I am starting to wonder if we worry too much about sowing our sweetpea seed and pinching etc. On Friday I was talking to someone who was complaining about poor germination of hie sweetpeas. He was , as we all do, blaming the seed but then I learnt he had bought from the same firm and the same varieties as I had. I have 100% germination so I asked how he had sown his. Oh dear ! he has sand-papered some , chitted some and even soaked some. Others he had put in a heater propagator I plated mine 10 in each five inch half pot without any treatment at all watered them well and then left them alone until they were all showing then as soon as I could handle them I put in 3" pots one each and leave hem to break on their own ready to grow for show. You can this year's ones on my website. Lets go back to nature.
I agree with you Laurie in fact I think autumn sowing is a bit of a waste of time, at least to me it is!
It just creates another task that I consider non essential.
Now if I didn't have a heated greenhouse I might think differently, but as I have, I find a January sowing soon catches up with those that have been sown in autumn.
This is is a trial method I have used for the last couple of years.
I find I have less rotting off and I see progress very quickly, I only give a spray as when required so watering is minimal if any!
I then transplant these chits into 3" pots as you do!
So basically they look after themselves!
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/Propagation/01-Sowseed-onepercell.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/Propagation/01-Trayreadyforpropagator.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/Propagation/01-Seedsgerminated.jpg)
It shows we all do it different I sow on the 8th October every year I feel I get a much better root system than spring sowing.
:) I've stopped farting about (horticultural term) with sweet peas.
This year put up wigwams, planted the seeds at the base in April, left them to it, they are still in flower today, will do the same next year as it worked for me :)/ shades x