How to Transplant a Morning Glory Plant

Morning glories earn their name from their habit of blooming early in the day, then closing their flowers in the afternoon. A climbing vine, this annual plant quickly covers trellises and fences with cascades of purple-blue blossoms. Morning glory vines have delicate root systems that don't tolerate much disturbance, but you can still start them indoors and transplant them to the garden if you use peat pots. The entire peat pot is planted in the ground so that the roots are not disturbed.

Trowel

Dig the planting hole to the same depth as the peat pot and slightly wider. Space the holes 8 to 10 inches apart along the base of the trellis or fence you want the flowers to climb.

Tear the rim off of the peat pot so the soil level inside the pot sits slightly above the torn rim of the pot. Any part of the pot that protrudes above soil level after planting causes moisture to wick away from the plant roots.

Set the pot inside the planting hole. Add or remove dirt as necessary until the torn rim of the pot sits approximately ? to ? inch beneath ground level.

Fill in the hole around the peat pot. Cover the rim of the pot with a ? to ? inch layer of soil, but don't bury the morning glory stem any deeper than that.

Water the planting area thoroughly immediately after transplanting. Keep the soil moist but not soggy, watering one to two times a week thereafter. The peat pot breaks down in the soil as the morning glory grows.

Biodegradable cardboard or newspaper pots can be used instead of peat pots.

Start morning glory seeds indoors for transplanting six to eight weeks before the last expected spring frost in your area.