Topic: A sweet pea problem

[aggie]

I love sweet peas and grow them ever year, and every year they start off really well then the bottom leaves start to get a whitish film on them, and creeps up the plant, Why is this ? I never seem to have a really good healthy crop, they flower, but only OK, I don't get masses of flowers. I do pick the flowers often. Can anyone offer advise please? When can I plant seeds?

[Slug_killer]

Powdery mildew?

[aggie]

I don't know, if it is is there any cure?

[Flighty]

Aggie this may be of help.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0705/sweetpea_problems.asp

[shirlton]

Mine suffered badly from mildew and also virus which the aphids spread and of course yourself when snipping tendrils and picking flowers.I do not like to spray all the time as you have to do to get rid of the aphids.However I did notice that the sweetpeas that I grew over the arches (not in a close row) about 3 to an arch that I never touched are still growin now and not a touch of virus or mildew. Next year I am growing naturally over the arches and letting them get on with things.Blow growing the show standard sweet peas. gettin too old for all that fiddling anyway. Too much time taken that could be spent on growing the veg. ;D

[ellie2cats]

I intend to plant my sweet pea seeds this weekend.  I shall set them in black poly-tubes and start them off in tn the cold greenhouse and then when they get to about 3 or 4 inches nip the tops out and transfer them to the cold frame.

I don't always get 100% success but the plants i do get are usually very sturdy and give plenty of blooms. I buy the seeds from a recognised sweet pea grower and that way I can choose the range of colours I prefer.  Wish I had a spare arch to grow them over but I do have a free standing trellis about 10feet long and I plant both sides usually with pretty good success.
Good luck. Ellie

[shirlton]

I plant mine in mid October. But I just do mine 10 to a litre pot in a John Innes type compost and they go outside from the start. I like em to grow really hardy ;D

[Squash64]

I plant mine in mid October. But I just do mine 10 to a litre pot in a John Innes type compost and they go outside from the start. I like em to grow really hardy ;D

For those who haven't seen this photo before, this is the result of all Shirl's hard work -



Shirl gave me this bunch when she visited our site a couple of months ago.  I have never seen sweet peas like them in my life! 

The stems were like tree trunks ( ok, I'm exaggerating slightly) and there were lots of flowers per stem.  She even knew the name of every variety in the bunch. 

[1066]

I remember that photo - I reckon Shirl's our sweat pea Queen  8)

Thanks for the reminder to sow them in Oct - as I want to try this out to see if I get better results

[Sinbad7]

What beautiful sweetpeas Shirl, what variety are they?

Would like to try to grow some like that, I've never had a great success with mine and always blamed my clay soil.

[shirlton]

Sinbad. They are Anniversary, Charlies angel,Norman Wisdom,Mrs Bernard Jones and Rosy Frills and not forgetting the peachy one which is Harlow Carr.

[pigeonseed]

Very beautiful flowers, I can smell sweet peas!

I think they are more susceptible to mildew if they go dry. So I think lots of organic matter, and watering if necessary might help.

Last two allotments I've had have been dusty and dry and sweet peas go grey in no time. I've started growing everlasting sweet peas, they seem more drought tolerant.

[Sinbad7]

Thanks for that Shirl.

I gave up growing sweet peas and have never grown them from seed but looks like I might try one last time to grow Rosy Frills.

[grannyjanny]

Shirl when you say a J I type compost do you use J I seed compost?

[shirlton]

Yes its a soil based compost and it doesn't contain a lot of nutrients which allows the plants to grow short and strong instead of long and leggy. The plants will also be much hardier and need less watering than the peat based stuff.Added to that the pots wont blow off me outside windowsill cos they are heavier. What you will buy is a John Innes recipe compost but its the same. Get the staff to put it in your boot for you Jan cos its heavy. ;D

[jonny211]

Hi Shirl,

I've always wanted to grow sweet peas and so this year will be my first attempt, do you soak your seeds first (as I would do normal peas)?

[shirlton]

I do save quite a bit of my own seed so to make sure that it is going to germinate I put them on a plate on wet kitchen roll until they chit. It usually takes a couple of days but make sure that the tissue is kept damp and as soon as you see the shoots get em in the pots

[aggie]

Thanks for all the advice. I shall start mine off this weekend. I'll do the kitchen roll bit,and let them chit.

 Shirl your sweet peas are superb, I will go to the garden centre and try to buy some "Rosy Frill" if the garden centre have not got them where can i buy them?

[Twoflower]

I love sweet pea and have grown them for the last two years. Mine always start off really well with long flower stems and then after a time the flower stems get shorter, what am i doing wrong? :(

[shirlton]

Thanks for all the advice. I shall start mine off this weekend. I'll do the kitchen roll bit,and let them chit.

 Shirl your sweet peas are superb, I will go to the garden centre and try to buy some "Rosy Frill" if the garden centre have not got them where can i buy them?

I get mine from Unwins Aggie