I put 7 plugs in a 60cm plastic pot. Mine sooo don't look like that! hahaha. I need to crack on with removing the dead bits - it's a bit daunting because i don't want to hurt the rest of it. Will take your advice re: front garden which is north facing - my back garden is boiling from 8am until the sun goes down....thanks so much again....:)
That would have been an ideal amount of plants, so that isn't the issue. I think it's just heat, the pot drying out, and no one to water during that week. You'll just have to employ someone to water them for you if you go away in future!
If the garden's that hot, it will be difficult to keep pots well hydrated anyway, so you might need to rethink it a little for next time, so that you can get a really good display if you enjoy them. One of our forum members here gave up on growing sweet peas, as she lives in France and it's simply too hot for them in the summer. It can be a bit misleading when you look at instructions and it says plant in full sun. What they don't tell you is that 'full sun' day after day can be too much!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I should have said too - keep deadheading the flowers. Once the flowers that you've left on the plant are finished, pick them off so that the plant puts it's energy into making more. If left to go to seed, it means you get less flowers.
An annual of any kind tries to grow, flower and produce seed in one season in order to reproduce for the following year, and then it's job is done. If it's allowed to go to seed, there's no incentive to keep making more flowers.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This is my first year growing sweet peas in pots, it's not been very successful, perhaps planting them in black pots didn't help. I agree with you Fairygirl, full sun is not good for them, yet the seed packets say plant i full sun.
Fairygirl...........you planted 8 plants in that pot! I only planted 4 in mine, they have not done well at all, yet the ones in the ground are fine.
Three canes and a pot at each cane. Pots are about 15 inches diameter. Most pots had 3 seeds sown, and most of them germinated. They have slow release food in the compost (only place I use it) and they also get an occasional feed with tomato food. Good, rich compost in the pots - none of that peat free cr*p either - and well watered, including from the sky!
All the pots are south facing, but we don't get the amount of heat here that the south of the country gets, so I can get away with that.
That's a shame Siobhan - but it's all good knowledge for next year. You can experiment a bit then. They're very straightforward from seed, so for a couple of pounds, you can play about with sowing at different times, and hopefully get a nice display
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Oh - that's great! So pleased you're getting a bit of a result. The sun can really affect them if it's very hot and prolonged.
Plenty of food and water for them - and deadheading to keep promoting new buds and flowers, and hopefully you'll both get more flowers for a while.
It's definitely worth sowing some in late April, so that you can continue the length of season though. It's lovely to have them in early to mid autumn, when other plants are going over.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
I put 7 plugs in a 60cm plastic pot. Mine sooo don't look like that! hahaha. I need to crack on with removing the dead bits - it's a bit daunting because i don't want to hurt the rest of it. Will take your advice re: front garden which is north facing - my back garden is boiling from 8am until the sun goes down....thanks so much again....:)
That would have been an ideal amount of plants, so that isn't the issue. I think it's just heat, the pot drying out, and no one to water during that week. You'll just have to employ someone to water them for you if you go away in future!
If the garden's that hot, it will be difficult to keep pots well hydrated anyway, so you might need to rethink it a little for next time, so that you can get a really good display if you enjoy them. One of our forum members here gave up on growing sweet peas, as she lives in France and it's simply too hot for them in the summer. It can be a bit misleading when you look at instructions and it says plant in full sun. What they don't tell you is that 'full sun' day after day can be too much!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I should have said too - keep deadheading the flowers. Once the flowers that you've left on the plant are finished, pick them off so that the plant puts it's energy into making more. If left to go to seed, it means you get less flowers.
An annual of any kind tries to grow, flower and produce seed in one season in order to reproduce for the following year, and then it's job is done. If it's allowed to go to seed, there's no incentive to keep making more flowers.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This is my first year growing sweet peas in pots, it's not been very successful, perhaps planting them in black pots didn't help. I agree with you Fairygirl, full sun is not good for them, yet the seed packets say plant i full sun.
Fairygirl...........you planted 8 plants in that pot! I only planted 4 in mine, they have not done well at all, yet the ones in the ground are fine.
Mine are totally dead. I've learned a lesson, though, and know what to do next time. Thanks for all the advice, Fairygirl xx
There might even be twelve in it Mary
Three canes and a pot at each cane. Pots are about 15 inches diameter. Most pots had 3 seeds sown, and most of them germinated. They have slow release food in the compost (only place I use it) and they also get an occasional feed with tomato food. Good, rich compost in the pots - none of that peat free cr*p either - and well watered, including from the sky!
All the pots are south facing, but we don't get the amount of heat here that the south of the country gets, so I can get away with that.
That's a shame Siobhan - but it's all good knowledge for next year. You can experiment a bit then. They're very straightforward from seed, so for a couple of pounds, you can play about with sowing at different times, and hopefully get a nice display
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I followed your advice and they seem to be coming back
)
I moved mine too, now they receive first early morning sun.......then late evening sun. They are doing so much better.
Thanks fairygirl.
Oh - that's great! So pleased you're getting a bit of a result. The sun can really affect them if it's very hot and prolonged.
Plenty of food and water for them - and deadheading to keep promoting new buds and flowers, and hopefully you'll both get more flowers for a while.
It's definitely worth sowing some in late April, so that you can continue the length of season though. It's lovely to have them in early to mid autumn, when other plants are going over.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Fairy girl. .....you'll have to remind us to plant more next April