Trumpet Vines from Seeds and Layering

Trumpet vines can be grown from seed, but you will need to be patient. If the pod is ripe, open it up and remove the seeds. It is ripe if you can feel the seeds swelled inside, plus the pod should be somewhat dry and ready to open with little help. The pod may continue to ripen on its own, but it is usually best to pick it after it ripened on the vine and is close to opening.

Trumpet vine seeds have some specific requirements before they will grow. First, the seeds require a 10 week cold period (simulating winter) before they will break dormancy. Second, the seeds must be covered as they will not germinate if exposed to too much light. Third, the soil should be moist and above 60 degrees F during the 2 to 3 week germination period.

There are two ways to grow your trumpet vine from seed. The easiest would be to plant your seeds outdoors in a prepared bed in the fall, covering the seeds completely. Mark the location and when it warms up in the spring, keep an eye out for the sprouts. After the vines have grown for a few weeks, transplant them to their permanent home. The second method would be to place the seeds in the refrigerator for 10 weeks. If you have room, plant the seeds in individual planting cells with seed starting mix, place the whole thing in a polyethylene bag, and place the bag in the refrigerator. After 10 weeks, remove the bag, then keep the seed starting mix moist and in the bag. In 2 to 3 weeks you should see sprouts. Remove the cells from the bag at this time and continue growing them until they have enough roots to handle and transplant.

If this sounds like too much work, it probably is! An easier way to propagate trumpet vines is by a method called layering. Find a young vine (one that is green, not covered by bark) and bend it to the ground, leaving it attached to the parent plant. Cover the vine lightly with soil or mulch so that a couple of nodes are buried. Nodes are the spots where stems and leaves grow out from the vine. In about three weeks ( or less), roots will start to grow out of the vine at the buried nodes. When you see new vertical growth coming out from the ground, snip the original vine before and after the new growth and dig up your newly rooted plant. If you buried several nodes, you will get several plants. Transplant your new trumpet vines to their new homes.