Q&A for How to Grow Four O' Clock Flowers

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How long can 4 o'clock seeds be stored and still be viable?

Michael Karr

Community Answer

I inherited some very old four-o-clock seeds when my great grandmother passed away. She kept them in a baby food jar from when I was a baby! I tried several and got two plants that survived and are still living. I have been growing them for years from the same seed.

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Can I use the seeds that fall off to plant again?

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Yes, you can use the seeds to plant again in the future.

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Question

How long can the seeds be stored and still germinate?

Community Answer

In my experience, I have had seeds germinate that were four years old and had been kept dry in a sealed container, but in general, after a year or two, the seeds start drying out to the point where the chance of germinating are greatly reduced.

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My 4 o'clocks are several feet tall, and I have to stake them up. Is that normal?

Community Answer

Yes, that is normal.

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Is the Four O' Clock Flower poisonous?

Community Answer

Yes, to humans, cats, and dogs if ingested, and the tubers may cause irritation when they come in contact with your skin.

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Will four o'clock flowers bloom indoors?

Community Answer

Yes, they can bloom indoors if they are properly cared for.

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Can 4 o'clock flowers run along a fence line?

Community Answer

If you are asking if the 4 o'clocks can be planted in front of a fence and grow/live/thrive, of course they can. If you are asking if they will climb the fence, then no, because they form a shrub-type plant, not a vine.

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Question

How long does it take to grow four o'clock flowers?

Community Answer

I planted seeds indoors in February 2019 and they are flowering outdoors at the end of July 2019.

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Question

Will my four o' clock flowers grow back if they got chopped down with a weed eater?

Community Answer

Yes, they will come back, provided the large tuber-like seed is still planted in the ground. New shoots will come up. If it is fall or winter, they will sprout back up in early spring.

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Can four o'clocks be transplanted?

Community Answer

Yes, they can and they will be comfortable with this. Plant them in 3-inch pots and when they are larger, transplant them into the ground.

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Do four o'clock seeds need to go through a cold stratification?

Community Answer

No. The seeds readily germinate if moist and warm. I live in a semi-tropical region and these self seed readily with no intervention. Established plants leave tubers in ground and will re-sprout if cut to ground.

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Question

How many seeds do I put a half barrel when growing four o'clock flowers?

Community Answer

One established plant should be sufficient. The plants grow quite full by themselves so don't need to be over crowded (roughly 3ft x 3ft / 1m x 1m). If warm year round, you'd likely get self seeding in pot and surrounding garden beds regardless (if you decide you'd like more).

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What controls the colors of four o'clock flowers?

Community Answer

Different varieties of the plant dictate the color. You can't directly influence their changing color through manipulation of soil or nutrients. Careful breeding is used to develop differing cultivars over time to create different color options (i.e. different breeds). There are single color and multi color varieties of this plant available.

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