How to Grow Morning Glory from Seeds

If you want to know how to grow morning glory from seeds you are in the right spot. I have experience, tips and insider knowledge on this easy to grow flower.

I live in Mexico, where the Morning Glory flowers grow quite literally, like a weed.

And it is true that this flower has a rich history here, as its seeds are psychoactive and used in religious and shamanistic ceremonies, but as sacred and special as this plant is to the culture, one thing it ain’t is uncommon. (if you are interested in this plants psychoactive properties, check out my article: how to extract lsa from morning glory seeds)

I have a fair bit of experience growing this flower and I am going to share that with you.

My insider knowledge of how to grow morning glory flowers

This plant loves two things in abundance-climbing up to the high heavens and sunshine.

But…

While this plant is a seedling it needs shade. Let me paint you a picture of this plant in its infancy.

In Mexico, this plant grows in the wild, just about anywhere there is a decent amount of rain and something for it to climb.

Where I live I see this plant climb trees, fences, electric posts, abandoned houses, you get the idea.

And…

Unlike many parts of the US and other westernized countries, Mexico is more wild, less manicured. So the underbrush is not cleared in parks and other open areas. Things (plants, children, dogs and cats) are allowed to sort of just grow.

Mexico does not have so many roadside crews cleaning the plant life from the side of the road, and the parks maintenance crews do not clear every part of the park clean, leaving plenty of space and underbrush for morning glory flowers to grow. The underbrush is key for morning glory seedling success.

Whats my point?

My point is this:

If you want to know how to grow morning glory from seeds, the first thing you must know is that morning glory seeds need shade to start. The morning glory seedlings thrive in shade. The flowers need full sun, hence the reason this plant climbs…but I digress.

The underbrush that is abundant here in Mexico, on the un-manicured places in parks and roadsides provides the perfect cover for the delicate seedlings. With this important tidbit of info, let me show you how I recreate this environment for my morning glories, which I grow on my back patio.

1. Get yourself some Morning Glory seeds

First, and probably pretty obvious, you need a good source of seeds. I grow the heavenly blue variety of morning glory plants because their seeds have psychoactive properties, but this tutorial is apt for any variety.

In case you are curious, you can learn more about how to extract the alkaloids from the seeds in my next article.

This is what my seeds look like. Beautiful, aren’t they??

2. Prepare your soil and containers for your Morning Glories to grow

I have heard others say that morning glories grow best in poor soil conditions, but I am just not convinced. As you can see from my pictures below, the dirt they grow in natively is a rich black soil. It is a bit high in clay, so maybe that is what they mean by poor soil.

If you know how to grow tomatoes, cucumbers or chiles, then you already have a head start, because morning glories grow great in soil that tomatoes and cukes thrive in.

Get yourself some 5 Gallon Grow Bags, buckets, or some other pot or planter and let’s get started. I use a combination of buckets and bags to grow mine.

If I am not using grow bags, I like to recycle old buckets like this one. I simply drill about 6 holes in the bottom. It’s worked out well for me.

2b. Soil – Dirt- Earth

As I mentioned, to grow morning glory flowers, all you need is soil that works well for tomatoes. Something similar to this Mother Earth Terracraft Potting Soil, or something you find at home depot or similar.

You can see the color and texture of the dirt I use in the pictures below.

3. Location of your Morning Glories

Before you fill your containers with dirt, decide where you want to place them.

Remember, the seedlings need shade, and you can recreate that condition using a few tricks I talk about below, but I like to place my plants under a tree I have in my back yard.

Morning glories love to climb trees, so this solves two problems, it gives the seedlings shade, and gives the plant something to grow up on.

Best of all, it’s free. I do not need to buy any trellis for the plant to climb.

I do, however use some long thin branches I harvested from other trees to give the vine something to climb on till they reach the tree.

If you don’t have a tree, you can use a fence or get a trellis for them to grow.

4. How to Plant and Grow Morning Glory from Seeds

Now let’s get to the good part. Morning glory seeds are very, very fertile. If you want say 6 vines, you will only need to plant at most 12 seeds. I have had times where all the seeds germinate, but if I use older seeds, maybe half will germinate.

4a. Start by placing your dirt in the container. Lightly water the soil. Don’t over saturate, but make sure the soil surface feels damp to the touch. Make several small holes. I place the holes about 3 inches apart. If I use a 3 gallon bucket I make about 4 holes in the dirt, as you can see from the pic below. The holes themselves are about 1 inch wide and 1 inch deep.

4b. Place one or two morning glory seeds in each hole. Remember, these seeds are normally quite fertile, so you only needs a few.

4c. Cover the seeds lightly with a bit of damp soil. Don’t tap it down, you want the soil loose, like this picture. Lightly water every day until they sprout.

4d. This part is my secret squirrel trick to getting my morning glory seeds to sprout. Right after I place the seeds and cover them with damp soil I take a cardboard circle like this and cover the seeds until they sprout, about 1 week.

It works like a charm and was the trick I needed to have success with this plant.

You can also use the lid of the bucket, if you still have it.

Note: after the seeds sprout they still need shade, which is why I grow my plants under a tree. They need a little shade until they start to climb, so about 3 or 4 weeks.

5. Sprouting and climbing

5a. In about a week or so, these little beauties pop out of the soil. They look like dragonfly wings, right?

At this point you do not need to cover them with cardboard or the bucket lid, but they still need shade to replicate their natural growing conditions.

5b. In less than two weeks, the plant starts to make more leaves. At this point I water the plant every 2 or 3 days, depending on how hot and dry it is. Just touch the soil, if it feels dry, your plants are thirsty.

Also, you can see from the picture that I have a stick in the soil. This is to guide the vine to my tree. They will start reaching out to climb soon, so give them something to climb. If you do not have anything build or get a garden trellis.

In about 3 to 4 weeks your plant will be a couple feet tall and you don’t have to be as concerned with shade at this point. Keep watering every three days or so, and they should thrive.

See how they climb!

In about 120 days or less you should get your first blooms.

Each flower is capable of producing a seed pod that contains 4 heavenly blue morning glory seeds.

6. Pests, bugs and plant plagues

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but at least in my case, this plant seems to be prone to pests and bugs that can disrupt the flowers and therefore the seeds. The bugs also encouraged an army of ants to set up shop on my morning glory plants.

Luckily, I discovered an inexpensive solution that works. (also works on other plants and vegetables, too. So bonus!)

Get yourself some Neem oil and a one liter spray bottle mix according to package directions and simply spray any pests you see.

This solution is economical and environmentally friendly. Plus you can use it on other plants and flowers in your garden, without worrying about harsh chemicals.

If you want an even simpler solution, buy the neem oil all made up. I don’t buy it like this because its more expensive and makes more waste. ( I have a lot of plants so I use the spray quite often)

7. Final notes on growing morning glory from seed

Morning glory flowers and vines, once they get going are VERY prolific and fertile. I keep just 6 vines of varying age going at once because I use them to collect seeds

Plus I just LOVE being greeted by a few of these beautiful flowers each morning.

Because they are so prolific and fertile, be mindful of where the seeds fall, and be aware that they can be hard to get rid of once they take hold. I have heard from some that the vines started growing in the neighbors yard. Yikes.

I hope you found this tutorial on how to grow morning glory from seed useful. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or how your garden is growing!

Goodbye for now

If you are a psychonaut you might appreciate a few other articles I have here on The High Vibration Station.

How to Grow Magic Mushrooms Directly from a Ready Rice bag

15 Psychoactive plants you can Grow in Your Garden

How to Extract LSA and LSH from Morning Glory Seeds

Until next time fellow travelers

Love and Light!

Katie Lyn

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