Prickly moonflower or morning glory moonflower - a climbing, lianike plant of the birch family. Distributed in the tropical regions of southeast Asia and Latin America. It got its name because its flowers bloom after sunset and hide at dawn. In the motherland, morning glory grows for several years, but does not winter in a temperate climate. Flowers appear in the first year after sowing, and when the air temperature drops below + 10 ° C, the plant stops developing and dies.
Main characteristics
For the middle strip of our country, the most suitable is the prickly moonflower. This highly branched vine is capable of reaching more than 3 m in height. Horizontal processes grow to 6 m. Foliage saturated dark color. The lower leaves are shaped like a heart, and the upper leaves are divided into three lobes.
The stems are covered with large white flowers in the form of a gramophone, at night they emit a delicate pleasant aroma. The diameter of the flower reaches 10 cm and a length of 15 cm. A low air temperature in the morning can delay flowering for several hours, but most plants completely hide the buds with the first rays of the sun. The main flowering period is July-August, but some flowers remain until the cold.
Reproduction and care
In our latitudes, morning glory is propagated by seeds. They are lightly filed or a dense shell is opened with a knife, and then soaked for a day in warm water. Sowing in open ground is carried out in early May, seedlings will appear already on the 5-10th day. In the first trimester, the development of the plant is very slow, small green shoots are formed. Therefore, seeds rarely have time to ripen and their quantity is small.
For morning glory, neutral sandy loamy or loamy, well-drained soil in sunny or slightly shaded areas of the garden is suitable. She needs regular plentiful watering, but without stagnation of water. With severe drying, the plant begins to wither.
Regular fertilizer promotes active growth, the following are most often used:
- phosphoric - increase the number of colors;
- nitrogen - activate the growth of stems and foliage, but reduce the intensity of flowering.
To preserve the sprouts in the winter, you can sow seeds in large boxes or tubs, which are put outside for the summer and brought into the greenhouse in the winter, then next year the flowering will begin earlier.
It is possible to propagate the lunix vegetatively, digging up the stems to form roots. After rooting, the shoot is cut off and planted in a pot.
They use moonflower to decorate paths, a house territory or form a hedge. You can also plant near gazebos to create shaded areas. Its pleasant aroma will be appreciated by all the inhabitants of the house.
