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then MOUSE had the lot ! left me the green tops ....
Up until a couple of years ago I always used ordinary 3 inch pots but I did try some root trainers and they seemed to be OK not better but about the same so having got them I will use them again this year. I have saved my own seed this year for the first time but sowed on the same day (8th Oct) they are now ready to be moved into the trainers.
If you have included any feed in your tranches I would not feed until the plants have flowered. I lost some when "Katie" hit us just after I had planted out, they are a bit late this year as we usually pick the first bunches this week , Chelsea week.
I remove tendrils not to improve the blooms but to avoid them causing bent stems. When they get up about 6 feet (2 metres ?) I layer them so they can carry on the second time up.
In the past I have transplanted seedlings into kitchen paper tubes to give the depth for the long roots. Any thoughts on this practice?
Laurie you say:QuoteI remove tendrils not to improve the blooms but to avoid them causing bent stems. When they get up about 6 feet (2 metres ?) I layer them so they can carry on the second time up.This is basically what I have always done but do not bother so much now as the long stems are not so important for me now, as I just pick posies for display in the house.I was speaking to David Mathewman of Mathewman sweet peas fame on how he grew his plants in order to get so many long stemmed blooms for his displays at Chelsea etc and he told me this.He does not grow them vertically he grows them across the floor/ground then as you know sweet pea stems always grow vertical so there is no interference from leaves or tendrils once they get above plant level.I haven't seen his set up but I think he does what we vertical growers do but he does it horizonatally. For example we grow them to the height of the supports we have then when they reach the top take them down then tie them in to the supports again where so far as I can tell he lets them grow along the floor (possibly on weed suppressant fabric to keep them clean) for a convenient length then guides them to grow back to where they originated from which is effectively doing what we do in terms of plant length. In other words they effectively snake along the ground as far as you want to take them.I would guess his plants are planted at wider centres than we do to cater for the number of rows (layers) he ends up with so again there is an advantage as this creates space for a larger root run for each plant before it comes in contact with the next plant in the row.So basically he has use the attribute all sweet peas have and that is for the flower to grow vertically, sadly our way the stem can be bent as it passes a tendril,stem or leaf with his method you only have open air above each flowering poin.I will probably not see him again until September but I think I will be picking his brain to get to the facts of his growing methods. What do you think to that system? If I have described it correctly I think it is a brilliant yet very simple variation on how most people grow sweet peas.
The one problem that comes to mind quickly is , does it make it easier for the slugs to get at the flowers? Having done ot upright for 60 plus years think it might be a bit late to change, not that I am against new ways at all.