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Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: glow777 on March 05, 2007, 07:36:19
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My sweatpeas have shot off like rockets and are starting to flop a bit as they are getting to tall (about 10") I started hardening them off yesterday to move to an unheated greenhouse. What next -
plant outside, we could/will have a severe frost - would they survive it?
pot up inside the greenhouse and give support ( i have 40 plants - so this may take a while)
or leave as is and let them grow in the g/house horizontally
hopefully the move to the g/h may check there growth a bit as I was intending to plant them out in April(ish) - is this right?
any help appreciated
glow
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Probably best to wait for more advice, but I would pinch out the tops. That way, you will get bushier plants, and they wont need support yet.
cj :)
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I'd pinch too. Mine are at various stages of flopping even with the pinching, but at least when they go in the ground, they will have a bushy head start. I've not looked at the bottom of the pots though for roots but I suspect I should !
Can't find when I planted mine out last year (naturally), but it wasn't this early. I remember putting a fleece wall round them to keep the wind off though and they literally romped away.
I'm using some of them as a natural shading for the g/h this year (an idea nicked off two very good friends) but as I've not even washed the thing yet, they'll have to sit and wait for a bit longer !
;D
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thanks
what needs pinching out -just the very tips or down to the first set of leaves?
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Again , see what others say, but I would leave 2 sets of leaves on.
cj :)
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Just had a look at ancient gardening book which says 3 sets!
Also inspected mine which are hardening off, I have pinched them out twice already and they are floppy again. Some were eaten back to just a spike by something and have now got more leaves coming so it seems they will recover from the most drastic treatment ;D
If you are aprehensive, why not do 'some and some' as you have lots.
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Pinch out the tips when the third pair of leaves have formed. That way you'll encourage more stems to grow from the base. If you use scissors rather than thumb and finger, the bit you cut off can actually be planted anew for extra plants.
Put a few plants alongside runner beans to encourage pollinaters.
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3 it is then and I ike the idea of using the tips so if it all goes horribly wrong
out of interest will they be ok in a cold g/house if we catch a bad frost?
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If you use scissors rather than thumb and finger, the bit you cut off can actually be planted anew for extra plants.
Oooh, now that's a good idea ;D
cj :)
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.I'm using some of them as a natural shading for the g/h this year
That is such a great idea, Mrs.KP. So good that I've pinched it already ;D
Spent a very pleasant morning fixing the netting to the greenhouse and now sweetpeas are in. The variety is Floral Tribute. For SS I think.
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Spent a very pleasant morning fixing the netting to the reenhouse and now sweetpeas are in. The variety is Floral Tribute. For SS I think.
My fruit bed got cleared over the weekend and it's my SS bed. Going to be mulched like mad!
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;D ;D ;D ;D
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I always plant mine on 10 oct. They are left out all winter and only fleeced when its below O. I don't take the first shoot out until they are settled in their growing positions. thats after about a fortnight. then the strong shoots start to come from the bottom. You can then choose how many stems you want to grow, depending on wether or not you are gonna show them. An old showman gave me the info and it works. Have posted a pic of mine as they were today. as you can see they are short and stocky cos they have been outside.
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.I'm using some of them as a natural shading for the g/h this year
That is such a great idea, Mrs.KP. So good that I've pinched it already ;D
Spent a very pleasant morning fixing the netting to the greenhouse and now sweetpeas are in. The variety is Floral Tribute. For SS I think.
try and hide this thread from Lish and rdm51 :o 8)
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are they the famous black buckets, shirlton ? ;D
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Nah Manic they are some freebies I picked up from the shed. I'm gonna use the posh black ones for my Toms . aubergines and peppers. they are 4 times as big as that
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Mine are completely the opposite of that tall and thin and soon to be pinched
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planted 4 bunches each in some of the famous buckets, with 4 canes between for them to grow up..gonna sell some at the plant sale ;D
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I'm gonna grow some as bushy as i can specially for seed and the others I will use for cut flowers. i'm not into showing them anymore. It's too labour intensive.We will all have to swap some seed next year
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I collected seed from the 1/2 dozen I planted amongst the beans last season. They were the first to germinate. I will be interested to see what colour they are. Do yours come true Shirlton?
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Very few of my saved seed germinated. :'(
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Yes Emaggie they do come true. Sometimes you will get a sport but not very often. I do believe they are self pollinating. In the past when I grew them I used sweetie bags to put on the drying seed heads, but of course they don't put sweeties in paper bags now. They will dry without the bags on but as is often the case the seeds will fall out when they are ready and I dont feel like furking around for them.I grow the seed plants sparately cos the early seeds are usually the best and they need a long time to dry properly. You can't save seed thats not ripe. I had better germination with my own than bought seeds. I'm growing some this year that I haven't grown before so should prove interesting.
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These sweet peas have been planted out for 2 weeks. They are just starting to throw up the really strong shoot that I want. When thats big enough to fasten to the stick I will take the straggler off. These are my seed plants so will probably let them throw 2 shoots. My others will only be allowed 1 stem cos I want big flowers.
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My sweet peas are very leggy, I'm guessing because I have kept them indoors in the warmth for too long and they've grown upwards too fast.
Is it worth carrying on with them, or should I try sowing another batch?
SP x
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I don't usually sow in the autumn but last year when I was clearing away my sweetpea plants I found a few seed pods and sowed them and put them in the cold frame.
These were potted up 9/11 and this is how they look today;
(http://tinyurl.com/3899mh)
All I plan on doing with these is sticking in a few 8ft canes an making a few obelisks for my son and daughter.
The one from purchased seed which I will keep for myself and which I sowed at the end of February are about 6"(150mm) high now.