Hi,
I would sow them late, not before June.
I used to sow them same time I sow my other annuals, around now, or mid-April. They grow very fast, and they would be tall and twining around, but I had to wait til the ground warmed up. They like it warm!

As far as soaking them, I used to experiment, soaking some and not soaking others - but I always forgot so I don't know the results of the experiment. lol

You could soak them for 24 hours, it can't hurt, and may speed up germination.

I never surface sowed them, I always covered them with perhaps 1/4 inch of soil.

hope this helps, good luck.

I love both moon flowers and MG's, but the groundhogs always get them, so I don't grow them anymore. :

When I worked at a nursery, the Morning Glory vines didn't come in until after Memorial day. I usually sow them right in the large patio pot next to the trellis where they will vine. They really don't take off until it is hot!

Thank you Ellenrr, Kqcrna, and ccoupkir. I will definately wait.

Ladyrose65,

I'm so glad you asked this question! I'm brand new to WSing. I just bought packs of moonflower and morning glory today and didn't have a clue when to sow or how- WS/DS?

I'm reading Sharon Lovejoy's book 'Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots' and fell under her spell. I want to have the morning glory to twine up sunflowers and the moonflower for the night scent.

Thanks again, for asking. I was all gung-ho to get them growing and may have lost them to a late frost/freeze.

Betty

I've a pack of something called "Moonflower" "Dondiego de dia blanca". No scientific name on the package. I scratched the seed with an emery an planted them inside. They germinated in about a week and in about three weeks they had the beginnings of a true leaf.

I'm glad you asked, too. I sowed moonflower vine indoors under lights last year. I got two blooms in May, which actually made ripe seeds, and then all I had was vines until about September. Then I had a few flowers, but not the huge show I was hoping for. So the early indoor coddling didn't gain me much in the way of flowers. I think these may need short days to bloom. Growing them under lights was such a PITA I've been thinking about WS the seeds this year.
The Burpee packet I have from last year lists them as "Moonflower Giant White Dondiego de dia blanca," and they're definitely Ipomoea alba.

Edie

I've always heard that MG can be invasive and that's why I've never planted them but I love them. One of my favorite books was called Morning Glory..I think Lavayle Spencer wrote it. I tried to grow Moonflower once with some seeds that a friend gave me but was not successful, plus if I remember right, I couldn't get the seed pod nicked. That was before I started learning about growing from seeds; I always went to the garden center and dropped hundreds of dollars every year and most of them were annuals. I have some new Moonflower seeds that I got in the Wintersowing swap. Are they invasive or can they be contained if planted in a large patio container or barrell? I know you'd need a trellis or obesik for them to climb on. My friend had hers around an outdoor light pole. When we would grill out over at their house, the vine was never open as we ate inside.

What I do with Moonflower seeds and fold/wrap them in a damp paper towel, place them in a small baggie, and then clip them to the side of my fridge so that they get a little bit of light. Within a week, I have small roots coming out of the seed and from there I just plant it. I usually do my moomflowers in a large planter/pot on my deck and let them crawl up the railings. That way I can sit out in the evening when they are blooming and enjoy their wonderful fragrance. It's very easy!

One time I had forgot that I had them clipped to my fridge and when I realized it and opened the baggie, the roots had grown about 2 inches long and right through the paper town.

Linda

I realize this question is old, but I've been successful several times germinating and growing Moonflowers. I live in FL so I usually start in May. I also put the seeds in a ziplock bag with a wet paper towel, within 24, sometimes 12 hours, I will have a sprout. Seeds don't need light to germinate, just warmth. So no need to bake them in the sun.

As soon as see a hint of root, I push it down into a pot of dirt, making sure to leave top of seed cover exposed. You need to keep them watered, as the seed cover is thick and can dry out. Only one or two, out of the 20, won't germinate. I plant these in pots next to my porch railing. It has taken a couple months for me to get flowers, but there are a lot of buds on there now.

The package says this plant likes full sun, but again make sure your plant has adequate water or you'll get sad, droopy, looking leaves. You can see my droopy leaves in my photo. Even in September it's extremely sunny and hot here. Just how I like it :)

* I germinate all of my seeds this way. Either in a bag or a plastic container with lid and wet paper towel inside.