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Miniature sweet peas

AllyblueeyesAllyblueeyes Posts: 399
in Plants

Morning all.  For Christmas, I was given a Taylor’s Bulbs, Sweet Pea Oval Planter.  The seeds are Sweet Pea Miniature Sweetheart Mix and as you can see from the photo, they are already growing very tall, very quickly!  Do these particular sweet peas need pinching out or do I leave them because of their eventual small height?  Any advice would be appreciated as there were no instructions for growing on.  Many thanks in advance.

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  • amaidinbedlamamaidinbedlam Posts: 8
    Hello Ally, 

    They are starting to look a bit leggy to me. Whenever I've tried to get sweet peas going in winter, they have tended to do this. Most likely too much warmth, not enough light. Sweet peas like light. As for pinching out, there seems to be two schools of thought, at least among gardeners on my allotment site. Pinching out sacrifices bloom quality, but others think pinching out leads to a bushier plant, fuller plant. Generally, you pinch out when the seedlings are about 3-4 inches tall. You could always have an experiment, pinch out the taller ones and move the container somewhere slightly cooler with more light to see what they do. It's an experiment really. 

    When I sow my sweet peas, including dwarf and miniature types, which I do early in the season (around March) for a stronger root system but with the guarantee of better light, I never pinch them out and they go crazy.

    Sorry, I feel I haven't been much help, but good luck with them, I hope they do well!

  • AllyblueeyesAllyblueeyes Posts: 399
    @amaidinbedlam. No, You’ve been very helpful, thank you.   I grown ‘normal’ sweet peas every year, I just wasn’t sure about the dwarf ones.  I’ll do as you suggest and pinch out the taller ones.  They are on a sunny windowsill but I’ll move to a sunnier position in the conservatory and see what happens.  This again 😀
  • AllyblueeyesAllyblueeyes Posts: 399

    @amaidinbedlam Sorry, that was supposed to say thanks again! 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,979
    The problem at this time of year is balancing light and warmth. 
    Growing them indoors is keeping them artificially warm which is making them think it's spring, but it isn't, and the sun isn't strong enough for them to grow as they should.
    In the warmth, they're getting leggy searching for the spring sun, and it's not there.
    If they were outside, they'd know it's not spring and therefore not get leggy and grow much slower.
    They need to be kept cool with as much light as possible.
    I've never grown that variety, but I'd guess they still need pinching out
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • AllyblueeyesAllyblueeyes Posts: 399
    @Pete.8. Thanks for this.  I’ve pinched them out and moved them to the windowsill in an unheated bedroom where they will get plenty of light.  It was a gift so I’d like them to succeed but as I sowed 54 last month which are doing very well in the greenhouse, I’ll have plenty outside anyway!    
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,979
    Good luck with them @Allyblueeyes I'm sure they'll succeed and you'll have a lovey scented garden too.

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • AllyblueeyesAllyblueeyes Posts: 399
    That’s the plan @Pete.8!! 🤞
  • jamesholtjamesholt Posts: 456
    When do they go outside?
  • AllyblueeyesAllyblueeyes Posts: 399
    Morning @jamesholt The ones I were given are miniature so will stay in the container inside.  The ones I’m growing in the greenhouse will be planted out probably early April. I’ll bring them outdoors periodically to get them ‘hardened off’ beforehand.  
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