thanks fairygirl er...mine don't look lie that!! mine straggly and bit disappointed as tried hard not to 'coddle' see david, i listened!! i only had them indoors for 1st 2 weeks, in cold east facing room not on windowsill, they're in plastic boxes i only cover overnight to protect from slugs and mice, have already pinched out growing tips, have i done this too early...they're all leggy with 2 leaves at top, anything i can do to improve? am sooo determined to get really good plants!!
oops forgot to ask david i know you advise putting them out am just wanting them to get stronger before they go in soil, if it's v rainy will they get ruined still in pots if not covered, sorry if coddling, i think mummies are a bit prone to it!!!
"i think mummies are a bit prone to it!!!".....that figures!
Truth is they will get stronger when planted out....problem is the weather is forecast to get colder later in the week, so take that into account.....this is only an issue because they are soft.
I know this 'no coddling' must get boring, but you see, if they had been raised in cooler conditions they would be acclimatised to outdoor conditions.
I would suggest supporting them with a few twiggy bits, protect from cold winds & slugs.
thanks david no, good advice doesn't get boring and newbies need it drilling in! getting slug pubs ready any other good slug zapper advice? no evidence of mice around but would you suggest cloche til bit bigger?
thanks david no, good advice doesn't get boring and newbies need it drilling in! getting slug pubs ready any other good slug zapper advice? no evidence of mice around but would you suggest cloche til bit bigger?
Cloche!....Alarm bells are ringing again! Yes, it will protect from cold winds, but it does get very warm under there on sunny days.....perhaps fleece?
Beer traps are as good as anything if you prefer not to use slug pellets.
I've never lost sweet peas to mice after the seed has germinated & disintegrated.
Been very busy the last few days so not looked in here.
Thanks Steve for the tip about Aqualdulce Claudia. I haven't seen them here in France, just Aquadulce.
Tracey, when I said about cutting sweet peas off the hedge I was really answering David about the sweet peas getting tangled in the hedge. I thought the problem of that would be partly solved when the hedge was cut in the autumn the sweet peas would be cut down too - 2 birds with one stone!
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
Bumping this up so that new people can see the pinching out pix
They're on page 24 of the thread
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
thanks fairygirl er...mine don't look lie that!! mine straggly and bit disappointed as tried hard not to 'coddle' see david, i listened!! i only had them indoors for 1st 2 weeks, in cold east facing room not on windowsill, they're in plastic boxes i only cover overnight to protect from slugs and mice, have already pinched out growing tips, have i done this too early...they're all leggy with 2 leaves at top, anything i can do to improve? am sooo determined to get really good plants!!
oops forgot to ask david i know you advise putting them out am just wanting them to get stronger before they go in soil, if it's v rainy will they get ruined still in pots if not covered, sorry if coddling, i think mummies are a bit prone to it!!!
"i think mummies are a bit prone to it!!!".....that figures!
Truth is they will get stronger when planted out....problem is the weather is forecast to get colder later in the week, so take that into account.....this is only an issue because they are soft.
I know this 'no coddling' must get boring, but you see, if they had been raised in cooler conditions they would be acclimatised to outdoor conditions.
I would suggest supporting them with a few twiggy bits, protect from cold winds & slugs.
thanks david no, good advice doesn't get boring and newbies need it drilling in! getting slug pubs ready any other good slug zapper advice? no evidence of mice around but would you suggest cloche til bit bigger?
Cloche!....Alarm bells are ringing again! Yes, it will protect from cold winds, but it does get very warm under there on sunny days.....perhaps fleece?
Beer traps are as good as anything if you prefer not to use slug pellets.
I've never lost sweet peas to mice after the seed has germinated & disintegrated.
PS. Perhaps use a cloche at night for a week or so would be a compromise.
thinking more of a wire cloche, good to hear mouse danger may be over!
To my knowledge mice will eat any type of seed, but In my own experience I've never had problems with them eating the foliage.
Been very busy the last few days so not looked in here.
Thanks Steve for the tip about Aqualdulce Claudia. I haven't seen them here in France, just Aquadulce.
Tracey, when I said about cutting sweet peas off the hedge I was really answering David about the sweet peas getting tangled in the hedge. I thought the problem of that would be partly solved when the hedge was cut in the autumn the sweet peas would be cut down too - 2 birds with one stone!