floriculture: Pink Lollipop, Blue Star, Sky Blue, Flying Saucer.

In the photo: Ipomoea tricolor (Ipomoea tricolor)

An annual vine from the American tropics. The branched stem reaches a length of 2-3 meters, the leaves are large, heart-shaped, three-lobed, similar to ivy leaves. Funnel-shaped flowers with a diameter of about 5 cm are usually sky blue, sometimes with a white border, but there are red, burgundy, pink. They are collected two or three on a long peduncle. Blooms from July to mid-autumn. Variety Roman Candy with variegated white-green leaves is grown even as an ampelous plant.

In the photo: Ipomoea hederacea (Ipomoea hederacea)

Ipomoea moonflowering (Ipomoea noctiflora)

Also from tropical America. The stem is up to 3 m long, shoots up to 6 m, large heart-shaped leaves, fragrant white flowers are also large - up to 10 cm, open at night and close with the first rays of the sun, and those unfamiliar with this mystery of the moon-flowering farbitis ask why their ipomoea does not bloom. But on a cloudy day, the flowers close only in the evening, and you can appreciate their amazing delicate beauty. This morning glory blooms from July-August to October.

Quamoclites

These are morning glory with openwork carved foliage and small tubular flowers. Of the most popular in culture: cirrus quamoclit (Quamoclit pennata), Slaughter quamoclit, or cardinal liana (Quamoclit x sloteri), fiery red quamoclit (Quamoclit coccinea) and lobed quamoclite (Quamoclit lobata).

In the photo: Quamoclit (Quamoclit)

In addition to the described species and their varieties, such types of morning glory as Brazilian, palmate, Mauritanian, lobed and others are slightly less common in culture.

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After this article, they usually read

To decorate arbors, verandas, fences in the country and loggias in the apartment, flower growers often use flowering climbing plants. One of these vines is Ipomoea, which is characterized by long flowering and simple or double flowers of various colors that open in the morning. The plant is not very capricious in its care and cultivation, therefore it is popular among gardeners who decorate their summer cottages with it.

Description of Ipomoea perennial

The plant belongs to the Vyunkov family, which are naturally found in the subtropics and tropics. There are more than five hundred species of this loach, which is cultivated as a perennial in warm countries, and in the regions of our country it is grown in open ground as an annual plant.

Liana is distinguished by heart-shaped densely leafy stems that can grow up to five meters in length. They are abundantly covered with beautiful fragrant flowers formed on long pedicels. The buds open in the morning and on a cloudy day they close in the evening, and on a sunny day they turn after the sun and close in the afternoon. The flowers are like a homophonic trumpet and can be single or double. There are many varieties of morning glory with a wide variety of bud colors.

From the dissected or heart-shaped leaves of the loach, a green mass is formed, against which delicate buds look very beautiful. The plant has a tap root, which is why it was called "ipomoea", which in Greek means "worm-like".

In autumn, large morning glory seeds are formed in a closed fruit box, which, after cracking the fruit, fall to the ground and sprout easily. Therefore, several generations of loach can grow in one growing season.

Types and varieties of morning glory

In horticulture, several dozen species and varieties of this flowering loach are used. The most popular are:

Ipomoea variety

Ipomoea Kvamoklit

Liana with light green dissected openwork leaves and small pink, white or red flowers up to one and a half centimeters in diameter. It blooms from mid-summer to autumn and loves moisture. Insufficient watering can lead to a delay in the development of the plant and the crushing of its buds. The most common Quamoclit varieties are Fire Red, Lobe, Motley, and Slaughter's Quamoclite.

Ipomoea moonflowering

The loach is distinguished by shoots up to six meters long and a stem up to three meters high. It has large heart-shaped leaves and large, fragrant, white buds up to ten centimeters in diameter. Flowering begins in July and continues until mid-autumn.

Ipomoea purpurea

A plant with a long pubescent stem, opposite, lanceolate or oval bare leaves and single flowers up to seven centimeters in diameter. Gramophone-shaped flowers can be pink, white, blue, purple, deep purple or red.

Ipomoea "Flying Saucer"

- an annual plant is distinguished by large variegated flowers, the diameter of which can reach fifteen centimeters. The petals of the flower have purple-blue and white stripes. Blooms all summer until frost. When planting in a pot and providing supports, this species can be grown as an indoor morning glory.

Ipomoea blue

A powerful plant with a thick stem, from which shoots grow, forming a sprawling bush. The plant blooms only after it has gained the necessary mass of foliage. Under favorable conditions, blue flowers on the bush bloom in mid-July. Flowering continues until frost.

Ipomoea Batata

is a herbaceous plant up to thirty centimeters high. The overgrown bush in diameter reaches one or two meters. Depending on the variety, the leaves of this variety may have a light green, purple, bronze or green-purple color. Ipomoea Sweet potato can be propagated by cuttings or tubers. A low plant can be planted in a pot and grown as an indoor crop.

Ipomoea terry Serenade

Liana with a stem up to three meters long, rich green leaves and as if corrugated buds from pale to deep red. The plant needs good lighting, otherwise it will lose its decorative qualities.

Ipomoea Nile

A strongly branched liana with a stem up to three meters in length, dark green, broadly oval large leaves and funnel-shaped flowers up to ten centimeters in diameter. Semi-double buds come in a variety of colors and can be purple, dark blue, blue or red. The variety blooms from mid-summer and with good care, flowering stops only with the onset of frost.

Growing Ipomoea from seeds

Ipomoea planting methods In order for beautiful delicate flowers to bloom on the liana in the summer, it is recommended to grow it in seedlings at room conditions. For this, seeds are sown in April-May. The culture is growing rapidly and in three weeks it will be ready for planting in open ground, so the timing of sowing depends on the region.

Seeds must be pre-treated. In order for them to ascend, it is necessary to break the integrity of their shell, that is, to stratify. You can simply soak them for one day in slightly warm water, and if they do not swell, then gently pierce them with a needle, then knead them again for a day in water.

Before sowing seeds, it is necessary to choose the right soil, which for American plant species should consist of the following components

leaf humus- 2 parts;
coconut fiber- 1 part;
vermiculite- 1 part;
peat- 1 part;
fine expanded clay- 0.5 parts.
African varieties prefer soil for succulents, to which small expanded clay is added.

Each seed is placed in a separate peat or disposable cup, which is covered with a film or glass on top. Seedling containers are placed in a warm place with an air temperature within +20 degrees. Every day the soil should be ventilated and monitor its moisture content.

After about ten days, seedlings will appear, the care of which consists in the timely watering of the soil and the garter to the support, after the small bushes grow to fifteen centimeters. As the plants grow, the transshipment method is transplanted into larger containers and pinched so that side shoots form on the main stem.

Landing in open ground
How to propagate morning glory Young grown plants are planted on the site when there are no frosts and the earth is well warmed up. The distance between the bushes should be from twenty centimeters. A support is immediately fixed near them, as which you can stretch a fishing line or install a lattice of rods.

At the end of May, morning glory seeds can be sown immediately in open ground, but in this case it will bloom later. The site for the vine is chosen calm and well lit. The soil for planting morning glory should be slightly acidic and well-drained.

Features of care

When caring for morning glory, special attention should be paid to its watering, which should be moderate, but regular. From excessive watering and stagnation of water in the roots, the plant may begin to rot. However, poor watering for vines is also dangerous. Therefore, in spring and summer it is watered without waiting for the soil to dry out, and in autumn only after the soil has dried.

During the growing season, the crop requires regular top dressing, for which you can use fertilizers for succulents or flowering plants. You can water the bushes with nutrient solutions or spray their leaves in cloudy weather. Fertilizers should contain phosphorus and as little nitrogen as possible. When making a large amount of nitrogen fertilizing, only the green mass will grow well. Flowering may not occur or be inconspicuous.

Ipomoea reproduction

Bindweed can be propagated in two ways:
seeds

cuttings.

seed propagation

How Morning Glory Flower Grows Morning glory seeds can be bought or harvested from plants grown outdoors. They are formed in a brown box, which should dry out and open slightly. The fruit is formed on the site of faded buds, and the seeds will be ready for harvest in about a month. They should be stored in a paper box or bag. Seed material retains its germination capacity up to four years. We described how to sow morning glory seeds a little higher.

cuttings

Ipomoea Sweet potato and some other species can be propagated by cuttings that are cut from cut shoots. Each cutting should have two internodes and be about twenty centimeters long. Below the knot, about one and a half centimeters, a cut is made at an angle of forty-five degrees. The segment is placed in a container with water, after cutting off its lower leaves.

After five days, and sometimes even earlier, roots appear on the petiole. It is planted in a container with soil and grown at a temperature within +22 degrees. The stalk will take root in seven to ten days

Diseases and pests of morning glory

A plant with a fleshy stem and large leaves is very attractive to pests in the form of spider mites and aphids. Aphid settles on the shoots, and the spider mite on the underside of the leaves. They feed on the juice of the plant, because of which it begins to turn yellow and dry out. You can get rid of the tick by spraying the bushes with water, and from the aphids - by treating with soapy water. But if the vine is heavily affected by pests, then the use of insecticidal preparations will be required.

Among diseases, morning glory is often affected by:

White edema - the disease is not infectious and appears in case of frequent waterlogging and hypothermia of the soil. They mainly affect indoor and greenhouse plants. Manifested in the form of bumps and blisters on the leaves. Over time, the leaf plates dry out and fall off.
Viral diseases can be different. They are not treatable, so damaged plants are cut and burned, and the soil under them is treated with special preparations.
Fungal diseases - soft, black, table, root rot, anthracosis, white rust. Liana can become infected with them through the ground. Plants are treated with fungicidal preparations, after cutting off rotten areas.
In order for morning glory to grow well, bloom beautifully for a long time and not be affected by any diseases and pests, you need properly selected, disinfected soil, a well-lit drained area and proper care.

Ipomoea is one of the most famous climbing plants. An unpretentious liana is often found in temperate continental climatic conditions. The plant is distinguished by elegant heart-shaped leaves and large inflorescences of various shades. Known varieties of white, pink, purple and variegated color. Breeders also bred terry varieties. The first inflorescences appear in early July. In September, seed pods are formed. Flowering can last under favorable conditions until the end of October. The plant is widely used for shading arbors. The flower looks great on arches and wooden supports. The culture can reach about 3 meters in length. The dense arrangement of the leaves is able to block out the sun's rays. In its natural environment, morning glory can be found in the tropics and subtropics. The flower is cultivated on all continents. In the northern regions, the culture is grown only in winter gardens and greenhouses.

Ipomoea is an amazing unpretentious vine. The plant can decorate various areas of the site and premises.

Temperature regime

Ipomoea purpurea prefers warm conditions. In summer, the plant can actively develop under the influence of direct sunlight. A container plant on a balcony needs to be protected from sudden changes in temperature. It is important to protect climbing shoots from gusts of wind and drafts.

On the site, the plant has a pronounced dormant period in the winter season. Indoors, Ipomoea purpurea will need to lower the air temperature to the thermometer mark of + 15 degrees. It is advisable to water the culture only as the top layer of the substrate dries.

Air humidity

The flower responds well to the constant spraying of water at room temperature. The appearance of dry leaf tips is a clear sign of a low level of relative humidity in the environment. On hot days, morning glory should be sprayed in the morning and evening after sunset.

You can create optimal conditions for a houseplant with a humidifier and an open container of water. In dry conditions, the plant is often attacked by pests.

Proper watering

On the site, the amount of watering morning glory depends on the season. Between May and August, the substrate should be regularly moistened. At home, it is necessary to water as the top layer of the earthy coma dries out easily.

The plant prefers moderate soil moisture.

How to transplant

At the end of September (before the first frosts), Ipomoea must be dug out of the open ground. The culture should be moved to a previously prepared container with a moist soil mixture. Ipomoea purpurea perfectly tolerates room conditions.

A grown plant and seedlings can be planted on the plot in late February or early March. For a flower, it is desirable to prepare a moisture-permeable, breathable, loose soil. The acidity of the substrate should correspond to slightly alkaline or neutral soil.

Adding sphagnum moss can kill morning glory. The component is able to deoxidize the soil. Be sure to provide a thick layer of drainage for all types of morning glory.

Hybrid representatives of culture require a special substrate. To grow a flower, it is desirable to prepare a mixture of leaf humus, coconut fibers, vermiculite and crushed expanded clay. You can also add particles of wood ash.

The culture develops well in universal soil for cacti. You can dilute the mixture with vermiculite and fine expanded clay.

How to prune a flower

The plant responds well to periodic pruning. Ipomoea should be cleaned regularly from damaged areas. It is important to remove the shoots at the end of September, before the onset of the dormant period.

In the spring season, after the appearance of new cuttings, it is necessary to remove all shoots. No more than three stems should remain on the plant. During the period of active vegetative development, thinning can be carried out to maintain decorativeness.

Outdoor cultivation

For cultivation, it is desirable to choose a calm area. Wind and draft damages not only leaves and inflorescences. Fragile vine stems can also suffer. It is important to periodically feed and loosen the soil. Ipomoea grows well in a loose and nutritious substrate.

When planting seedlings in a permanent place, it is necessary to leave a distance between crops of at least twenty centimeters. It is important to keep the transport earthen room. Violation of the integrity of the root system will destroy morning glory. It is advisable to plant in open ground in the northern regions in the first decade of June.

The flower has a distinctive feature. The inflorescences of the plant open in the early morning. Under the influence of the afternoon sun, the flowers hide. In especially gloomy weather, bright flowering can be observed all day.

For transplanting morning glory, it is important to prepare the right substrate. The plant is hard to tolerate changing the container and location.

On the street, the culture needs constant watering, regular cleaning of weeds and loosening of the substrate. As a top dressing for a garden plant, you can use mineral fertilizers with a low concentration of nitrogen. Excessive soil moisture leads to rotting of the root system. The flower may die.

Growing features

soil mixture

For breeding morning glory, it is necessary to prepare a light, loose soil. Acidic soil stops flower development. The optimum pH level is in the range of 6.1 to 6.5.

Heavy substrate must be loosened. It is necessary to bring clean river sand in the open air into each landing hole. The soil should be carefully dug for even mixing.

For sowing, the site should be prepared in advance. Poor soil must be fed at the rate of two buckets of organic matter per square meter of area.

The grooves can also be filled with a mixture of turf, leaf earth, perlite and bone meal. It is important to ensure good drainage.

top dressing

In the spring, at the initial stage of the growing season, it is necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers. At the time of bud formation, potassium and phosphorus should be used.

It is necessary to strictly observe the dosage. An excessive concentration of phosphorus or nitrogen contributes to the growth of green leaves and shoots. The plant produces scarce inflorescences. The culture may stop producing buds.

Ipomoea in a container

It is often quite difficult to find a suitable place on the site for morning glory. A large plant needs support to grow. Experienced gardeners recommend planting a flower in spacious pots. It is important to prepare a fertile substrate for the plant.

Small morning glory should be carefully protected from exposure to sunlight. A culture with signs of wilting must be removed away from sunlight. Over the next weeks, abundant watering will be needed for recovery. A container plant can decorate a balcony, loggia and garden.

Tuberous morning glory grows well in a container.

For planting in a pot, you need to prepare a suitable flowerpot. The ideal volume for morning glory is about three liters. At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to lay out a layer of drainage no more than two and a half centimeters thick. It is advisable to use expanded clay, pebbles or ordinary crushed pebbles. Two handfuls of clean sand should be poured over the formation. From above, you can fill the container with a standard potting mix for flowering plants.

It should be remembered that the size of the plant directly depends on the volume of the container. The number of seedlings or seeds planted in a pot also affects.

Typical problems, diseases and pests of morning glory

As a preventive measure, heat treatment should be carried out. It will take two minutes to spray the plant with hot water (no more than 50 degrees). It is not recommended to exceed the duration of the procedure or the temperature regime. Leaves may get burned. Spraying should be repeated every 2 weeks. You can rid the plant of spider mite colonies with the help of insecticides.

Aphids infect the flower much less frequently. The appearance of brown spots on leaves and shoots are clear signs of insect colonization. The plant needs to be checked regularly. Affected areas should be constantly removed. Insecticides will help to destroy the pest. Fitoverm is ideal for morning glory.

Stagnation of water or excessive watering causes root rot. The appearance of rotting leaves and inflorescences indicates the defeat of morning glory. It is necessary to immediately stop feeding the culture.

It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the substrate. Stagnation of water harms the plant.

Most often, tuberous representatives of morning glory suffer from waterlogging. You can protect the tubers from rotting with the help of moderate watering as the earthen clod dries. Be sure to loosen the soil after each moistening.

After the typical dark dots, spots or soft spots appear on the tuber, the plant must be removed from the container. It is important to check the root system and substrate. If the soil has acquired a swampy structure, it is necessary to dry the roots. It is advisable to treat them with crushed charcoal. Ipomoea needs to be planted in a new soil mixture.

The appearance of brown spots on the edges of the foliage, wrinkled or rotting tubers can be caused by excessive concentration of fertilizers. The plant received a burn from the wrong dosage or too frequent use of chemical compounds.

Flowering culture

Ipomoea inflorescences have an amazing shape and color. Graceful liana can harm health. Most plant species belong to the category of especially poisonous crops. When processing, it is advisable to use protective equipment.

It is important to prevent contact of children and pets with morning glory. In case of accidental use, gastric lavage should be performed and medical attention should be sought.

Reproduction technology

In the southern regions, sowing of the primordia can be carried out directly in open ground. To do this, you need to sow three seeds in each groove. For compactness, morning glory should be planted at a distance of about twenty centimeters between the pits.

It is important to stimulate the seeds before growing. To do this, just place the planting material in a container of water at room temperature. Swollen seeds can be dispersed at an ambient temperature of about + 18 degrees. The first shoots will appear in fourteen days.

Separate hybrid varieties should be grown by seedling method. It is important to protect the earth ball when transplanting into open soil. Seeds for seedlings should be sown in late March or early April.

Before planting, you need to prepare a support for morning glory.

Planted in an open area should be at the end of May. Unlike other plants, even small sprouts need to be supported. The stems of the grown vines are very difficult to untangle. The plant is often damaged.

In warm countries, morning glory stems are not removed from the site in autumn. It is enough to put the support aside. In the spring, new shoots will appear from the scattered primordia. In some varieties, the first 3 months after planting are characterized by slow growth.

Ipomoea purpurea under adverse conditions will not be able to form seeds. Often the rudiments do not have time to ripen before the first frost. To obtain planting material, you will need to tear off the branches with the largest seed pods. Shoots need to be tied in a bundle. Then you should dry the morning glory in the sun. For the next few days, you need to store the plant sections in a dry, well-ventilated area. Fruits are recommended to peel gently. The extracted seeds must be stored in paper bags.

Ipomoea beauty also reproduces vegetatively. It is easy enough to spread the culture by layering. In the summer season, it is necessary to carefully fix the shoots that have appeared in the root zone in the ground. It is important not to separate the plots from the mother plant. Only the apical parts should remain on the surface of the substrate. After 45 days, the cuttings will form their own roots. Before the first frost, rooted shoots must be transplanted into a container and moved to a greenhouse.

In the spring, you can also use the technique of breeding morning glory by cuttings. Ipomoea from the cuttings will form the first inflorescences only at the end of July. The culture is also propagated by dividing the rhizome.

Flowering culture

The plant has a little secret. The life cycle of each inflorescence is only one day. The culture is constantly producing new buds. Flowering is remontant and continuous.

For abundant production of buds, it is necessary to provide diffused sunlight. Ipomoea inflorescences are very sensitive to sunlight. With the help of supports made of pipes, wire and fishing line, you can give an unusual structure to a climbing vine.

The prolonged absence of inflorescences on morning glory indicates unfavorable conditions.

The lack of flowering indicates improper care. Feeding needs to be reduced.

How to choose planting material

It is desirable to buy a plant in trusted garden representations with a spotless reputation. Very often, under the guise of terry morning glory, they sell ordinary culture. Ipomoea seeds quamoclit "Flickering Stars" are sold at a price of 49 rubles. Terry morning glory "Serenade" can be purchased for 73 rubles.

Many of us are used to thinking that creepers live exclusively in the dense jungle, filled with the burning rays of the African sun. However, these mighty plants also have more decorative counterparts that can live in a garden, balcony, and even indoors. Such a representative of the clan of vines is, for example, in the common people a bindweed. There are many varieties and types of this wonderful culture, so flower growers have a place to roam. This article is entirely devoted to the nuances of keeping and caring for the brightly flowering exotic ipomoea.

General information about the morning glory plant

Ipomoea belongs to the bindweed family, from whose name the unofficial name of the culture originates. As you probably guessed, this representative of the exotic flora lives in the natural environment in the tropics and subtropics. At the same time, its distribution area is not tied to any one continent: you can see wild bindweed anywhere in the world where a hot, humid climate reigns.

Ipomoea is an annual and perennial plant. Its life form is not only a liana, but also a shrub and a tree. The scientific name of the culture is of Greek origin. In translation, the term "ipomoea" means "worm-like" (from "ips" - a worm and "homoios" - similar). The reason for giving the plant such a name was the shape of its rhizome. Flower growers-lovers of morning glory call the culture differently: "the flower of the morning dawn." This is due to the fact that its reproductive organs open before the flowers of all other ornamental plants. It is interesting that the field bindweed, sometimes called "birch", is the brother of morning glory.

A decorative representative of exotic flora, most often bred by our compatriots in gardens, is a liana. The length of this plant reaches five meters. Curly stems densely covered with foliage. The vegetative organs of morning glory are heart-shaped, and the flowers are a miniature gramophone. The latter are large, located on pedicels, terry or simple. The shades of morning glory flowers are very different: white, and purple, and pink, and lilac, and blue, and blue, and red. Decorative liana refers to abundantly flowering plants. Unfortunately, in our country it can be grown only as an annual.

The genus Ipomoea unites about 500 plant species. The most popular of them in floriculture are:

• Ipomoea cairo- originally from Australia and the Asian continent. It has lobed vegetative organs with a jagged edge, blooms with sky-blue flowers.
• Ipomoea Nile- it is characterized by oval leaves of dark green color on long petioles, large funnel-shaped flowers, painted in purple, blue or pink.
• Ipomoea ivy. Main characteristics: heart-shaped leaves, divided into three lobes, 3 meters long, blue, pink, burgundy or red flowers. Homeland - American tropics.
• Ipomoea purpurea- 8-m vine, annual. The vegetative organs are located oppositely on the stem, have an oval shape. The flowers are solitary, painted in pink, blue, purple, white or red.

Growing conditions for morning glory

• Lighting. Ipomoea - light-loving plant. Therefore, it requires cultivation in places brightly lit by daylight. When grown in the shade and partial shade, the "morning flower" blooms poorly, its reproductive organs become smaller and do not have too bright colors. In the case of room morning glory, place the culture on the south, southeast or southwest windows.
• Thermal regime. As far as Ipomoea is photophilous, so it is not indifferent to heat. Frosts have a detrimental effect on the condition of the plant.
• Air humidity. Regarding this indicator of the environment, the exotic has no particular claims. However, in a more humid climate, morning glory still feels much better than in a dry one, due to the habitat of wild forms in tropical regions. Indoor decorative bindweed can be periodically sprayed with water at room temperature from a spray bottle.

• Soil and container for planting. Ipomoea needs a loose and at the same time nutritious substrate. The color of future flowers, leaf size, stem power and the viability of the culture as a whole depend on how this condition is met. Choose a soil with a pH around 6-7. The soil under morning glory should not be enriched with nitrogen. Otherwise, you will get only thick, abundant foliage, but not the darkness of flowers. You can plant the vine in universal soil or a mixture of hardwood, soddy soil and sand.

Features of care for the culture of morning glory

Throughout the growing season and especially during the flowering phase (May - October), the plant needs abundant, regular watering. If you ignore this recommendation, you will not be able to get a profusely flowering exotic that will delight you for a long time with its bright, fragrant "gramophones". Ice water for these purposes is better not to use. Soil flooding and overdrying of the earthen coma should be avoided.

They have a good effect on the growth and development of exotic top dressing vines. It is not difficult to produce them, because morning glory needs additional nutrients only 2-3 times during its existence. It is recommended to apply a complex mineral fertilizer to the soil under the plant. Nitrogen in such a concentrate should be as small as possible.

For planting morning glory, choose a sunny place, protected from drafts. The fact is that strong gusts of wind can damage delicate flowers and even the shoots on which they are formed. When planting seedlings, a distance between specimens of 20 cm should be observed. In open ground, morning glory may not exist until the beginning of summer. Plant an exotic vine like this. So that there is a strong and high support nearby. Her role can be played by a fence, a fence, a special wire or metal rack, a house wall or a gazebo.

Plant propagation is carried out through seeds. They are sown at the end of March - the first half of April. Previously, for 24 hours, morning glory seeds are kept in warm water to swell and only then, thus prepared, are planted in the ground. It is recommended to sow several seeds of the plant together, deepening them by 1.5 cm. After one and a half, maximum - two weeks, the first shoots will appear. Now you need to wait until they become a little higher and stronger. Underdeveloped seedlings are subjected to a picking procedure, as a result of which they are transplanted into separate pots. A support should be built near each young plant. It will serve as an ordinary stick stuck in the substrate.

Planting and caring for morning glory involves a number of activities, but caring for such a culture is not at all difficult. The main thing is to create conditions for her that are closest to the climate of her homeland - tropical America. Ipomoea belongs to the flowering plants of the bindweed family. There are both annual and perennial varieties. The name of the culture comes from the Latin word, which translates as "like a worm."

Many types of morning glory are known - more than 300. Only 20 of them are used in floriculture. There are 2 more types that are used as food. These include the following:

1. 1. Water spinach. Also called water yam. This species has lanceolate and oval leaves up to 17 cm long. The petals have a pink tint, and the core is darker. This plant is semi-submersible. In the wild, it grows in places where rivers, ponds, rice fields are located. Such a vine can be planted for landscaping ponds. In cooking in Asian countries, young shoots are used.
2. 2. Sweet potato. This variety is valued for underground tubers. They are orange, white, yellow, purple, red. The inflorescences are quite large, have pink petals.

As for the decorative types of morning glory, the most famous are the following:

1. 1. Cairo. Homeland is Australia and Asia. The stems grow up to 5 m in length. This morning glory is grown as an ampelous plant. Its inflorescences have blue petals.
2. 2. Purple. This vine is an annual crop. The stem has villi. It grows up to 8 m in length. Inflorescences are pink, white, blue, purple, red. Flowers up to 7 cm.
3. 3. Nile. The plant is highly branched. Liana reaches a length of 3 m. Flowers in diameter up to 10 cm. Inflorescences are pink and purple.
4. 4. Tricolor. This morning glory is also called red-blue. This perennial has a stem up to 4 m. The inflorescences are pale blue at first, but in the withered state they become purple-pink. Flowering lasts from early summer until the first frost.
5. 5. Ivy. The stem is highly branched. It is no more than 3 m long. The diameter of the inflorescences is no more than 5 cm. Usually they are pale blue with white edging around the edges, but there are specimens with pink, burgundy, red petals.
6. 6. Moonflowering. The stem is up to 3 m long. The foliage is heart-shaped. The inflorescences are very large (up to 10 cm) and fragrant. They open only at night, and with the first rays of the sun they collapse.

In addition to the listed species, palmate, Brazilian, Mauritanian and others are also known.

Quamoclites form a separate group. These are morning glory, which are distinguished by the presence of openwork carvings on the foliage. The inflorescences are very small, have a tubular shape. There are such popular types of quamoclites:

1. 1. Cirrus. This morning glory is a curly type, which, with proper care, can reach a length of 5 m. The leaves are light green, openwork. The inflorescences are very small - usually 1.5-2 cm each. They have a star shape. Shades are different - red, white, pink. Flowering lasts from April to early autumn. Such a form of morning glory is not able to survive a transplant.
2. 2. Slaughter. Also called cardinal liana. It is no more than 3 m long. The leaves are carved at the edges, they look very gentle. Inflorescences have a rich red hue. They are up to 2 cm in diameter. A feature of this species is that it reproduces only through seeds. They are planted immediately in open ground.
3. 3. Fiery red. This plant is an annual. It has very thin stems that can grow up to 3 m in length. Inflorescences are red. Up to 2 cm in diameter. A distinctive feature is that such morning glory quickly loses its decorative properties.
4. 4. Bladed. The plant is up to 3 m long. The leaves are three-lobed, in the form of a heart. Inflorescences up to 3 cm in diameter. A distinctive feature of this variety is that the inflorescences change shade as they open - from bright red to orange, and then light yellow.

Many varieties have now been created through breeding:

1. 1. Black Hart. It is a plant with purple leaves that turn dark emerald over time.
2. 2. Blacks. The young foliage is purple with a bronze sheen, but then becomes almost black.
3. 3. Lady Fingers. The foliage is excessively dissected. It has a green tint, but the veins are purple.
4. 4. Margarita. The foliage is lobed, green with a golden tint.
5. 5. Terey Lime. Outwardly, it resembles the Margarita variety, but is smaller in size.
6. 6. Tricoloro. Triangular leaves have white strokes and pink edging.
7. 7. Ace Spades. Foliage is almost black.
8. 8. Sweet Caroline. This is a variety series with plants that have shallow root systems. This includes Bewitched, Green Yellow, Raven, Red, Light Green, Purple, Sweetheart Red. They have bronze, golden white, green, purple, red, purple leaves.
9. 9. Illusion. This is also a separate variety. It includes Midnight Forest, Garnith Forest, Emerald Forest. They have black-green, light bronze and pale green foliage.

Growing from seed

Growing morning glory from seeds is considered a simple process, since the plant itself is picky - it quickly adapts and takes root. In a tropical climate in the wild, the culture propagates by self-sowing, but at home it is necessary to plant it yourself and select a suitable place before that.

The seeds of such a vine remain viable for up to 3 years. The process of planting morning glory for seedlings is as follows:

1. 1. Soak the seeds in clean water, the temperature of which is 20-25 0 C. You will have to wait 20 hours. Many prefer to use the scarification method instead. In other words, they slightly violate the integrity of the seed shell.
2. 2. Select the soil depending on the variety and type of crop. It is necessary to find a substrate that is as close as possible in properties to the soil in the homeland of the selected crop. If you plant seeds of African varieties, it is recommended to choose a substrate that is intended for succulents. For American varieties, you can prepare the soil yourself by mixing 3 parts of humus, 2 parts of peat and perlite, 1 part of expanded clay.
3. 3. Pour drainage into the pot first - expanded clay, pebbles, gravel, etc. will do. Then pour out the substrate.
4. 4. Plant the seeds in the ground. It is better to do this in mid-May. 1 small plastic cup relies on 3 seeds.
5. 5. Water the soil and cover the containers with plastic wrap.

Seedlings appear in 2-2.5 weeks. As the substrate dries out, it is supposed to be watered with water. Every day, open cups for 10-20 minutes for ventilation. The temperature should be 20 0 C.

When the seedlings are 13-15 cm high, it is required to make supports for them. Thin shoelaces need to be fixed at the base of the sprout, and the other ends should be fixed a little higher. On this basis, culture will continue to curl.

When the seedlings become larger, it is necessary to pick. The culture must be transplanted either into flowerpots or immediately into open ground. During transplantation, it is impossible to expose the root system, so you need to do a transshipment - move the plant along with the earthen clod. The distance in the flower bed between plants is 15-20 cm. It is better to plant a vine near walls, fences, or make supports for it. It can also be grown on a balcony with a fence.

Some varieties of morning glory propagate by cuttings. In this case, you must do the following:

1. 1. Cut cuttings 18 cm long. They should have 2 internodes. Make cuts at an angle of 45 0 C.
2. 2. Place the cuttings in a jar of clean water.
3. 3. Wait until the roots appear.
4. 4. Transplant into the ground.

Such rooting is allowed to be carried out from the beginning of spring to the beginning of summer.

Care rules

Morning glory care involves the following procedures:

1. 1. Watering. The procedure should be regular, but a small amount of water is required for one flower. The culture is moisture-loving, but overflow should not be allowed, because if water constantly stagnates near the roots, the plant will get sick. In the summer, watering should be carried out every day, and in the fall - only as the soil dries out.
2. 2. Loosening the soil. This procedure must also be carried out often - every time after watering the next day or after a few hours. This promotes the flow of oxygen to the roots. Loosening the soil is required only a few centimeters deep.
3. 3. Top dressing. It should be moderate. During the growing season, it is enough to add fertilizer only 2 times a month. It is better to use products that are intended for flowering crops. When growing varieties of African origin, it is necessary to use fertilizers that are suitable for succulents. You can not add too much nitrogen, otherwise the buds will not appear.
4. 4. Pinching. It is necessary to prune the shrub so that the side shoots develop better. Pinching a flower is necessary in order to make it more lush and bushy.
5. 5. Cropping. It is necessary to remove wilted leaves and broken or diseased shoots. Before wintering (in September), it is necessary to carry out a complete pruning, and dispose of the root. In the spring, it will be possible to plant new plants again from seeds that have been collected since the current year.