Morning Glory Perennial or Annual Plant

It has been known that morning glory is loved by many. However, some people do not know whether this plant is perennial or annual. If you are one of these people who want to know about this information, you can read this post.

Apparently, morning glories are known as both annuals or perennials. The moonflower, which has the botanical name Ipomoea Alba, are perennials in the USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11. Well for your information, there are hardy and grow well as perennial plants “Ipomoea Tricolor” in USDA zones 10 and 11.

The question is, do morning glories come back year after year? As stated before, in USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11, morning glories grow as perennials. You need to cut the plant vines back as perrenials above the ground about 6 inches in the winter or early spring. The cutting is important as it gets rid of the old and tired growth and makes them come back strong.

Read more: How to Propagate Morning Glory Tree

What’s up with morning glories if they do not grow back? If your morning glories that you have are considered as annuals, you are recommended to get rid of them when the bloom period is about to end in the summer. In order to start the new plants, you will have to spread the seeds of the plant in the same place. Please do that after the danger of the frost has passed.

Planting morning glories is actually easy but it could be not if you do not know how to. Here are some tips and tricks to follow to successfully grow the plant:

• Sowing: Morning glory is the type of plant that can grow easily from the seed. Before the last spring frost, the plants are able to start indoors at least 4 to 6 weeks. For those who sow them directly into the garden, you can plant them after any threat of frost has passed. Do not forget to make sure that the ground is warm at least up to 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Planting site: For the planting site, the best one is the one that receives plenty of sun. Morning glories are known to be good with partial sun and shade. However, they need full sun to bloom. Due to the fact that they grow so fast, it is important to select the place that makes it possible for them to mature. These plants have the ability to self seed as long as they are allowed to do so. That’s why it is needed to make sure to grow them in a location that is able to be easily accessed before cutting back spent blooms before seeding. Another thing that should be considered before planting the seeds is the yard or garden of your neighbor to prevent the seeds from not falling in their area.

If you are currently growing the either perennials or annuals morning glories, you might need these tips for care:

• The soil: The morning glories grow well in moderately fertile and well drained soil that is always moist until the plant is well established. Actually, the soil does not really matter for the adult plants and unlike the young ones, they can tolerate poor and dry soil.
• Watering: The morning glories have to be watered freely in the growing season. During the dry periods, you are advised to water the plant once or twice a week. As for the adult ones, the tip is not really needed as they are fine even with the drier conditions. During winter, watering should be cut.
• Amendments and fertilizer: Fertilizer is not really important for the morning glories but you are still allowed to give them this. You are able to give a balanced liquid fertilizer every month in the growing season. Remember to not give the plant too much fertilizer to prevent the plant from producing more foliage than blooms.
• Pruning: Unlike a lot of plants, morning glories do not need pruning. However, it is still needed for you to get rid of the old flowers before they form seedpods in order to prevent the unwanted self seeding.

If you do not have morning glories in your place but you are planning to grow them and do not know what to do, here is step by step to follow:

If you want to grow the morning glories from the seed, the first thing that you need to do is to file your seeds to break the outer shell. It should be done before planting. Then, soak them for a day, which is good for germination. After that, cover lightly with soil at least ¼ to ½ inch soil and water thoroughly.

If you want to grow the morning glories by transplanting, keep in mind to not disturb the roots when the process of transplanting is underway. After the process of transplanting is done, you will have to water them deeply for a few days so that the roots can establish in the new place. To prevent stress on the root system from happening, you can use peat or the other disintegrating pots planted directly in the soil. Once they are established, the plants can grow so fast up for a maximum of 12 feet tall in a season.

For everyone who grows morning glories, it is worth noting that the best time to harvest the morning glories is during summer. However, it is a must to give them a lift as summer progresses. When you realize that your plants start to look ragged or stop blooming as they are supposed to be, the best thing that you can do is to revive the vines. If you have no idea how to do so, you can cut them back by 1/3 to 1//2. When summer comes, it is better for you to do cutting to get rid of all the damaged and diseased stems at any time of the year. This tip is really effective to get the big blooms next summer.