How to Grow Morning Glories Indoors

Morning glories do best outdoors but can grow as a houseplant.

Morning glories are best known for their sprawling, climbing vines and their bright blue, purple, pink and white blooms. Most gardeners recommend against keeping them indoors, but it is possible to do so if you keep a regular pruning schedule. Whether you decide to keep them inside or out, starting the seeds indoors is your best bet for consistent germination.

Things You'll Need

• Cup
• Bowl
• Starter pots
• Planting tray
• Compost
• Perlite
• Potting soil
• Plastic wrap
• Planting tray cover
• Garden shears

Instructions

1. Fill a small bowl or cup with room temperature water and soak the seeds overnight. This helps speed up the germination process by softening the outer shell of the seeds. Alternatively, scarifying the seeds -- nicking each one with a sharp blade -- has the same effect.

2. Prepare seed starter pots or a planting tray with individual cells with a mixture of equal parts compost, perlite and potting soil. If the mixture is particularly dry, lightly water after filling the pots or planting tray and wait for the water to soak through for about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Place two or three seeds in each starter pot or cell in the planting tray. Press them into the soil mixture or cover them with about 1 inch of leftover mixture. Water the seeds after planting so that the soil mixture is damp like a wrung-out sponge. The soil should not be soggy and there should be no standing water left on top of the soil.

4. Cover the pots with plastic wrap. If using a planting tray, use plastic wrap or a clear plastic tray cover to cover the top of it. This creates a sort of greenhouse environment that helps the germination process along. Place the pots or tray in a warm room in indirect sunlight.

5. Check the plants daily and water as often as necessary to keep the soil moist. Do not let the soil dry out for any length of time. Once the seeds sprout, remove the plastic wrap or tray cover.

6. Remove the weakest looking sprouts once they are about 3 inches tall. Do not pull the sprouts out of the soil -- cut the sprouts as close to the soil as possible to avoid disturbing the roots.

7. Place each plant into a 15-inch pot filled with soil. Install a small trellis behind the plant and keep it in a sunny spot. If you prefer, you can plant the morning glories outdoors in a spot with full sunlight.

8. Trim them two to three times a year to keep them from outgrowing the pot. Examine the plant for new growth every four to six months and clip it until the plant is the size you want to maintain.

9. Water the plant two to three times a week to keep it healthy.

References

• Cornell University Flower Growing Guides: Morning Glory
• University of Illinois: Morning Glories Still a Favorite
• University of Minnesota Extension: Annual Vines That Grow Quickly