Sweetpeas

[Lesley Jay]

I have got a couple of trays of sweetpeas which I was going to plant out at weekend but I have been told that I need to stop them and take about 3 inches off their height. Is this correct?

[pigletwillie]

Just pinching out the tips is enough to make them branch out. Three inches seems a bit excessive but I am no expert. Mine at home always put on a fair show with them just nipped out.

Keep picking those flowers though or thew will go to seed and stop flowering very quickly. As they generally finish mid summer anyway try sowing something else to climb through for later colour like spanish flag or ipomea to extend the interest.

[eskymo]

My sweet peas are only about 5 inches high - can I pinch the tips off them now, or should I wait until they are taller? Would hate to do it and find that I've stunted their growth as I've waited for so long for them to germinate and grow.

[SueA]

You can pinch the growing tips out now Eskymo & they will bush out a bit, you won't spoil them.

[eskymo]

ok - will do - thatnks for the tip [no pun intended]

[Lesley Jay]

So I don't take 3 inches off then. Not being a flower person at all (give me veg) just how much do I need to pinch off? Number of leaves would help!

[bramble]

No, you just pinch out the centre, the two leaves that are growing in the middle Your sweet pea will then throw out side shoots rather than just one long gangly stem. If you take out three inches you will destroy your plants. Good Luck.

[Jaxom]

LJ. & Esk. On Sweetpeas you keep the seed leaves, first true leaves and then pinch off the young shoot just above the second set of true leaves. New shoots form and the sweetpeas branch out, Instead of having one long shoot you get a thicker base stalk with about three or four lateral shoots starting to grow.

[eskymo]

ooops - I think I've just pinched out the seed leaves!!!

bugger!

[SueA]

If your sweet peas were 5in. tall didn't they have more than just the seed leaves Eskymo? The seed leaves are only the first 2 to appear if you pinched out the growing tip above these they should be O.K.,if you have just got stalks with nothing on them then whoops!

[eskymo]

I'm not sure I pinched out the tips - but the two leaves at the top of the stalks - is that wrong or right. I'm really confused now.

[Jaxom]

Esk. Do your sweetpeas have any leaves left on them?

Look at the shoot as it comes out of the earth. and follow the flow bellow.
Earth
Stalk
Seed leaves
Stalk
First set of true leaves
Stalk
Second set of true leaves.
Any thing above this can be pinched off.

[eskymo]

i'm ok then - as I thought the seed leaves were the ones right at the top of the plant - i pinched those out bascially but not the tip...thanks for the detailed description as to what the plant should have on it - I will go down to the garden now and pinch what needs to be pinched.

[SueA]

Phew! Was a bit worried then that I'd got you to decapitate your sweet peas..Even if something does happen to them though you could always sow some more, I've just stuck some in a heated propagator to try & prolong the season as my others were seedlings I overwintered & are almost flowering now.

[eskymo]

That's a good idea - I might plant some more too so that when these ones are taller and flowering I can plant out a new batch to prolong the display.

I've created an archway along the path between my greenhouse and veg plot and growing climbing french beans up one side and sweat peas up the other side. It's just a temporary archway to see if it works. If it looks good we are going ot make a stronger sturdier one and plant some star jasmine so we've got a good evergreen climber for colour throughout the year.