First year I grew sweet peas, I sowed early (Feb), thinking that I'd have stronger plants come planting out time. In the end they were weak and spindly because I couldn't manage the light/heat requirements. The best results I've had have been from ones sown outdoors later - in mid March. I sowed three in each 9cm pot then planted them in position in clumps.
I hope others will be able to help you on what to do now as I'm no expert.
I do understand wanting to sow earlier though - it's so lovely to see things germinating and growing. I've got some snowdrops and other spring bulbs now, which give me the same joy
Not silly at all @mchua, to ask questions. However, when you say your s. peas have no leaves and are just stems, that's slightly confusing. Have you got a photo of them?
Yes sorry I kind of hijacked this thread instead of creating a new one.
I realise now they shouldn’t be in pots as they don’t provide a deep narrow root run. I’ll have to start over, but I need to know what I’m doing wrong.
The first pic are ones I sowed early Jan, and I left them indoors for about 3 weeks after germination, on a windowsill that didn’t receive sun, and they produced leaves quickly but leggy stems, before deciding to put them in the greenhouse, which is probably too warm.
The second pic I sowed about 3 weeks ago and put them outdoors straight away as soon as they appeared (not in the greenhouse, somewhere sheltered outside). Because after a bit of reading I thought a cooler environment will promote roots instead of stem growth?
I did things differently because I wasn’t sure what was correct. I think neither method I chose are!
Also I tried using toilet rolls for the second attempt only to realise that I won’t be able to knock the pot out now as they’re too soggy to remove.
Overcomplicating things, but I’ll start over once I know the right way to go about it.
Ok. It's no problem @mchua Timing is key - with most seeds, not just s. peas. I don't sow until March [in the house] and they germinate in around 2 or 3 weeks, on average. That's the right sort of length of time, so that they can get acclimatised when they're a few inches high. If they're germinating quicker than that - they're getting too much heat. Much slower than that and you could be sowing too early, and in too wet/cold conditions, so it comes down - again, to location, and climate. They need moisture, but if they're sitting in too much wet compost, in a cold environment, that won't work. Light is another factor, which is another reason for sowing later here - fewer hours of daylight over winter
When you sow, use a smaller pot - a 3 inch one is fine, and sow around 3 or 4 seeds in them. I now use coffee cups. My daughter buys me a coffee now and again, and they're perfect as they're about 3 inches [width] but deeper than a standard pot. That gives them time to get a good root system, regardless of when you sow. That whole pot then gets planted. No need to separate them. If I wanted to sow direct, I'd wait till about mid April or even later, and that would be into the pots they were eventually going into - not the ground. I never sow anything direct into the ground, especially not from about October until May. Earlier than that is far too soon for my conditions, because they just sulk at that time of year, which is also why I rarely sow in autumn. Same goes for small plants - they get planted out in May, from a March sowing. In warm parts of the country, you can possibly get away with doing it all earlier. It's the soil temp that matters most, and our soil here doesn't warm up properly until May. Most people over cosset them, which leads to problems. Don't go by what it says on seed packets either.
Those first ones can be pinched out @mchua , and should produce more bulk. They should be ok, hopefully, but don't overwater. Just check them now and again, and if it's warm in that greenhouse, open it, or sit them outside for a few hours. The other ones could get leggy, but the main problem is - with the ones on the left- the pots are far too big, so there's too much compost around them. Just leave them to get on with it though, and they might be ok. The ones in the toilet rolls should be ok, so again- just let them get on with it, and wait until they have enough proper growth before doing anything with them - don't overwater any of them. They'll probably have enough moisture to keep them going for quite a while
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sweet peas need to be sown in deeper than usual pots because they develop a long root system. Any seedlings with roots coming out of the bottom need to be potted on into larger, deeper pots.
I have to disagree @Joyce Goldenlily. Ordinary pots are perfectly fine if the timing is right. It's only if they're sown very early, and/or become far too big and bushy and can't go outside for some reason, that it can be a problem because they'd need potted on until then. Until I started using those coffee cups, I used bog standard 3 inch pots for mine every year with no problem. @Simone_in_Wiltshire -there's no problem planting in March if you've hardened them off properly, and give them basic protection. Better though to wait and not put them out until April or so.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Indeed @mchua, but it's just a question of working with your conditions. If you want, it's a good idea to sow some a bit later on and then you can get a longer flowering season. Keep a note of how they do too, so that you can bear it in mind for next year. I replied to someone else re s. peas [yesterday?] and mentioned that, when you have lots of dry weather, and lots of sun, it can really shorten their flowering season, so try keeping some in a shadier site for example. Ours grow well into October, until the rough weather gets to them. The frosts through October don't bother them because they're well established by then and pretty tough. They still need lots of watering here in summer, because the foliage blocks rainwater, even when it's persistent. It's easy to assume that if it rains for a couple of hours that they won't need water. That's where it can be easier if they're in a border. Good luck with them anyway - hope you get some results from the ones you have
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
For interest, this is my OH's elaborate sweet peas chitting system (easier to type than to say ). She's tried many ways of germinating them over the years and often been disappointed. This method certainly seems to work. The container has a lid on to exclude all light and the seeds just sit on wet kitchen paper. The photo was taken just before she transferred them into pots.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
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Timing is key - with most seeds, not just s. peas. I don't sow until March [in the house] and they germinate in around 2 or 3 weeks, on average. That's the right sort of length of time, so that they can get acclimatised when they're a few inches high.
If they're germinating quicker than that - they're getting too much heat. Much slower than that and you could be sowing too early, and in too wet/cold conditions, so it comes down - again, to location, and climate. They need moisture, but if they're sitting in too much wet compost, in a cold environment, that won't work. Light is another factor, which is another reason for sowing later here - fewer hours of daylight over winter
When you sow, use a smaller pot - a 3 inch one is fine, and sow around 3 or 4 seeds in them. I now use coffee cups. My daughter buys me a coffee now and again, and they're perfect as they're about 3 inches [width] but deeper than a standard pot. That gives them time to get a good root system, regardless of when you sow. That whole pot then gets planted. No need to separate them.
If I wanted to sow direct, I'd wait till about mid April or even later, and that would be into the pots they were eventually going into - not the ground. I never sow anything direct into the ground, especially not from about October until May.
Earlier than that is far too soon for my conditions, because they just sulk at that time of year, which is also why I rarely sow in autumn. Same goes for small plants - they get planted out in May, from a March sowing. In warm parts of the country, you can possibly get away with doing it all earlier. It's the soil temp that matters most, and our soil here doesn't warm up properly until May.
Most people over cosset them, which leads to problems. Don't go by what it says on seed packets either.
Those first ones can be pinched out @mchua , and should produce more bulk. They should be ok, hopefully, but don't overwater. Just check them now and again, and if it's warm in that greenhouse, open it, or sit them outside for a few hours.
The other ones could get leggy, but the main problem is - with the ones on the left- the pots are far too big, so there's too much compost around them. Just leave them to get on with it though, and they might be ok. The ones in the toilet rolls should be ok, so again- just let them get on with it, and wait until they have enough proper growth before doing anything with them - don't overwater any of them. They'll probably have enough moisture to keep them going for quite a while
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Any seedlings with roots coming out of the bottom need to be potted on into larger, deeper pots.
I ♥ my garden.
@Simone_in_Wiltshire -there's no problem planting in March if you've hardened them off properly, and give them basic protection. Better though to wait and not put them out until April or so.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you want, it's a good idea to sow some a bit later on and then you can get a longer flowering season. Keep a note of how they do too, so that you can bear it in mind for next year.
I replied to someone else re s. peas [yesterday?] and mentioned that, when you have lots of dry weather, and lots of sun, it can really shorten their flowering season, so try keeping some in a shadier site for example.
Ours grow well into October, until the rough weather gets to them. The frosts through October don't bother them because they're well established by then and pretty tough.
They still need lots of watering here in summer, because the foliage blocks rainwater, even when it's persistent. It's easy to assume that if it rains for a couple of hours that they won't need water. That's where it can be easier if they're in a border.
Good luck with them anyway - hope you get some results from the ones you have
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful