My sweet pea plants lovely and healthy 3ft tall and not a single bud in sight! What have I done wrong?

Question

This year for the first time I have grown sweet peas from seed. I have been delighted at their quick growth, they are all now over 3ft tall - but I have not one flower bud in sight. This time last year, my shop bought plants were in full bloom. Have I done something wrong?

Answer 1

Sweet Peas are actually very easy to grow. You can simply plant them in the soil where you intend them to grow in March or April in the UK (be guided by local weather conditions) and leave them to it. By July you should have flowers. However, to get the best from your seeds you should consider planting them in autumn (late September to early November) or winter (January to February). This will enable you to have stronger and earlier flowering plants.Plants will start to flower. Keep the blooms cut – if they set seed flowering will be curtailed.

Water if the weather is dry but make sure you do this early on in the day to minimise bud drop and to prevent scorching. Feed with a weak solution of your favourite plant food (formulated for flowers) if your plants are starting to look weaker. For exhibition blooms feed preferably before they start throwing blooms with only three florets to a stem. If you are growing your plants naturally, encourage the small plants to cling to the support by tying in at first and spreading out the shoots over the support. If your plants are particularly bushy you may have to remove some shoots to prevent overcrowding.

Make sure your plants do not suffer from lack of water but remember not to water during the hottest part of the day. Extra feeding probably will not be necessary if your soil was well prepared.

Answer 2

Don't worry, but DON'T feed them.  Plants flower to set seed so that they will reproduce.  If they have lots of food, they will continue to grow and not reproduce.  Water them and wait, you will get a big flush of flowers soon.  Mine are late this year, but they have started now.  When they do flower, make sure you pick the blooms, as otherwise they will set seed and stop flowering.

Answer 3

it could be down to all the sodding rain !!!!!!   try some plant food