Moonflower

Family Convolvulaceae. The genus Калониктион includes only three species of perennial climbing plants distributed in the tropics of South America and Southeast Asia.

Location: prefers moist, rich loamy soils, but also grows well in any fertile soil.

Care: requires sturdy supports. Responds well to watering with warm water and to fertilization. Pests and diseases are rare.

Propagation: by seeds, sowing in May directly into the ground. Seeds are scarified or soaked for a day in warm (25 - 30°C) water. Seedlings appear in 5-10 days. In the first three months after sowing the plants grow very slowly. Often the moonflower's seeds do not have time to ripen. To obtain them, pick off twigs with the larger fruits and, tying them into a bunch, dry them first in the sun and then indoors. Then the fruits are hulled and the seeds are stored in paper bags. Moonflower is also propagated by layering. In summer all shoots emerging near the root collar, without detaching them from the plant, are pegged down, leaving only the tips unburied on the surface. After one and a half months the layers root. Before the frosts, the buried shoots are transplanted into pots and brought into a greenhouse or covered with leaves for the winter. Plants that have overwintered can be used for cuttings in spring. Vegetatively propagated plants flower as early as the end of July.