Topic: Have I killed my sweet peas?

[Moggle]

I planted my sweet peas out almost 2 weeks ago and they've done nothing since then :( In fact, about half of them are keeled over along the ground.  :'(
What I suspect I have done wrong is to pinch out the tips, and then harden off about a week later. I may not have been very gradual with the hardening off either, left them outside all day for a few days, then started leaving them out overnight too.
My north-west ish facing balcony hasn't had that much sun since planting out either.
Are they a lost cause?

[Muddy_Boots]

I wouldn't dispair quite yet moggle!  Hopefully, there will be more expert advice later on but it sounds more like shortage of sun than anything.  I used to pinch mine out and they fell over for a while until the tenticles began to appear.  As they grew a little larger, then I could begin to help them around the supports.

As for hardening them off too quickly, I am assuming your balcony has some kind of wind break/railing?  So, presumably they wouldn't have been subject to too much cold and being hardy little things, would expect they will be okay.  Hopefully, it is just a case of hoping for a little too much too soon.  As long as they are still green and healthy looking even though keeled over, would expect them to be okay!  

Not much help but the others will be around soon no doubt  :D :D :D

[Moggle]

Thanks for the vote of confidence MB.
I will hope and pray for some more afternoon sun.
Do you think some coke bottle cloches might help the situation?

[Muddy_Boots]

Hi Mogle

Wouldn't bother with the cloches as they might make them damp off, just keep the faith  :D

[kenkew]

Eh! Mogle. Suprise, suprise...sweet peas love to flop! In fact if you want the best s'peas ever, when you plant'em out, put them in the ground at an angle then  bury all but the tip. When this tip grows, bury it again. Do this in as much ground as you can spare, even up to a metre long. Eventually of course, the 'pea has to climb, but with a metre long stem producing roots instead of tendrals, you will have one hell of a sweet-pea plant. (This is the way I've grown one or two every year for yonks where space allows, the end result really is something else. Give it a go with a one or two and you'll be amazed.)

[Moggle]

Thanks for the tips MB and Kenkew.

KK don't think I can manage the deep planting, as I only have them in grow bags. Glad to hear that sweet peas like to flop and I haven't killed mine.

Actually, there's been more afternoon sun in Oxford recently, and i had a close look at my plants on the weekend, and new shoots are finally appearing, Hurrah!  ;D