Image - Wikimedia / CT Johansson
Morning glory is an herb with very pretty flowers, which bloom during the hottest season of the year. In addition, as it does not grow much, it is one of the plants that are kept in pots, for example on a table on the terrace, or near the pool.
The seeds germinate very quickly, in a matter of days, so they are ideal for getting even children off to a good start in gardening. But, Do you know how to take care of the morning glory in a pot? So that problems do not arise, I will tell you below.
Choose a pot with drainage holes
The material with which it is made is not as important as the fact that it has at least one hole in its base or not. The plant that we are going to grow cannot stand standing water in its roots, since it is not an aquatic plant. For this reason, it is very important that you look for a container that has holes; otherwise, the morning glory will not last us long.
Another point that we must talk about is the size of said pot. For this, we will have to look at the plant itself, because if it is still very young and is in a seed tray, for example, we will have to put it in a small pot, about 10 or 12 centimeters in diameter. But if we just bought a specimen that is already grown, then we will put it in one that measures about 6, or at most 8 centimeters more in width and height.
Can you put a plate under the pot?
In general, I do not recommend it, because as we have just said, it does not like to have waterlogged roots. But yes, it could be a good idea to leave it on if after watering we remembered to drain it.
Likewise, it could also be added if the summers in our area are very hot to the point that the land dries up practically overnight. But for this it would be necessary to control the irrigation a lot, checking the humidity of the substrate before watering, so as not to make the mistake of pouring water on it when it still has it.
One way to do this is with a wooden stick, like the chopsticks in Japanese restaurants. It is inserted to the bottom, and voila. When you take it out you will see if it is dry, in which case you will have to water it, or if it is wet.
What plant substrate do you need?
Although it is very resistant, the morning glory, whose scientific name is jalapa mirabilis, you need a growing medium of a certain quality; that is to say, we cannot put any type of soil on it, otherwise we would have to assume the risk that it will get sick, or that we will not be able to control the risks well and that in the end it will die.
Moreover, That's why I recommend buying bags of earth from well-known brands., such as Flower, or even others that may not be as well known but are also interesting, such as Westland or Fertiberia.
When should I water the potted morning glory?
When you have a potted plant, you have to think that watering will be somewhat more frequent than if we have that same plant on the ground, since the container has much less soil. Also, As it must be exposed to the sun directly, we will have to be aware of the irrigation so that it does not dehydrate.
Therefore, we will water frequently in summer, but more spaced during the rest of the year. The question is: how often do you have to water the morning glory at night? Well, this will depend on the climate in your area and how long it takes for the soil in the pots to dry. That's why, In general, we can say that it will be watered an average of three times a week in summer, and one or two times a week the rest of the year., but if the weather is very hot and dry, you will have to water more often.
How is it watered?
The morning glory at night is watered from above, that is, pouring water on the ground. You have to add the amount that is necessary until it is soaked, and until the water comes out through the holes in the pot. Only then can we be sure that we have watered it well.
When do you have to pay?
The morning glory is an herb that you can start fertilizing from when it is a seedling until its flowers wither. To do this, we can apply organic fertilizers, such as those authorized for organic farming: mulch, guano, algae fertilizer, earthworm humus.
Of course, as it is a plant that we will have in a pot, it is preferable that they be liquid, so that the roots do not have difficulties to absorb nutrients quickly.
When should the pot be changed?
Although it is a plant that only lives for a few months since with the arrival of the cold it dies, we will have to change the pot when the roots come out through the drainage holes of the container in which it is at that moment. Thus, you will need at least two changes:
- From the seedbed to the first pot.
- From the first pot to the second so that it can continue to grow.
- From the third to the fourth, so that it can bloom normally.
In the end, we will have an adult grass in a pot about 17-20 centimeters in diameter.
The morning glory is a plant that, as you can see, can be kept in pots without any problems.