PROBLEM WITH SWEET PEA SEED PODS

BILLYC

I plant sweet peas every year. I cut flowers regularly as they appear to encourage new flowers and to stop the plant producing seed pods. As the flowers are coming to an end I leave them on plant so I can harvest the seed pods to grow new plants next year. I have done this for several years and had an abundance of seed pods to plant on.

This year I followed the same procedure but the plant only produced two seed pods. Does anybody know why? I thought that every sweet pea flower, if left to die off naturally, produced a seed pod. If this is true I should have dozens of pods not just two? 

Dovefromabove

I can only think that they weren't pollinated ... did you have plenty of insects in the garden this year?

We've got loads of sweet pea seeds so I doubt it was the hot weather ... it was very hot here.   Did you water them?

BILLYC

Usual amount of insects. Watered regularly. 

Fairygirl

I also have loads on the plants which are left, as I haven't deadheaded as often as I do earlier in the season.
They may simply have run out of energy altogether, Billy, especially if you had the extreme temps and they were dehydrated. You really can't give them too much water. 
I never save seeds though - I always buy fresh seed from good suppliers. 

Nanny Beach

I also desided to save seeds this year, because some had a really long straight stem perfect for vases, I watered copiously and figured this was why they didnt go to seed, I stopped dead heading them weeks ago.

tessagardenbarmy

Think the weather has had a lot you do with it. My U3A group has just had a talk from a member of National  Sweet Peak Society  and he said his autumn sown sweet peas went over too quickly  and didn't  do particularly well this year because it was too hot and dry.