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Reluctant sweet peas

maryyarwoodmaryyarwood Posts: 5
in Problem solving
My sweet peas in the ground are flowering gloriously (S facing).  The ones in front (W facing) are in a large tub planted in wool compost and have stopped growing at about 3 feet, tips dried and hard, leaves a bit curled and no buds. They have been watered and fed but less than I normally would with container plants because of the claims of the Wool compost (50% less watering, 12 months feed). So what is wrong? Research suggests maybe overfed?(but I stopped feeding when I read this) Too many plants in the tub? There were some greenfly but I've blasted them and sprayed with W-Up liquid dilute and that seems to have worked. Do they just not do well in pots? Thanks - glad to have found this forum x

Posts

  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    My experience is that they do better in the ground. I have one lot in a large pot and another lot in a bed. Both face south but those in the bed have gone mad. Those in the pot have a quarter of the flowers that those in the bed have. Both have been fed regularly and those in the pot have been watered more obviously.

    Maybe those in the pot will catch up there's still time .

    I'm sure someone more knowledgeable with sweat peas will come along and give us both some advice very soon.

    What say you folks?

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I am not sure it is possible to over feed sweet peas, so, they are either underfed or under watered or both, would be my view.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd agree with @punkdoc
    They need a lot of food to do well, especially in a container. I mainly grow in containers and use two lots of different food - a low release granular one, then tomato food as they start flowering. If they have a good base of rotted manure in pots, that also helps. 
    Dead heading is just as important once they start flowering. No point in feeding and then allowing the plant to keep producing seed.
    I also feel that too much emphasis is placed on full sun as the ideal site. We don't have anything like the temperatures, or the amounts of sun that more southern areas have, but many of mine actually do better without the full glare of midday sun, or being in too many hours of it. 
    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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