I've been growing both moonflowers AND morning glory for three years. I've never had any problems with poisoning despite the fact that I foolishly refuse to use garden gloves, and I've had great success with growing them. Don't pamper moonflower seeds. Thats the problem a lot of people face. YES, they do take 10-20 days to emerge from the soil, yes, keeping them watered regularly is good (don't have them SWIMMING in thier own pot LITTERALLY), but you just need to give them TIME. Yes, they do well in good soil (not clay or gravel soil), but the reason they would rot is... 1. Its humid, hot, wet, moist, and the seeds are all forced to go through this condition... 2. You have maggots in your soil. I dare you to check and not freak out. (be careful when putting your seeds in soil. At least EXAMINE the dirt before you stick the seeds in them.) Another thing. Moonflowers, both the vine AND bush, are poisonous. Don't consume, and don't let your animals consume it either. Indoor animals shouldn't have a problem if you wash your hands after working in the garden. But if you have a neighbor's cat who comes to the back door like I have, and litterally has a police cat stake out on your porch, be careful about where and how you do your planting if you're starting seeds in a pot on your porch, or in your garden where the cat often roams. hope this is useful for those moonflower lovers out there... but you dont have to take my advice. I'm only 13. ^^

I'm resurrecting this thread for a question. I'm trying to grow a moonflower or two indoors over the winter as houseplants and take them outside when the weather gets warm again. I know my bedroom is warm enough--warmer than the rest of the house. My question is: Do moonflowers keep inside well? I can deal with giant vines, but I'm concerned about the health of the plant itself. For reference, if anyone wants it: I had no trouble starting my moonflower. I soaked three seeds in some tap water in a little dish filled with pop can tabs (to keep them submerged). After that, I let them sit in my west window on some damp garden soil, and they took off. When they ALL cracked open (which I was not expecting), I transferred them to separate pots gently before the roots could grow out. One has rotted and been discarded, and one is growing very slowly, but the third has taken off like a shot. They're being watered with filtered water from the kitchen sink--no fertilizer, nothing really special--and being grown in ceramic seedling pots, which have drainage holes. There's a plastic bag or a glass dish under each. I didn't think to nick them, only did what the package said and soaked them. The soil is pretty fertile, but from what I've read, they don't really care. The filtered water thing is important for any plant, though. Salt from the water softener isn't good for plants. I have most of my experience from starting seeds for my veggie garden. I happen to be pretty good with vines--cucumbers, morning glories, squash... actually, the way I grow tomatoes, they're almost like vines themselves unless we get them on trellises. What can I say? Iowa summers and lots of rain (or good sprinklers) do that. Also, if my cat thinks he's going to eat these, I'll have to give them to my neighbor. Hope he doesn't. He's not a big plant eater, but still. Hailing from Iowa, Zone 5, by the Mississippi River --Rebekah, 15

Suzie, Since it is likely Susan's link answered all your questions, I'll just add that I let my moonflower seed pods dry on the vine and then I harvest about half and leave the other half to self-sow. My moonflowers act just like Susan's in that they self sow lightly here and there but don't pop up all over the place like the more invasive morning glories. After the self-sown seedlings sprout in springtime, I have the collected seed to fill in any 'holes' in the fenceline where moonflowers didn't sprouts. We have ton of sphinx moths here all the time and they love the night-blooming daturas, four o'clocks and moonflowers. This week I've seen them out in late afternoon or early evening visiting the Laura Bush petunias and brugmansias. I'm glad I still have lots in bloom for the night moths, and we also still have hummers visiting the flowers and the feeders too. Dawn

How long does it take for moonflowers to bloom on average? I know Karyn you said not until fall, but does that mean we should count 120 days from germination, 90 days from germination? I wish there were more clear instructions on these things... I have never managed to get a moonflower to bloom, whether I have started them indoors or not. Also - my understanding is that when my moonflowers burst out of their seeds and show their first huge leaves, there is a fairly long period of time from when the first leaves show to when their "true" leaves come out. This is my experience, but is it normal or am I doing something wrong?