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California Gardening

Sweet Pea Advice From Montana!

17 years ago

Today recceived a short letter from Sister in Montana with a newspaper clipping called "Dirty Fingernails" by 2 mastergardeners in that area. It includes exstensive advice & info. for growing sweetpeas! Not much that I hadn't read before, but an explanation of the "why's".

"s.p.'s are one of the kinds of seeds with an extremely hard coating to it, it's hard for the water to get into the seed and start the germination process. You can sand the seed with an emory board, nick it with clippers or soaking it, so that water can penetrate that coating, just being careful not to damage that coating where the sprout will appear". Now that I know why I'm suppose to do it, I'll try again. However, this season I did start the seed in a flat indoors and they did sprout! So far, so good! I'm assuming that this "reason" applies to any tough seed coating.

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Comments (6)

youreit
17 years ago
The first I heard about nicking seeds was over on the Ponds forum when folks were talking about starting lotus from seed (some people even drill them! LOL). Very nifty! I went ahead and soaked my sweet peas this year, as per seed packet instructions. Starting them wasn't so hard. Since then, it's been getting them to get growing outside. Except for the ones in pots, though. :)

I'd love to visit Montana some day, but DH wouldn't want to leave there! :D

Brenda
lesdvs9
17 years ago
Yeah, that'd be a dangerous thing, terrible growing season!
That's terrific info for you Pat and now with the green house you should have the key to growing sweet peas:) I looked these up when you started talking about them, I see the lure.... I'm looking forward to pics when you get them really growing and they flower one day.
Leslie
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Sweet peas, as a matter of fact, do have longevity compared to a lot of seeds. Some can last as long as five years with normal keeping. This means cool and dry; or even freezing! However, 25 years is a long time. Why don't you try to plant one or two and see how they come along? You need to soak them overnight in tepid water and then plant right away. Yes, do this in the autumn; but since I do not know what part of the country you live in, it is hard to say exactly when you should plant. When the weather from summer cools down, but it is still mild out; you should plant. This can be anywhere from September to early November in some areas, and of course in early spring in those areas that have harsh winters. If they do germinate, you can enjoy the flowers and then let them go to seed later in the season. Then you can have seeds from the plants and keep the legacy going! There is the chance however, that they are indeed too old; and you will have to choose what you wish to do.
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I have grown sweet peas in a pot simply because I never can get more than 2 or three of them to germinate. I used about a 10-inch pot and made a trellis of twigs and it worked fine. Mine grew only about 3 feet tall. I germinated mine in those little jiffy pots, so there was no need for transplanting. You could try growing them in the jiffy pots until your space is ready.
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Hi, McSix. I used to always plant on President's Day, but lost waaaay too many seedlings to the newly hatched, ever-hungry slugs, the Great Scourge of the Emerald City. I find a bit later (and drier) is better. Last year, I sowed seeds -- gasp!-- inside in trays, only planting out once they reached about 2 inches high. I had read over and over that sweetpeas resented transplanting, but experienced no problems. That bit of height raised them up from the garden floor and away from temptation, at least from those scum sucking slugs who are too lazy to slime up a two inch plant-let. Good luck and enjoy that fabulous fragrance! Sweetly, Rain
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Yes, you could pollinate them (use a paintbrush or such) but I suspect the flowers are not setting seed for other reasons. You could try misting the plants a couple of times a day (this is traditionally done to enable runner beans to set seed) - just spray a light mist of water from a hand-held atomiser - not hard enough to knock the flowers off........ and check the watering - too much? Too little? Peas are not happy with a dry environment and like a deep rich soil.
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calpat
Original Author
17 years ago
I so appreciate all the information I'm given or directed to, but sometimes instructions tell you to do something, but they don't say WHY! I recall when I asked my Mom a question I got "because I said so", I really hated it then & I still do! I just got a nice e-mail from the 2 ladies that wrote the article, inviting anyone to write to them, if not for gardening advice, then just to say hello! You're so right, the growing season up there is really short,I mean it's like about 2, possibly 3 months. My sis had all her gardens wiped out last Nov. from rains that caused a earth dam to break up stream from her. But I think little by little she's getting the mess cleared away and will start again!
CA Kate z9
17 years ago
I first learned to do this growing Nasturtiums.... which also have a hard seed.
youreit
17 years ago
My sweet pea blooms are almost open, Pat! And Mom reports that hers are in full bloom! I can't wait to smell them! Oooo, I'm so excited. LOL

I think this cool, wet weather makes them happy. More warm weather on the way, but...they can't back out on me now! LOL

Brenda
youreit
17 years ago
One of them is now open, but...no scent. LOL It may not seem like it, but I'm patient. I'm sure the 2nd one will smell great, especially when the weather warms up over the next few days. :)

Oh, but the bloom is GORGEOUS! Palest pink outside fading to yellow inside. Yum!

Brenda

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