Help with "Moonflowers"

[Puddin' Man]

'allo,

I am in St. Louis, MO, USA.

Last season I managed to grow some nice Ipomea Alba ("Moonflower vine") in the summer months. Saved lots of seeds.

Also managed to transplant a Datura Inoxia ("Moonflower bush") from a neighbors yead. It was in intensive care for about 10 days but finally took hold. Saved lots of seeds.

That notwithstanding, I've got a near-black thumb: am not at all handy and well-versed in growing plants.

I put some potting soil in plantable pots, add seeds from last season, water and fertilize for 10 days and ... Voila ... Nothing, Nada, and Zilch.

Any ideas?

Cheers, Puddin'

" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head." - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson

[Val]

I always soak Moon Flower seeds overnight before planting. I've heard that nicking the seed also helps but those suckers are so hard and slick, when I tried this I just about lost a hunk of meat from my thumb. I have excellent luck just soaking them. My Moon Flowers are just now coming up. I'll put them out the first weekend in June. I've found that if the soil or nights are too cold when I plant them out they just sit and do nothing or wither away.

Why don't you dig a seed out of one of the pots and see if they are sprouting. If they haven't done anything I'd pull them out of the soil, soak them for a day and replant them. What have you got to loose?

Val

[Puddin' Man]

The Datura seeds are too tiny to hold and nick. The Ipomea are nickable.

Which? Bush? Vine?

Are you in the US? What region?

Just add seeds to a glass of water overnite? Piece of cake. I had to pitch the pots (too moldy), but I got lots of seeds.

Thx, P

" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head." - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson

[Eggs Zachtly]

I'm 50 miles west of downtown. =)

Yes. Ipomoea alba seeds won't germinate until the /average/ temp is around

70F. We're way behind the average temp for this time of year.

Are you starting them indoors? They'll need plenty of sunshine (which has also been quite lacking this year).

And, skip the fertilizer until they're being transplanted.

Please put your signature behind a proper sig-delimiter (dash dash space), so that it will be stripped from followups. Thanks.

[Val]

Moon Flower Vine. I grow them in a large planter on my balcony to climb a trellis I have over my bedroom window. The vine shades my bedroom from hot southern exposure, the vines love it and the scent fills my livingroom and bedroom in the evening.

USA, Northwest corner, Puget Sound region

I start my MFV seeds in homemade newspaper tubes. By the time they are ready to be planted out the newspaper is kinda moldy (rigor compostis?) but the vine starts are healthy. I just make a hole and drop the tube in, doesn't disturb the young plant or it's roots and the tube decomposes fast......and they are FREE!!

I now also use a small heating pad for bottom heat, they sprout in about 4-5 days, twice as long or more without it. Once they come up I keep them on a south facing window sill until I plant them out.

Yup, put the seds in a glass of water now and tomorrow you can pot them. Keep them in a nice warm place. You'll have MFV popping up in no time.

I just love these flowers! :)

Val

[Puddin' Man]

Aha. Familiar with my climate.

And it's been massively variable, huge swings.

Yes.

I figured if they'd sprout, I'd put them in a sunny spot outside on the nicer days.

Maybe I'm just too early.

OK.

Thanks, P

" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head." - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson

[Puddin' Man]

Sounds ideal.

Lost po' me. Whassa 'homemade newspaper tube'?

Myself as well, starting with last season. Had them all over a 20+ yard stretch of chain-link fence. Beautiful, required no care, removing vine after fall freezes was no hardship.

That was from purchased seeds. Mayhap I'm a tad early this year, but I'll keep trying.

Thx, P

" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head." - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson

[Val]

I have a 4ft length of wooden closet rod dowel. I lay piece of newspaper on the floor, roll the dowel over it to make a tube of the newspaper. Run a piece of masking tape down the seam to hold it closed. I slip the tube off the dowel, cut the tube into about 4" to 5" lengths. Then I hold the tube over a bag of potting mix and fill it, lightly firming the mix. Then I stand the tubes up in an old flat bottomed Tupperware containers. Plant you seeds and water. Once the seeds begin to sprout I pour water in the dish and it wicks up the tube, this keeps water off my seedlings. I have some different sized pieces of PVC pipe I use for dowels, adjusting size and depth of the tube depending on what I'm starting. I like using these because they are handy, don't disturb the roots when I plant out, decomposed very rapidly and they are FREE! ;)

If germination requires bottom heat I can just sit the container on a heat pad.

Val

[Charlie]

Dang, this is a great idea! Thanks Val. I love the free part, right before the obvious simplicity.

Charlie, adding this idea to the mental file

[Puddin' Man]

Aha. The picture is now complete.

I've got numerous dowels, pvc, etc and lots of newsprint. I'll give this a try.

Thanks, Pudd>

" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head." - from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson