Gardening Questions and Answers

A new gardening question of the day appears every day of the year on the front page of Almanac.com. Below is the answer to one of the questions from our Gardening Questions and Answers Archive where you can find over 400 more gardening questions (with answers!).

If morning glories are such an invasive weed in some places, why can't I get them to grow here in Maine?

Pure stubbornness on the part of the flower, no doubt. Here are some tips. First, if you're starting from seed, try soaking the seeds for 24 hours in warm water. Another trick is to take a file and nick the end of each seed before you plant it. A layer of glass or clear plastic over the seed tray will help maintain the humidity. Keep the seeds warm (70 to 75 degrees F) until they germinate, which can take up to two weeks. Then keep them in a sunny location and make sure they don't outgrow their pots before you get them outside. Morning glories are notorious weeds in places such as Bermuda (they are, after all, a tropical plant). Although they'll grow in poor soil and low-moisture areas, they prefer moist, rich soil. They don't like a lot of nitrogen. Lawn fertilizers, manure, fish meal, bonemeal, and composted peas and beans are all high in nitrogen, so avoid using them near your morning glory vines.