Sweet pea flowers missing

kirstyjones17 · May 2021

Hi guys,

This is my first full year gardening so i have zero experience, i grew my sweet peas and they are going big and string and are already at head height with lots of lovely side shoots and lots of flower stems BUT the flowers keep vanishing from the end of the stems!

I thought perhaps the weather when we had strong winds, but it's been lovely lately and then out there today tens of long stalks with flower heads missing! This is happening in both my front and back garden, on the ones trained against my fence and around my posts and handrails.

Different packets, same problem so i am assuming it is either something I have done, or a pest which is prolific here.

I use slug nematodes and they seem to be at bay, i did have earwigs in the back garden alot last year but not seen any out the front before, there are no aphids or bugs i can see on the plants and they are quite spaced out, literally one plant in each spot so i am stumped!

Anyone had this or know what it is or what i can try?

Nanny Beach · May 2021

Can we have a picture

kirstyjones17 · May 2021

I cut most of them off this morning but here are a few I missed.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/l7/qhq985n04a54.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/ga/97fzsumx4s4l.jpg

Fairygirl · May 2021

Slugs most likely. They'll just climb the fences etc.
Very early to have them at that stage. They'll need a lot of food and water to keep them going.

Nanny Beach · May 2021

Do you actually mean flowers or buds?

kirstyjones17 · May 2021

@Nanny Beach i mean buds, they develop as if they will open and flower but before they start to actually open, they drop off.

Fairygirl · May 2021

They've possibly been too dry, which means the plant struggles to get to the final step and open the buds.
Sweet peas need huge amounts of water to thrive.

kirstyjones17 · May 2021

@Fairygirl I don't think its slugs as there are no slime trails, no eating of leaves, no slug damage to any other plants, in fact my front garden is pretty slug free as its new and was a desolate area covered in black plastic until a couple of months ago so they haven't discovered it yet and i use nematodes as well. If it were just at the back i would say it might be as i do get them there, but again the nematodes seem to be doing their job, my dahlias etc are pretty much uneaten etc.

Fairygirl · May 2021

How well did you prep the ground before planting them out?

kirstyjones17 · May 2021

again @Fairygirl i don't think so, i live in Cornwall and we have had ALOT of rain lately, for weeks, if too much water can do it then perhaps that? as it has been very rainy, but not waterlogged as i did add lots of compost and some grit to make the soil as good as possible before planting anything.

Fairygirl · May 2021

I 'd still say slugs then. You can't really over water them. They wouldn't grow here if that was the case.

You won't always see a lot of slime trails, and they love the soft new growth. It's often the smallest ones which do the most damage. Birds occasionally will take buds off if they're in getting aphids, which are also attracted to the soft new growth. Pigeons can sometimes damage them too.
It may also be that with the poor ground [being under plastic for a long time] the plants have used up all the available nutrition in the bit of compost you used on planting. They need a lot of food to do well. Ideally, well rotted manure at the base of the hole, or in a trench, then compost on top. Once they get to bud/flowering stage, they need some extra food, as that will mostly be used up.

Sweet pea flowers missing

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