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Sweet Peas Issues

BazoftBazoft Posts: 9
in Problem solving
I grew quite a few sweet peas from seed bought from a reputable supplier, Sarah Raven; the sweet peas grew fantastically and were planted out into a new raised bed in late May.  They seemed to have withered and have turned brown towards the lower parts of the plants, although a few of them are rallying and beginning to climb onto the frame I've constructed for them.  The soil was a new batch bought from a reknown local supplier, but I suspect there was insufficient humus/goodness etc in the soil.  can anyone advise please.
Thank you

Barry
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Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They need a lot of water and food. If they don't get that, they can't sustain themselves.
    Overcrowding is another common problem - how are they planted, ground or pots?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    I grow mine in the ground and don’t give them much if any water and they often do this but they still do climb and flower well all summer. Mine are in the border so the withered bottoms are hidden so not an eyesore. I guess if more on display you would want to water more in future to prevent it happening but as said mine still flower their socks off.

    its a bit like the mantra that you have to keep picking to keep them flowering. I can’t bring any indoors as my OH doesn’t like the smell and it sets him off sneezing and I usually give up deadheading as we get towards the end of summer and they always give me at least another three or four weeks of good flowers without any attention at all.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Easier for them to access water in the ground though @Butterfly66, which is why I asked if the OP had them in the ground or in pots. 
    Many people struggle to grow them successfully because of dry conditions, and this year has been harder already in many areas.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BazoftBazoft Posts: 9
    edited June 2020
    Hi Fairygirl,

    thank you for your prompt reply.  They are planted in a cordon against a SE facing fence, about 1 ft apart...there are around 20 plants, planted in 1's and 2's.  I have dug in plenty of well rotted manure and fed the new soil with Sulphur of Phosphate (but only sparingly) and the new soil had chicken manure pellets incorporated into it as I filled the new raised bed (which is 300mm deep).  Some of the sweet peas are getting stronger and 3-4 have flowers on them.  They are watered every evening as the sun goes down and every morning, before the sun comes up...they are possibly slow starters...but it's the yellowing that is concerning me.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's fairly normal for foliage to yellow at the bottom. Raised beds always tend to drain a bit quicker though. 
    Sounds like you have done some good prep though, and although it's not an overly deep bed, they should be ok. I've never used sulphur of phosphate, so perhaps that's causing a reaction somewhere. The manure and chicken pellets should have been enough nutrition for the first month or two. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BazoftBazoft Posts: 9
    Great, thank you for your speedy and great advice.
  • BazoftBazoft Posts: 9
    I have a Fuschia that was overwintered and started flowering in the greenhouse, so I re-potted it and placed it outside.  It's had plenty of water, but the leaves are turning purple and it has stopped flowering...I used John Innes No 3 compost and threw in a little Growmore to feed it upon re-potting...any ideas out there?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Better to start a new thread for that - people will see the thread title re sweet peas and may not look  :)
    I don't grow fuchsias, so can't advise, but it could simply have been weather/temperatures and not acclimatised well enough. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BazoftBazoft Posts: 9
    Okay. I’m new to the site, so great advice. Thanks 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No problem - if you have photos, that always helps too @Bazoft :)

    The little icon that looks like a mountain in a postcard, is the one for info on uploading. If they don't load, it's usually the size - if they're below about 1MB that works well  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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