Will morning glory be ok in a cold frame?

squid · April 2023

I've not grown them before. I think I sowed them a bit early and they have taken over my windowsill. Put them in bigger pots today they are about 6 inches tall. Do you think they will cope in a cold frame against a sheltered wall outside yet or is it still too cold? Temps about 5-9 degrees overnight here.

Also hi I'm new here

punkdoc · April 2023

They need night time temperatures consistently above 10C, so too early. here I don't put them out till early June, haven't sown them yet.

Fairygirl · April 2023

Hi @squid - they're half hardy so you'd need it to be warm enough overnight for them as @punkdoc says. Small plants, or seedlings, are very vulnerable to a sudden change too, so I think they'd suffer.
I only sowed mine yesterday. They're in little propagators [not heated] and I've had to put them in the gr'house because the kitchen sills are full. I don't usually do that - they're normally in the kitchen, so I don't know how well they'll do.
We're still getting temps down to zero, or below, regularly at night, but I have plenty of seed if I have to re sow, and I have some other half hardy seeds germinating quite well in there.
Ironically, getting seed germinating in a gr'house can often be an easier process than moving small plants into it

philippasmith2 · April 2023

Yours are much further advanced than mine ( sown 27 March and germinated within 6 days ) which are just about to produce their true leaves. They have been in an unheated GH for a couple of weeks now but this is in coastal Somerset. If it is likely to be chilly at night, I simply lay a light covering of fleece over them.
I would suggest you put them in your CF during the day ( the light will help them ) and bring in overnight. If you do that for a week or so, they should be sufficiently hardened off to cope with the weather ( tho who knows ! ) and then you can judge the right time and place to plant them out. Worth bearing in mind tho that as with most young plants at this time of year, your location can make the difference between success and failure.

B3 · April 2023

I don't grow them any more. Got bored with the hokey cokey

squid · April 2023

Thanks guys, I've chickened out and brought them back inside (for nights at least) for another week or two

JennyJ · April 2023

I don't sow them until about mid-May, so they can go outside as soon as they get big enough to start twining.

bertrand-mabel · April 2023

We were given seeds by a neighbour in our village many years ago. Had no success at germination indoors. Told that she doesn't start them off until May. So we did that last year and had mega seedlings that we were able to plant out and had fabulous flowering for so long.

Papi Jo · April 2023

Only started to grow Ipomoea tricolor last year. I have let them to self-seed right under the trellis where they were growing and I have by now a large number of tiny seedlings. Will post a pic tomorrow. No need to take precautions. But I garden in Brittany, West of France.

Fairygirl · April 2023

Yes - later is usually far better for them than too early @JennyJ. It's down to timing/temps -as is so often the case.

I think mine may not germinate well, but the house is much colder than I would normally have it too, and other seed has been slower because of that, so I'm probably going to experiment and bring one tray into the house, and leave the other in the gr'house and see what happens.

Dovefromabove · April 2023

When Morning Glory are too cold the leaves turn white and they stop growing … it can take ages to get them going again, if they ever do. They need minimum constant temps in the mid teens to be really happy.

Will morning glory be ok in a cold frame?

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