Hello,
  Does anyone have any top tips for germinating Sweet Peas please.Its the third year I 've grown them,but only about 50% seem to germinate.The ones that have are growing away well,so its a mystery.They've all been growing in loo roll inners in the same seed compost on a sunny windowsill in a partially heated room.I wondered if I was'killing them with kindness',as my old mum used to say!Any ideas anybody??????
   Thanks Sue
I germinated mine with a bit of bottom heat in a propagator (can't remember if the lid was on). I did mine in loo rolls as well. They all germinated so it might be that the little heat underneath did them good. If you have managed to germinate some then that's good. I think with growing things from seed it's not an exact science and there may always be some which don't come through. The seeds will be guaranteed so if you haven't got the expected germination then ask for another packet ;D
Here's a pic of my sweetpeas. They're a bit leggy but I hope they'll do the business ;D
They are doing well Wardy ! Mine are only about 15-20com - I needed the window space last weekend so are outside now (covered) seem to be very happy out there and have grown more since!
Think sweetpeas are suseptible to going mouldy /rotting before germinating. They need moist but not wet soil ... once planted I only water them once they have poked their heads up.
Sweet peas are actually pretty tough and should germinate easily enough. Some people recommend soaking the seeds overnight before sowing. Pinch out the tops once they are about 4 inches tall.
Many thanks for all the kind suggestions.I think that I may have overwatered-must try harder next time!Ishall be planting the healthy survivors out soon.
       Thanks again,
             Sue. :)
I may be being thick - but why would I want to pinch out the tops of my sweet peas? - and if does it matter if they are more than 4" tall when I do it (mine are romping away at the moment)
Hi Suru,
As a test I covered the seeds for one row with vaseline to deter mice, I planted them outdoors under plastic yesterday. My autumn planted ones are sprouted but severely thinned by slugs, weather and probably mice.
I`ll post the results when there are some.
Col
Soak for two days or nick the outer coating. Loo roll about 1/2-3/4" deep. Another good soaking, keep just moist after that. Nip the top off when you have 4 leaves. (The plant will then produce lots more side shoots which = lots more flowers. Pick the flowers as soon as they look good enough to pick, this encourages more flowers.
Sweetpeas will have a head start if you sow them in November. When planting out, either do it in the 'normal' way or don't nip the top off and bury all but the tip in the garden. As the plant grows, keep burying the stalk. You can do this for up to a metre or so if you have the space. What would have developed as flower stems will throw off roots instead. Eventually let the tip grow 'normally' and the plant you end up with is quite something else.
Anyone else tried this out?
I germinated my seeds in the airing cupboard. I believe that if seeds are germinated quickly (i.e. in very warm conditions) they don't run the risk of rotting in cool, damp soil. I put the seeds in moist (not wet) soil, about 2cm deep and cover with plastic to retain the moisture. Once they emerge take them away from the heat and put in a warmish place (a windowsill above a radiator), remove the plastic cover at this point otherwise they may dampen off. Keep the soil moist but not wet, I water them with a sports drink bottle, giving them just enough water to dampen the soil. I find putting pots in a bath of water (bottom watering) makes the soil too wet and then I get problems. Pinch out the growing shoot so that more shoots are produced, creating a bushier plant and not so leggy and also more stems to produce flowers. Once the new shoots start appearing then move them to a cooler place before hardening off and planting outside.
Like Jesseveve said Carrie, pinch out the tip and lots of lovely side shoots will be produced and each one will have more flower spikes. You can pinch out these side shoots again if you want to get even more flowers! I was very very dedicated one year and ended up giving the flowers to my friends and neighbours as I just didn't know what to do with them all!
most of my sweet peas seem to be doing okay in loo rolls in the coldframe, except a couple which seemed to be doing very well and then developed a "kink" in the lower part of the stem, so that they were then falling over as opposed to just leaning over. I don't know why these kinks developed - could it be damping off? ??? I was thinking about whether it might be worth earthing them up in their loo rolls a bit more (there's a 1" gap between the top and where the seed compost has sunken), or whether it's hopeless to do anything but chuck them out at this stage... thanks in advance for any/all advice, thoughts, etc... :D
Earth 'em up.
I trust you've nipped the tops out?
Can someone explain pinching the tops off at 4" i have 10 already to go out side this week they're 8-10 " high, where and how do i pinch
Quote from: kenkew on April 11, 2005, 15:14:02
Earth 'em up.
I trust you've nipped the tops out?
I actually haven't because like Northerner, I didn't know you had to, and I haven't done it before. Can someone please explain - BTW - do you pinch them out at 4", when they have four sets of leaves, or 4 leaves? ??? There seems to be alot of different info out there and a clarificiation as to the proper/best practice would be great! Many thanks in advance!! :)
Rox, you don't have to be exactly exact, so long as they're about 4 inches tall it doesn't matter how many leaves there are. I sowed mine (without soaking) 3 to a 9cm pot in an unheated greenhouse on 7th March, germinating a week later and moved to coldframe on 25th March. Pinched the tops out last weekend. They should now make nice bushy plants ready to plant out about the middle of May. This is how they looked after I'd pinched them out (you can count the leaves if you like!):
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/simon404/sweetpeas10.jpg)
Hope this helps :)Â
They look really healthy Simon. I sow exactly as you do, never soak them, 4 to a 9cm pot of moist compost, and don't water again until they show through. I start mine off in April. Normally 100% germination. Maybe I'm just lucky ! ;)
Hi Di :) Here they are a week later showing new shoots from the base of the plants:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/simon404/P4170009.jpg)
wow Simon!! They look absolutely terrific!! :D thx for the explanation & the photos - got what I need to do now - pinch, pinch, pinch! ;D
I've just sowed mine direct into the ground after an overnight soak. Am I kidding myself that they will germinate?
PH
:o My sweet peas were sown in individual cells, put in the cool greenhouse and left to get on with it. Resultant seedlings were then rolled up into newspaper root trainers and put into one of those blue plastic mushroom boxes.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/superninnan/greenhouse17april2005012.jpg)
I am going to try wardy's bottom heat tip next year as germination of 50% this year was not my best.
My sweetpeas were sown with love and care...
and then something ate them :'(
(probably the same thing that dug up my courgette seeds, ate them, and left the seed cases as evidence >:().
PH they should be fine if you're not too far north. :)
Debs: arrr! hope you have another go! :)
Supernan  I forgot I had sweetpeas. Checked em today and aint watered for ....... ever :o  They look fine and have been outside in my lean to little wotsit for weeks. A bit long and lanky but they'll stick to their support as good as gold. Wont' they ?
I plant to use them on my lotty up the chicken wire container for my leaf mould.
yours look fine in their little newspaper coats. I see you can't throw away a mushroom box either. My OH put one in the rubbish bag today and I snatched it back out and told him off ;D