Care of dwarf sweet peas - Ask Extension
I've planted dwarf sweet pea seeds in a 12-inch hanging basket; the plants are now from 4 to 6 inches tall, but no flower buds. Basket is in a most...
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Care of dwarf sweet peas #406191
Asked June 11, 2017, 12:42 PM EDT
I've planted dwarf sweet pea seeds in a 12-inch hanging basket; the plants are now from 4 to 6 inches tall, but no flower buds. Basket is in a mostly sunny location, at least 6 hours of the day, kept well watered and fertilized. I'm afraid I planted too many seeds and didn't thin the plants. If that is the problem, is there something I can do now?
King County Washington
Expert Response
Hello and thank you for contacting us with your question.
First of all, it sounds like you've put the basket in the right location and are taking good care of it. You don't want to overfertilize with Nitrogen (the first number on the fertilizer package) as this will sometimes cause more leaf growth and fewer flowers. I don't think this is the issue for you however.
We've done some research and learned that sweet peas (even dwarf varieties) do take some time to mature and bloom. In general, these flowers need about 50 days of temperatures below 60F in order to mature and flower. This number may be reduced slightly for dwarf sweet peas. I don't know how long ago you planted them, but I suspect that they need more time.
Looking at the hanging basket, it appears they are planted quite close together. This university website recommends more space between plants http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2005/mar05/Sweetpea2.h... We usually crowd plants in containers, and make up for that overcrowding by making sure they have plenty of water and fertilizer. This reduces the competition between plants (but doesn't eliminate it). If you thinned the plants a little, so there is at least 1-2" between them, this would give them more space to grow, less competition between plants, and a better chance to give you the beautiful flowers you want.
I hope this information helps, but please let me know if you have any more questions and happy gardening!
First of all, it sounds like you've put the basket in the right location and are taking good care of it. You don't want to overfertilize with Nitrogen (the first number on the fertilizer package) as this will sometimes cause more leaf growth and fewer flowers. I don't think this is the issue for you however.
We've done some research and learned that sweet peas (even dwarf varieties) do take some time to mature and bloom. In general, these flowers need about 50 days of temperatures below 60F in order to mature and flower. This number may be reduced slightly for dwarf sweet peas. I don't know how long ago you planted them, but I suspect that they need more time.
Looking at the hanging basket, it appears they are planted quite close together. This university website recommends more space between plants http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2005/mar05/Sweetpea2.h... We usually crowd plants in containers, and make up for that overcrowding by making sure they have plenty of water and fertilizer. This reduces the competition between plants (but doesn't eliminate it). If you thinned the plants a little, so there is at least 1-2" between them, this would give them more space to grow, less competition between plants, and a better chance to give you the beautiful flowers you want.
I hope this information helps, but please let me know if you have any more questions and happy gardening!
THANK YOU TIM!!
