Sweet Pea
Sue Akehurst
Posts: 17
Just thought I would try this as I am feeling a bit sad tonight. Just picked a few sweet plants from my plants in pots to bring in tonight as I just love them. But I have about five sprigs and the plants look dreadful, yet again - very unhealthy looking but no bugs that I can see. No more flower buds in sight. This is the third year I have tried to grow them. They are in 2 terracotta pots with bamboo cane supports. This year I started them in the Spring as the year before I started them in Autumn and over wintered them in the greenhouse. They are in new Westlands Gro sure Multi purpose compost, watered every day, in the shade only in the morning and are fed once a week. They are Unwins Sweet Pea Special MIx. What am I doing wrong? I want to have healthy happy plants with loads of flowers to pick for me and friends and yet I fail every year. Anyone got any ideas??? X
Posts
What size are your pots? Sweet peas have deep roots, and are hungry plants.
Oh wow thanks for getting back so quickly. The pots are 12 ins high and 12 ins wide at the widest point. I want them in pots not in the garden as a framework for seating, as in one each side.
Hi Sue. Don't get downhearted. I can't grow the damned things either and I have tried for years. My neighbour has given me a beautiful bunch of sweet peas from her garden and I ought to be green with envy because she can grow them and I can't but I content myself with the thought that I am successful with other plants (though crocosmia is a disaster for me too).
Bless Ceres, and what a lovely name! Greek goddess??? I have got to find a way. I really have. I so want to grow them in pots on the patio. Three years and nothing is so sad.
Wouldn't look too good in a peplos/chiton though.
Maybe the plants sense your tension.
Cheer up, all can be resolved! You can buy relatively short sweet peas suitable for containers from a number of companies. You should buy the deepest containers that you can handle and fill them with a mix of quality multi purpose and John Innis 2 compost. If you don't want to feed, add a slow release feed for containers. Put in supports before you plant up and off you go. By the way, don't water every day, water when the surface is feeling dry. Easy peasy!
I grow in pots every year. I use multi purpose compost with slow release food or tomato food now and again once buds start appearing. They're only watered if the soil's dry further down than about an inch or so.
Always use good quality seed Sue - that helps with germination. Don't crowd the pot either. A pot that size would only take a few plants. I use 6 to 8 in a 15 inch pot.
These were taken a few days ago - Juliet
and Cupani - always very easy
All sown in small pots in spring, and then moved into those pots, but only because I had building work going on. It was tricky getting suitable space, and would have been quite late to sow direct, which is what I usually do.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posy, another lovely name.....Ok I am listening......more? Which seeds shall I buy for next year? A bigger container - how big, -as I said earlier 12 inch Terracotta pots at the mo. Am watering every day - shall I stop that? Am I getting somewhere? But seems I have done all that for each of three years, last year I used Richard Jacksons Compost and slow release feed but they were even worse.
They are beautiful fairy girl, have a fairy garden in my garden! Have 9 in each pot. Seems I am doing everything right but still not getting any flowers.
Have you got a photo Sue? I think you might be drowning them a bit. They need good drainage. We have a lot of rain up here so that's important for them, even later on when the foliage is big.
Too much heat isn't good for them, but unless they're in full sun all day, I doubt that's a big issue.
I'd be inclined to buy a good seed to start with - pick something you like from a good supplier like Eagle's - available online, or buy something reliable like Cupani and see if it makes difference.
Last edited: 24 July 2016 19:12:10
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...