Ipomoea purpurea is a tropical plant, found in the wild on the continents of South and North America, grows there as a perennial climbing plant.
In the latitudes of Russia is cultivated as an annual culture. Ipomoea purpurea grows many buds. Although they bloom only one day, many new ones appear to replace one. Ipomoea purpurea is popular in landscape design, the flower is grown on balconies, loggias.
Description of Ipomoea purpurea
The flower belongs to the family of bindweed, in nature there are many poisonous species. Breeders have bred varieties that are harmless to humans; they strike with a variety of colors of buds. The plant is characterized by rapid growth, instantly floods the space. With good agricultural technology, shoots reach a length of 7 meters. On average, the liana grows to 3-4 meters in length. The flower grows to the very frosts, constantly pleases with flowering.
Branched shoots are pubescent, leaves reach 18 cm, have a heart-shaped shape, hold on oblong petioles more than 10 cm long.
The bud consists of five fused thin petals. Flowering begins in June, each of the buds lives only a day. They open in the cool time of the day, and close in bright light. A pollinated bud forms a three-star box with bare dark seeds up to 7 cm long.
Varieties of morning glory purple
There are more than 20 varieties of different colors. It is worth considering the most popular.
| Grade | Description of the buds | Colors |
| Tall species with branches up to 5 m | ||
| Star waltz, mixture | Bell-shaped with a contrasting pharynx up to 5 cm. | White, pink, blue, blue, blue, violet. |
| Paradise stars, mix | With rounded, pointed petals, 5-7 cm. | Beige, pink, pale blue, bright blue, purple. |
| Scarlett O'Hara | Bell-shaped with a white pharynx, 5 cm. | Red Raspberry. |
| Flying saucer | Solid colors. | Pale blue. |
| Milky Way | Solid with symmetrical coloring, 5-7 cm. | White with bright pink touches. |
| Medium-sized varieties with branches of 2.5-3 m. | ||
| Ultraviolet | Solid with a contrasting pharynx. | Thick purple. |
| Kiyozaki | With corrugated petals, plain and with a stroke, 5 cm. | White, purple, purple with a white border. |
| Starfish | Solid with a color smear in the center of the petal. | White with pink spots. |
| Blue sky | Solid with white throat. | Baby blue |
Growing and Care Rules
For tropical culture choose sunny, windless areas. The bush grows up, requires support. Planting is done by seedlings or directly into the ground. The basic principles of care: do not overfeed, do not thicken and do not fill. Regular cultivation, weeding, trimming is required. The soil is required loose.
Seed cultivation
Before planting, the seeds are immersed in warm water (+ 25 ... +30 ° C), left for 30 minutes to swell. After this procedure, abundant shoots will appear.
Sowing seeds
For planting, use deep plastic boxes or pots, it is best to choose white plastic, it heats up less in the sun, the soil will not dry out. It is important to remember about drainage - at least 5 cm of drainage components are laid at the bottom of landing tanks. Lay the soil mixture on top. The interval between the holes is at least 15 cm so that morning glories do not interfere with each other.
Seedling Care
Recommended temperature for growth is +20 ° С. Top dressing is done every 2 weeks, the soil is loosened. When the seedlings stretch to 15 cm, it must be directed. If it is not possible to plant morning glory in open ground, props are inserted into the pots.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Ipomoea is transplanted by transshipment, the landing hole is made 5 cm wider and deeper than the landing capacity. The distance between the bushes is at least 20 cm. The bushes are immediately tied up.
Planting seeds in open ground
Ipomoea is a heat-loving culture, planting material is sown when the soil warms up to +10 ° C, there will be no low night temperatures. Planting is carried out according to the same scheme as in the pots. 203 seeds are placed in each depression, after the appearance of the shoots, the strongest bush is left.
Care for morning glory purple in the open ground
A tropical plant needs regular watering, top dressing. In the open field, it is important to monitor the plant, it is susceptible to fungal diseases. A wilted flower often falls by itself, but sometimes it has to be cut.
Many varieties reproduce from self-collected seeds, with the exception of hybrids. With the onset of frost, the plant dies, it is harvested in compost if there are no fungal lesions on the trunk. With a strong thickening of the bush, extra shoots are removed, leaving 2 or 3 stems. The soil must be periodically loosened, mulched. When the shoot arrow forms, pinch it so that the trunk branches.
Temperature mode
For normal growth, it should be no lower than +5 ° C, at low temperatures the plant becomes ill, can die. Planting is done when the soil is heated to +12 ° C.
Soil and fertilizer
Ipomoea purpurea prefers loose, humus-rich soil. The acidity of the soil should be in the range of 6-7 pH.
Growing seeds in universal soil is recommended. For transplanting, turf soil, compost and river sand are mixed in equal proportions.
Top dressing is done every two weeks, fertilizers are applied during watering. Fertilizers for succulents, potassium-phosphorus mineral mixtures are suitable for morning glory purple. In case of insufficient budding, they are treated with biological preparations "Ovary", "growth", Plantafol. When making it is important to follow the instructions. With an excess of fertilizers, fungal diseases develop, the plant dies. With an excess of nitrogen, the number of flowers decreases, the bush grows green mass.
Humidity and watering
Inadmissible stagnation of water in areas where there is a high occurrence of groundwater, morning glory will not grow without drainage. The roots will rot. In dry areas, watering is intensified during the period of mass gain - in early summer. After rains, the soil is moistened only by drying. Spraying is done only in the evening, when there is no sunlight.
Diseases and Pests
Ipomoea is susceptible to fungal infections, plant viruses. The flower is constantly inspected, treated at the first sign of disease.
| Diseases and Pests | Manifestations | Remedial measures |
| Fungal stem rot | Uneven dark spots of brown color with a clear border. | The plant is removed so that there is no damage to neighboring vines. |
| Soft rot | The stalk becomes soft. | Sprinkling soil with wood ash, spraying with fungicides. |
| Root rot | The plant withers, death is possible. | Transplantation with the removal of the damaged part of the root system. |
| Black rot | Dark spots on the stem sag, exude pinkish juice. | Spray with fungicides at weekly intervals. Affected parts of the plant are removed. |
| White rust | White spots with mold coating. | The affected branches are cut out, on the remaining parts of morning glory they carry out preventive treatment with fungicides. |
| Anthracnose, the effects of waterlogging | Dark brown spotting on leaves with a yellow fringing of spots. | Sprinkle the soil with dry phytosporin, loosen. Damaged foliage is removed, watering is reduced. |
| Spider mite | Tenets arise on the bottom of the sheet. | Biological insecticides are used: infusion of onions or garlic, liquid soap is added for better adhesion of the solution. |
| Aphids | Settle on the bottom of the sheet, light dots appear on the top plate. | Distributors of aphids are ants, it is necessary to fight them, destroy chemical insecticides for garden crops. |
Growing morning glory purple on a balcony
Amateur gardeners who do not have land allotments cultivate the plant on balconies and loggias. Glazing is not an obstacle to growing.
Care for seedlings and adult vines is the same as for garden plantings. It is necessary to pinch the shoots in time, direct them to the supports. The soil must be regularly fed, it quickly becomes impoverished. Mineral complexes contribute at least two weeks later. Watering is required frequently, especially if the balcony is located on the south side. Drying of an earthen coma should not be allowed. On the southeast, north side, the buds will remain open longer.
Mr. Summer resident informs: problems when growing morning glory on the balcony
Beginning gardeners face unpleasant surprises. To avoid them, you should consider some of the nuances of care for morning glory:
- Culture needs ultraviolet light. In rainy cool weather, the buds may rot; it is necessary to minimize watering, mulch the soil, and organize lighting.
- With steady summer heat, morning glory can drop foliage, turn yellow. It is advisable to shade pots, intensify watering, and spray in the evenings.
- It is important to avoid proximity to other cultures, morning glory needs nutrients.
Another feature: on the balcony, in the loggia, the bud for seeds must be pollinated with a brush. With self-pollination, seeds ripen in only a third of the flowers.
Ipomoea purpurea in landscape
An annual liana in a short period of time is able to tighten the gazebo, the fence. During the period of growing green mass, it requires supports, trellises, twine, wire, mesh.
Ipomoea purpurea drapes walls perfectly, hides all defects. The plant is planted at wicker fences in sunny areas. They are able to tighten the gazebo, mesh arch in a month. In cloudy weather, the buds do not close for a long time.
Ipomoea purpurea feels good in large pots, forms a lush bush around the support. A pot of morning glory purple can be rearranged from place to place when decorating the site. She will decorate any garden. Carved foliage, plenty of flowers will be a real find in landscape design.
It is used to obscure south-facing windows. Another convenient place for a flower is a tree trunk, a liana quickly rises along the trunk, braids around branches, creates a fertile shadow. As a support, an old driftwood will do. Morning glory will be appropriate in any corner of the garden.
