Sweet Peas.....I Give Up!!!!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Sounds like the way to go. Did Unwin's give the plants any extra winter protection? I wouldn't be too worried about heavy snow due to the insulating effect, but several days of freezing overcast weather could reduce everything in a cold frame to blocks of ice quite easily.

[Robert_Brenchley]

[Toadspawn]

Robert
Their pots were always plunged into peat or something similar for added root insulation. If there was prolonged or very severe frost forecast they used to cover the coldframes with old carpet or something similar.
Mind you that was in the days when we used to have real winters. 

[manicscousers]

I'm glad you said that, Toadspawn, I was told I could leave my swet peas outside without protection last night as they had been outside for at least 10 days..went to look today, expecting the worst and they're fine, in fact, the cold's cleared the greenfly they got in the polytunnel  ;D

[manicscousers]

think this is the picture of them outside  :)
no, file's too big  :(

[star]

I have 6 pots of autumn sown outside braving the cold, they are ok. The last sowing are in the cold greenhouse and about 1" tall in loo rolls. About 5 have failed to germinate :D

[grawrc]

Mine are in the car boot waiting for the rain to stop so I can plant them at the lottie.

[manicscousers]

another frosty night and they're okay, mind you, only 0 degrees  ;D

[grawrc]

Right I give in: they're going in the front garden.

[jesssands]

mine are about 3-4" high right now, I planted them out in tubs about 10 days ago. Read here about pinching out, when do I do that? I have just let them grow when I last grew them about 15 years ago! I never knew about pinching out. Am I to pinch out the main growing tip?  Thanks

[twinkletoes]

Oh my gawd!   I hope the answer to your question is yes jesssads - I've just taken the tips off my ones... :o :o :o   C'mon - tell us - do we take the tips off???
twinkletoes

[manicscousers]

if you want nice, bushy plants, you pinch them out  :)

[saddad]

We do...
;D

[jo9919]

Over a week now since I resowed but no sign yet.

Still keeping my fingers crossed  :)

Jo.

[ellie2cats]

Oh dear !  Sweet peas can be a devil but I mostly do alright by planting in October (in black polythene tubes) in the greenhouse and then putting them in the cold frame over winter.  I don't get full germination but about 60%.  Then I set a few more in Feb or March just as back up and have now put them in the cold frame and will plant out in May when the weather looks fine enough ( for me to be outside for long).

I used to buy the black polythene tubes from my sweet pea seed supplier but she has retired.  Anyone know where I can them from.

[Robert_Brenchley]

My second planting was beginning to germinate a couple of days ago.

[Rosa_Mundi]

Jo9919, if you want near-perfect germination sow on a damp kitchen towel covered with a bit of clingfilm and keep in normal room temperatures. You should see roots within 3-5 days, then pot up s normal (being careful not to damage the root) and you should have a plant visible about 3 days later.

[loopyloulou]

ive chucked more into the garden yesterday with a sheet of glas leant over them, theyre not deaded yet, will remove the glass this weekend i think, but, pinching out, how tall should they be when i behaed them? minimum? and is it a continuos job? sorry 2 ask so many qs i adore sweet peas and want 2 b overrun not looking at a scraggly green thing n praying it flowers! many thanx! lou xx

[posie]

Ok - pinching out  ??? What's that? and how do you do it?? Mine are about 4" tall now, so should I be doing this pinching lark now?  :)

Ps - can you tell I normally buy plug plants rofl

[Rosa_Mundi]

Pinching out is taking out the growing tip. Do it after two or three pairs of true leaves are showing, and you'll get more shoots. You can repeat this on the new shoots, but you will slow down flowering. You judge by the number of pairs of leaves, not height.

[posie]

Thanks for that Rosa, my Red Arrow have 3 pairs of true leaves on now, do I pull them or cut them?