Yellowing sweetpeas and bent over at top

Sally223 · May 2017

My sweetpeas are about 4 foot tall but I bought them as plants about 2 foot tall so can't take any credit. As they've grown they've gradually become yellowed and now are quite bent and curvy. They weren't supported on sturdy canes as I made a willow fence and trained them against this. I focused on protecting them from slugs but didn't I anything else re feeding them. Theyre in good nutritious soil and I live in the channel Islands. Any advice? They are flowering now but the stalks are so curved.

Nick74 · May 2017

If all the leaves have turned a yellowish colour, it's likely due to lack of food. I had some 6" seedlings that started going yellow but peeked up after a feed (i too thought the compost for them would be fine, at least for a few more weeks).

Some Tomatorite or liquid seaweed should do the job. Don't for get to water them - if the tops are floppy, it's definately a lack of water.

Last edited: 15 May 2017 18:47:48

Fairygirl · May 2017

If you're growing them that way, they need loads of food and water, and properly tied in as they grow, but they would have benefited from being pinched out a while ago to make them bushier. They may also have been planted out a bit too soon, and could be suffering from damage by wind. If you bought them as plants at that height, they were probably grown from an autumn sowing and in very protected conditions. They may well not have had a good enough root system to support the amount of top growth.

You're better feeding the soil well - loads of well rotted manure, especially if your soil is light and free draining. A tomato feed is good, but shouldn't be necessary that early if they're in the right soil. Full sun isn't that good for them either, especially if you get high temps. They don't like that at all.

Sally223 · May 2017

Thank you for your comments. I'll give them some tomato feed this evening.

Yellowing sweetpeas and bent over at top

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