Morning glories and acorns!

[flowerpower]

Hey, I am not a very great gardener, although I love doing it and I love plants. But everything I try to grow always dies before anything ever blooms, and I find myself spending all summer long admiring the yards of my neighbors instead of my own. But this year, I am determined and so please someone, help me. First things first, I want to grow morning glories, and everybody always tells me that they are soooo easy...But I planted 12 and after about 2 weeks, I now only have one very fragile looking seedling. How can i save it? Does it need more shade or more sun, what about water? My next problem is that a zillion tiny trees hve sprouted in my yard where acorns actually took root. There are so many of them that they look like grass. How do I get rid of them? Please any help will be appreciated!

[Newt]

Hi Flowerpower,

I'll try and help you as much as I can.* When you say you planted 12 morning glories you don't say if these are transplants or if you planted seeds.* Morning glories don't often transplant well if their roots are disturbed.* You also don't give any other info on the care you have given them.* With many vines, if you fertilize you will often gets lots of lush leafy growth and few flowers.* It's a matter of knowing the particular plants you have chosen.* Morning glories have very tough seeds and often need to have the seeds nicked with a knife in order to get them started.* They tend to reseed and the seeds will stay dormant in the soil for years.* Once disturbed and brought close to the surface, the winter weather will weaken the seed coating and they will sprout.* If seeded directly outside they often sprout late in the season and start blooming in July.* These vines prefer full sun of 6 hours or more.* An inch of rain a week should be fine for them.* Ones that reseed on their own I never water and they do just fine.

The more info you give the better folks can help you.* You also don't have your state or hardiness zone in your location as I do which could be helpful when discussing plants.

You mention the sprouting of zillions of acorns sprouting so I'm thinking you have oak trees.* I find it unusual that oaks will sprout so many acorns.* Maybe you have a maple tree that has sprouted many seeds.* If you keep mowing the lawn they will eventually stop sprouting.* If they are in flower beds it's best to pull them as soon as you notice them.* A day or two after a rain or watering is a great time to pull weeds as the ground is softer.

Here's what I tell new gardeners.


It will be helpful to you to know your plant hardiness zone. To find your zone, here's a zip code zone finder.
http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/zip.cgi

Here's one that shows a map.
http://www.growit.com/Zones/

Some other things that are handy for new gardeners to know:

An annual grows from seed, flowers and sets seed and dies in one year.

A perennial will sprout from seed, by runners, offshoots, bulbs or by propagating itself by rooting along the stems. It will usually only form green growth the first year while developing a strong root system (for some plants it might do this for 2 or more years) and will live for many years, even after setting seed it will resprout from the root system.

A biennial will grow from seed the first year and grow only green growth while developing roots. The second year it will flower, set seed and die.

As a new gardener (often called a newbie), the most important advise I always give is to pay attention to the soil. Healthy soil will lead to healthier plants that will more easily be able to deal with drought and pests. To do this you need to add lots of organic matter to the soil and mix in. The best organic matter is compost. You can make your own or purchase it in bulk or by the bag. A 3" or 4" layer on top of a new bed is a good place to start. Always mulch the beds after planting and once a year with organic mulch that will retain moisture, help keep soil temps even, keep weeds at bay and help to enrich the soil. Organic mulches like shredded wood mulch, leaf mold (shredded and rotted leaves), pine straw (just pine needles) are good ones. Compost can also be used as a mulch and the worms will bring it down and mix it for you over time.

Bugs are necessary to pollinate and even clean plants (ex: peonies always have ants on them and keep other bad bugs away). Don't get out the pesticides when you see a bug. Usually there is a good bug predator for most bad bugs. Know thine enemy. There are sites where you can look up which bug is which.

The right plant for the right place is also very important. You don't want to put a plant that needs good drainage and wants full sun in a moist or wet shady place. Remember that full sun is 6 hours or more, part shade is 4 to 6 hours and shade is 2 hours or less. When in doubt and you can't get an answer, contact your local extension service for answers.
http://www.ceinfo.unh.edu/cesites.htm

Go to the library and look at books on gardening. Many have a plant encyclopedia in the back to help you identify plants and learn their growing needs. There's lots on the web too. Read through lots of posts on forums and try and learn from other gardeners.

You can research plants at http://www.google.com* It's best to use the Latin or botanical name, but if you don't have it you can search with the common name and when you find the botanical name you can use that to get more info. You can even click on 'Images' at google and often get photos as well. Another way to search is with quotes and a plus sign like this:
Georgia + "invasive plant"

There are many sites with info on pruning and how to plant trees and shrubs.* There are also sites about native plants and their value, especially for a new gardener.* Native plants tend to be more resistant to pests and diseases and are usually more carefree.

If you would like sites for any of the topics I've mentioned or need more specific info, feel free to ask.

Regards,
Newt

[flowerpower]

Thanks so much for giving me such a detailed reply! I already feel like i'm learning something from your message! Ok, so i clicked on the zone link, and I am in zone 7. It gets very hot and humid here with almost burning sun, but we'ev had an unusal amount of rain, to the point where my yard still is holding puddles. So ok, as for he care of my now one surviving morning glory, it is in a pot. I am not planning on transplantting it, I just wanted it in a pot so that I could start the seeds early. I want to be able to eventually have it curl around my mailbox post. As for the care I have given it, I have watered it minimally, excpt for one day when it got left out in the rain (that's when the other seedlings died soon after). I also have noticed that when I place it in direct sun, it gets wilty, so i've been trying more shady places. I just want it to live! But it still looks so fragile and spindly, is this normal? If you can shed any light on this at all, thanks!

[flowerpower]

Thanks so much for giving me such a detailed reply! I already feel like i'm learning something from your message! Ok, so i clicked on the zone link, and I am in zone 7. It gets very hot and humid here with almost burning sun, but we'ev had an unusal amount of rain, to the point where my yard still is holding puddles. So ok, as for he care of my now one surviving morning glory, it is in a pot. I am not planning on transplantting it, I just wanted it in a pot so that I could start the seeds early. I want to be able to eventually have it curl around my mailbox post. As for the care I have given it, I have watered it minimally, excpt for one day when it got left out in the rain (that's when the other seedlings died soon after). I also have noticed that when I place it in direct sun, it gets wilty, so i've been trying more shady places. I just want it to live! But it still looks so fragile and spindly, is this normal? If you can shed any light on this at all, thanks!

[Newt]

Flowerpower, glad that info was helpful.* There are several reasons that new shoots are spindly, but without seeing a picture I can't tell if yours has a problem or not.* Often spindly seedlings need some air circulation.* This site has some helpful info on growing plants from seed and says:
http://extension.missouri.edu/jasper.../globe/014.htm

"If you have a small fan, place it so that a gentle breeze flows over the small plants. A little air circulation makes them stronger, prevents some mildew-type diseases from forming, and helps them grow stockier."

Try doing a google search with the term morning glory seedling and click on 'Images'.* You'll get several pics to use for comparison.

I almost forgot.* Some letter carriers are allergic to bees or just are afraid of them. *:shock:* I wouldn't plant anything on the post if you like your mail delivered on time.* Plant something that either has double blooms or plants with interesting leaves below the box.*

Newt