Where did I go wrong with my morning glories?

8 years ago

I planted some Grandpa Ott's morning glories in a large barrel planter. They were doing beautifully and even outgrew the trellis. Then suddenly, a vine died off, then another, then another. I tried everything I could think of. I lost all the original vines. Their seeds replanted themselves and grew, but I guess being so late in the season, they only grew about a foot in height and the leaves are not much bigger than a quarter. I still get flowers. A few the new vines are dying again, though not as rapidly. I was under the impression morning glories were weed-like. Any one have advice?

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zen_man

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hi urban_sidhe,

If there is anything left of your morning glory vines, I would suggest you "perform an autopsy" to see what you can learn. Namely, did they start dying from the vine tips first, or did they start dying in the roots first? And explore the garden soil in the planter. If you have a tarp, pour the soil out on the tarp and go through it looking for anything unusual. How many years has that Miracle Grow Garden Soil been in that planter? If your water supply has dissolved minerals, those can build up over the years.

Maybe Gerros2 (Joseph) will chime in here. Gerros has hands-on experience growing morning glories in containers. I am a zinnia guy.

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Comments (11)

zen_man
8 years ago
Hi urban_sidhe,

" I tried everything I could think of. "

Just out of curiosity, what did "everything" consist of?

" I planted some Grandpa Ott's morning glories in a large barrel planter. "

What was the growing medium or any other contents of the barrel ?

" I was under the impression morning glories were weed-like. "

Yes, they are. Click on the following link.

All Ipomoea species listed as "noxious weeds" in Arizona and are illegal to cultivate.

International law also applies to morning glories. For example, morning glory seeds are listed as controlled narcotic drugs in Italy.

ZM
urban_sidhe
Original Author
8 years ago
Sorry I was in a hurry due to the word limit.

I tried less water, I tried more water. Less sun and more sun. I tried small amounts of fertilizer. I cut more holes in the planter to make sure it was draining properly. The snails were nipping at them but that shouldn't kill off an entire vine so I treated for bugs and for fungus. Nothing seemed wrong with them other than some holes in the leaves (from the snails) and the fact they were dying.

I believe it's Miracle Grow Garden Soil in the planter. The morning glories are the only thing in there except the trellis. I figured being vines they choke anything else out.

Many of my neighbors have them basically growing wild. I have no idea why mine just died when they were doing so well. Any advice for next season would be appreciated.
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urban_sidhe
Original Author
8 years ago
ZM,

Yeah, all the vines are still there. The died from the bottom up, leaves on the bottom went yellow and moved up the vine. Took about 2 months I think for all the first vines to die. They were producing flowers up until the vine was done. Although, I remember one dying at the top for a short time then came back, then died completely.

This is my first year growing anything by myself so everything is from this past summer. Its been a bit of a learning process I admit. Had a similar problem with snapdragons, seeing as they were in front of every office building. Then read on a forum it gets too hot for them by mid June. I then realized everywhere I had seen them, there were petunias or lilies there instead. Lesson learned.

Thanks for your help!

Urban
zen_man
8 years ago
Hi Urban,

" They died from the bottom up, leaves on the bottom went yellow and moved up the vine. "

That part sounds like a nutrient deficiency. For those nutrients that are readily transportable in the plant, and there are several, the plant steals the nutrient from the older growth and moves it to the new growth part of the plant. The older growth dies at the expense of the new growth. A nutrient deficiency can be solved by using water soluble nutrient formulas. The MiracleGro Bloom Booster Flower Food formula might work in your case.

ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
how old was the media in the pot

ken
urban_sidhe
Original Author
8 years ago
ZM

I did add Miracle Grow and another fertilizer (not sure the brand, it was fishing waste based) after they started to show yellow leaves, you think I didn't add enough? The directions said it would be good for 2-3 months.

Ken,

I answered that earlier. I bought the planter, the seeds and the medium on the same day over this past summer. So for 6 months at most.
mnwsgal
8 years ago
Morning glories do not need fertilizer. Too much fertilizer can result in great leaf growth but diminish flowering.

Re: older mix. I have had MG reseed in a pot for several years and did not change the mix and they still grew well.

If the mix was one of the moisture control ones it may have stayed too wet, rotting the roots. That can start with yellow leaves and progress to dead vines.
docmom_gw
8 years ago
My guess is the soil was the problem. Container growing really does require growing medium with better drainage than typical garden soil. I believe that MiracleGrow Garden Soil is designed to be added to outdoor beds, rather than to be used as container growing medium. So, the soil possibly didn't drain adequately and/or allow enough oxygen to reach the roots. There may also have been fungal growth or mildew, etc. I will repeat, that is my best GUESS. But, it would explain the time frame and the yellowing of the leaves from the bottom.

Martha
Gerris2 (Joseph Delaware Zone 7a)
8 years ago
Were there fungus gnats flying around the pot?
bellarosa
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I planted these once and now they are all over my side yard. I'm pulling them out constantly. The color is pretty, but next time I'd rather grow the blue variety, Heavenly Blue, I think that's the name. I didn't do anything special to them.

Where did I go wrong with my morning glories?

zen_man

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Where did I go wrong with my morning glories?

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