How to Extract Water From Morning Glory Seeds

A blue morning glory in full bloom.

Morning glory plants can readily be started by mature seed collected from a favored plant in the summer or fall. Before morning glory seeds can be stored or packaged for planting, they are dried and cured to remove all water moisture from them. Drying and curing prevents mold and rot that can kill the seed or compromise the seeds' ability to germinate and grow into a healthy plant.

Things You'll Need

• Mature morning glory seed pods
• A few sheets of dry, clean newspaper
• Wide, shallow container
• Resealable plastic bag, glassine or paper envelope

Instructions

1. Allow your morning glory seed pods to remain on the plants undisturbed until they are brown, dry and crispy to the touch. Though a bit unsightly, this is a healthy, effective way to burn off water from the seed and surrounding pod tissue with the air and sun doing the bulk of the work.

2. Separate the dried pod coating from the seeds by rubbing off the pod tissue between your hands, allowing the clean seeds to fall through.

3. Line a wide, shallow container with clean, dry newsprint large enough for one layer of well-spaced seeds. Spread out the seeds in a single layer on the newsprint and place the container in a warm, dry location for two to three weeks.

4. Store dry seeds in a location with cool, low humidity in a labeled resealable plastic bag, glassine seed packets or paper envelopes. Keep the seeds dried and stored this way until ready for planting.

References

• Oregon State University: Collecting and Storing Flower Seeds fron Your Garden