Sweet peas mammut growing from seeds. How to grow sweet peas from seeds? Landing, photo. Does it need to be trimmed?

It’s easy to transform your garden plot into a real piece of paradise with the help of delicate sweet pea inflorescences. This climbing flowering plant will decorate any area, entwining various supports with a weightless carpet and spreading a pleasant, subtle aroma in the air. As the name suggests, this plant has inflorescences with a pleasant, delicate scent. In addition, thanks to the wide color palette, it is easy to choose the shade of petals to your liking.

Weaving sweet peas with delicate flowers on various supports has a number of undeniable advantages, thanks to which it has gained wide popularity among modern summer residents and has become widespread in the courtyards of private houses and garden plots. Sweet peas are quite unpretentious and are also suitable for vertical gardening on a balcony or loggia - with sufficient watering, it is easy to grow them in boxes with soil.

Some of the benefits of sweet pea include:

high decorative properties - with the help of this climbing plant it is easy to create a flowering screen on the site, decorate a nondescript wall of a house or barn, a garden pergola, a gazebo or a fence;
the unpretentiousness of this plant - it can easily tolerate autumn and spring frosts (down to -5 °C);
the ability to form a comfortable diffused shadow with its weaving on nearby supports;
low-growing varieties of sweet peas can be planted in flower beds without any supports;
higher growth rate compared to slow-growing climbing perennial vines;
long flowering period compared to many other climbing annual plants (at least three months);
sweet peas can be grown not only in open ground, they grow well on balconies - the south-eastern side of buildings is optimal for this;
This plant remains fresh when cut for quite a long time; bouquets of delicate sweet pea flowers are simply stunning.

Conditions for growing sweet peas

This crop can be grown in different climatic zones. Sweet peas thrive in open and windless places (sunny or slightly shaded), in moist and well-drained, breathable soil. This plant does not tolerate growing on heavy clay soils very well, constant waterlogging or close groundwater, and due to significant temperature changes it can drop its petals or die.

Before planting sweet peas, it is necessary to first prepare the soil, creating favorable conditions for the normal development of the root system. To do this, you should add compost, as well as phosphorus and potassium fertilizers at the usual rates, to a depth of 15-30 cm under digging. It should be noted that it is not recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers or fresh manure for this crop. Sufficiently fertile soil with neutral acidity is optimal for growing sweet peas. In case of increased acidity of the soil, before planting this plant, it is recommended to apply liming in advance by adding slaked lime.

Some gardeners argue that growing sweet peas is not so easy - they say, the plant is quite capricious. In fact, figuring out how to grow sweet peas is not too difficult.

To create optimal conditions for the growth of this plant, several features should be taken into account:

Growing sweet peas using seedlings is a more labor-intensive process compared to planting seeds in open ground. In addition, it is worth considering that seedlings are less frost-resistant and more capricious. The branched root system of this plant, which goes quite deep into the soil, does not always tolerate replanting well, and its thin, long stems break easily. Thus, sweet pea seedlings must be replanted together with an earthen pot;
This plant has seeds with a very dense shell, as a result of which their germination is often difficult and occurs unevenly over time. Gardeners use some tricks to speed up this process (pre-soaking, cutting or rubbing with sandpaper);
planted plants quickly stretch out and can break, so it is recommended to install supports for weaving (optimally nets) as early as possible and tie plants to them as necessary;
Sweet peas are characterized by the development of a root system that goes deep into the soil and actively absorbs moisture. As a result, for the normal development of plants it will be necessary to organize regular, abundant watering.

When to plant sweet peas

To choose suitable conditions for planting a given plant, first find out how well this particular variety tolerates cold, how to plant sweet peas, and what conditions are optimal for growing them. You should not delay the moment of planting, since the growing season of this plant is quite long. From the moment the seeds germinate until the sweet peas begin to bloom, it will take about two to three months. The sooner this happens, the sooner the plant will delight you with its flowering.

The timing of planting and caring for sweet peas must be correlated with the actual climatic conditions. In areas with a mild subtropical climate, it is allowed to plant this plant in the ground in November, in a moderate climate - in early spring (this should be done only if the soil does not freeze). When growing sweet peas from seeds this way, you should expect the plant to bloom by mid-spring.

In severe winters, sweet peas can also be planted in February, but not directly in open ground, but indoors. In this way, you can prepare the seedlings in advance for the beginning of the gardening season - for planting after the snow melts in a permanent place of growth. In temperate climates, it is recommended to soak the seeds in April-early May. At the same time, depending on current weather conditions, sweet peas can be planted in open ground from early April to early summer.

Preparing Sweet Pea Seeds

To speed up the germination of the seeds of this plant, experienced gardeners use some tricks. Some craftsmen lightly rub the seeds between layers of sandpaper, or carefully lightly cut their surface using nail scissors or a small knife. To create optimal conditions, sweet pea seeds, brown or grayish-brown in color, are soaked for several hours. Please note that light cream seeds must be planted dry, as they often die when soaked.

To germinate, place different types of seeds in separate containers and fill with warm or hot water (up to 60°C). After some time (during the day), drain the water and cover the seeds with a damp cloth, periodically adding a little water. You can also place them in moistened sand or sawdust. At temperatures of 18-23 °C, seedlings appear in approximately 6-10 days. After germination, the seeds should be sown immediately.

Planting sweet peas

As mentioned above, this plant can be grown in two ways:

from seeds planted directly in open ground;
from seedlings.

Each of these methods of growing a given crop has its own advantages and adherents. It should be borne in mind that in a temperate climate, when planting seeds directly in open ground, flowering of sweet peas will begin no earlier than the end of July. After the snow melts and when the soil has sufficiently warmed up, sweet pea seeds are sown in open ground, several at a time (2-3 seeds). To do this, you need to make holes 2-3 cm deep, located at a short distance (10-20 cm).

To grow sweet pea seedlings, you should prepare a soil mixture of turf soil with the addition of humus, peat and sand. Sufficiently deep, narrow containers (for example, 200 ml disposable plastic cups) can be used as pots for seedlings. Seeds must be planted in holes about 2 cm deep and watered. The emerging seedlings should be kept in a cool and bright place at a temperature of about 15 ° C, not forgetting about abundant watering, for two weeks - such conditions are optimal for the development of the plant’s root system and the formation of nodules that fix nitrogen from the soil. If weather conditions permit, it is convenient to place the seedlings on a glazed balcony. In addition, it can be placed on a windowsill in a cool room (in this case, at least at night, you will need to provide an influx of cold air). To stimulate plant growth, it is recommended to fertilize the seedlings a couple of times in succession. In a few weeks, the roots of the sweet peas will tightly entwine the earthen ball in the cups. After the first two leaves are formed, the growing point is pinched (the top is removed), then the same must be done with the side shoots and fertilizing is applied. Thus, the peas will begin to bush, increasing the root mass.

To plant in a permanent place of growth in open ground, it is necessary to carefully remove the earthen ball with seedlings from the pot so as not to destroy the root system of the seedling. It is convenient to do this by first cutting and removing the plastic cup.

Caring for sweet peas

During the first two to three days of being in open ground, it is advisable to shade the seedlings. As a rule, at first the planted plants freeze for several days and then begin to grow. Within a week, sweet peas can grow new ones, which are already much more powerful compared to the previously developed side shoots.

After planting in open ground, this plant requires routine care in the form of periodic weeding, loosening and not very frequent, but abundant watering. In addition, you will need to provide support for developing climbing plants - a mesh or stretched twine is suitable for these purposes. As the sweet pea shoots grow, they must be oriented in the desired direction and tied in this position. To stimulate the development of adventitious shoots of the root system, you will need to hill up the plant and apply fertilizing. To do this, the nutrient substrate must be added to the root system of young shoots.

There is also an important nuance that should be taken into account when growing sweet peas. To prolong the flowering of plants, it is necessary to cut off the emerging ovaries of the pods (faded flower stalks), since otherwise it may stop within a month. To obtain seeds, it is enough to leave a few pods on each plant.

Due to excessive soil and air moisture, this plant can be affected by various diseases - for example, powdery mildew, as well as root rot. In addition, pests in the form of snails and slugs may appear.

With careful care in compliance with the above recommendations for growing sweet peas, this plant can please gardeners with its flowering throughout the warm season - right up to the beginning of autumn frosts.

Sweet pea - photo

Growing sweet peas - video

Sweet pea is a plant belonging to the Chin genus of the Legume family. It can be annual or perennial. It is unpretentious in planting and care. Perennial varieties of china have a weak, pleasant odor and can grow in one place for up to 10 years. Sweet peas have angular stems and pink or purple flowers that are collected in inflorescences.

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Description

The sweet pea flower has a highly branched root system that can penetrate the soil to a depth of 1.5 m. The plant, like most legumes, can enter into symbiosis with nodule bacteria that absorb nitrogen from the air. The stems of peas are climbing and weakly branched, capable of climbing a support with the help of modified leaves - branched tendrils.

The plant begins to bloom in July, and with proper care it lasts until frost. The shape of the flowers resembles exotic colored butterflies. The fruits of peas are small bivalve beans with spherical seeds of greenish, yellow or black-brown color.

Varieties

Varieties of sweet pea flower are:

tall;
medium-sized;
short.

Tall varieties (up to 3 m) include specimens that have large bright peduncles that can reach a length of 30 cm. They are used both for cutting and for vertical gardening. These include:

Alice is a variety with a delicate pink-cream-lilac color of flowers, which are collected in 4-5 pieces on long peduncles;
Selecttsvet – a variety with burgundy-chestnut coloring;
Cremona - corrugated fragrant flowers are cream-colored and are collected in 6-7 pieces on a peduncle.

Medium-sized varieties (up to 1 m):

Lummer is a profusely flowering variety whose flowers are white and pink in color;
850th Anniversary of Moscow is a variety that does not have a mustache, with double pink flowers on a strong peduncle.

Low-growing varieties (up to 60 cm):

Vera - has bright red flowers;
Floriada - distinguished by scarlet inflorescences;
Galina - has lilac-purple flowers.

Echinacea plant - growing from seeds, planting in open ground and caring for the flower

Growing

Like other plants cultivated in front gardens, it is advisable to plant sweet peas as seedlings. Climate plays an important role. If the soil in the region does not freeze, then the seeds can be planted directly into the ground.

Severe frosts can destroy young shoots, so they use the seedling method.

Sowing seeds

Growing a flower from seeds begins with the fact that it is sown as seedlings in mid-March. Since pea seeds germinate very difficult, they are soaked in water for 10–12 hours or kept in a 50-degree solution of the drug Bud. Then they should be germinated in damp sand or gauze for 2–4 days. When the seeds sprout, they need to be planted immediately.

Store-bought soils for roses and Saintpaulias are used as a substrate, or you can make your own soil mixture. To do this, take turf soil, peat and humus in a ratio of 1:2:2. These components must be disinfected with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

Sowing is carried out in moist soil to a depth of 2–3 cm, planting 2–3 seeds in each cup. If a common container is used for seedlings, then the distance between the seeds should be 8 cm. After sowing, the soil is watered, the pot or box is covered with film and placed on a sunny windowsill at a temperature of 18–22 degrees.

Seedling care

When, after a week or two, the seeds begin to actively grow, the film is removed from the container and taken to a room with a temperature of 15–16 degrees. The substrate should always be kept slightly moist, and the seedlings should be provided with good lighting. If it is not possible to grow seedlings on a south window, then artificial lighting is provided for them for 2–3 hours daily, using a fluorescent lamp or phytolamp.

When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, they are pinched. This stimulates the development of side shoots. After the procedure, the seedlings are fed with Kemira solution.

Planting in open ground

Seedlings are planted in open ground in late spring. At this time, the soil is already warming up well and there is no threat of a return of frost. If the seedlings have already formed buds or flowers, then you need to tear them off so that the plant can direct its energy to the formation of the root system. 10 days before planting seedlings, hardening procedures are carried out. To do this, the pot with seedlings is taken out into the open air every day and the duration of stay is gradually increased until the seedlings can stay outside for the whole day.

Sweet peas prefer bright, warm places and moist, drained soil enriched with fertilizers. Before planting, the site is dug up to the depth of a spade with humus, compost, potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Fresh manure should not be used because it promotes Fusarium wilt.

To plant seedlings, make holes at a distance of 20–25 cm from each other and plant 2–3 plants in each. If the variety is tall, then it is necessary to immediately install supports. You need to know that annual sweet peas are disposed of in the fall and it will be possible to plant them again in this area only after 4–5 years.

How to care for peas?

Caring for sweet peas is not a very labor-intensive process. To grow a plant you need:

water;
weed;
fertilize;
protect from diseases and pests.

The plant needs to be watered regularly and with enough water, otherwise, due to lack of moisture, its buds and flowers will fall off, and flowering will not last long. In dry summers, it is recommended to water sweet peas every day, using 30–35 liters of water per m2 of planting. To prolong flowering, you need to get rid of wilted flowers in time.

Tall varieties are tied to supports using mesh or twine. As the plant grows, its stems should be directed in the desired direction, after which they are tied up.

Feeding sweet peas is not necessary, but it is advisable. At the very beginning of growth, 1 tbsp is used as fertilizer. l. urea and 1 tbsp. l. nitrophosphates, which are mixed in 10 liters of water. At the beginning of flowering, peas are fed with a solution of Agricola and potassium sulfate, for the preparation of which a tablespoon of these components is mixed in 10 liters of water. At the height of flowering, the plant is fertilized with Agricola and Rossa, dissolving one tablespoon of fertilizer in a bucket of water.

Diseases and pests

Sweet peas can be affected by pests and fungal diseases. Of the pests, the most dangerous are the root weevil and various types of aphids. At the beginning of the growing season, the weevil gnaws out semicircles along the edges of the leaves, and its larvae feed on the roots of the plant. As preventive measures against the pest when planting seedlings, it is necessary to pour 100 ml of a 0.1% chlorophos solution into each hole. The plants themselves are sprayed with the same solution.

Sweet peas are most often affected by pea, chin and bean aphids. These small pests are capable of sucking sap from plants, deforming their organs and infecting them with viral diseases. To destroy aphids, peas should be treated 2-3 times with Tsiram and Zineb during the growing season.

Among the diseases that affect the plant are:

ascochyta;
viral mosaic;
root rot;
fusarium;
peronosporosis;
powdery mildew.

With ascochyta blight, brown spots with clear boundaries appear on the stems, beans and leaves of peas. To cure the plant, it is treated with a solution of the drug Rogor.

Downy mildew and powdery mildew appear as a loose whitish coating on the stems and leaves of plants. Gradually they begin to turn yellow, turn brown and fall off. To destroy pathogens, use a 5% solution of colloidal sulfur, which is used to wash the leaves.

Signs of fusarium are yellowing and wilting leaves of sweet peas. The affected plant cannot be treated, so it is destroyed, and healthy bushes are treated with a solution of the drug Tilt. For prevention purposes, crop rotation should be observed on the site.

Root rot and black leg of peas cause the roots and root collar to darken, resulting in the death of the plant. Infected plants cannot be saved, so they are destroyed, and healthy ones are transplanted to another place, having previously disinfected the soil and roots.

If peas are infected with viral mosaic, it appears as a line pattern on the leaves, and the tops of infected plants curl and become deformed. All plants that have contracted viral diseases should be removed and burned, because they cannot be cured.

Plant in landscape design

Sweet pea is a climbing plant with many tendrils. It blooms for a long time and has a pleasant aroma. Due to this, it is widely used in landscape design of plots and gardens.

Tall climbing varieties are used to decorate fences, verandas, and arches. With the help of artificial plantings and pea supports, you can well camouflage the most unsightly areas of the garden. It also looks good in the background of a flower garden.

Low varieties are grown in balcony boxes, on the edge of a border or flower bed. Peas can go well with other annuals and do well alongside perennials. It makes a tangible contribution to the ecology of the garden, enriching the soil with nitrogen and providing nectar to beneficial insects.

Description of the sweet pea plant, how to plant and care for a personal plot, recommendations for propagation, tips for controlling diseases and pests, interesting notes, varieties.

Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) has another name - sweet pea. According to the classification, the plant is assigned to the genus Lathyrus, included in the legume family (Fabaceae), often called Moth. The native habitat of natural growth is in the eastern regions of the Mediterranean, namely the lands of Sicily and further east to the island of Crete. Today there are more than a thousand varieties of this representative of the flora.

Family name	Legumes
Life cycle	Perennial or annual
Features of growth	grassy
Reproduction	Seminal
Open ground planting period	Seedlings are planted in the last days of May (early June)
Disembarkation scheme	When planting, keep 25–30 cm between plants
Substrate	Light, nutritious
Soil acidity, pH	Neutral or slightly alkaline - 7–7.5
Illumination	Well-lit flowerbed
Humidity indicators	Watering abundantly and regularly, drying the soil is unacceptable
Special requirements	Unpretentious
Plant height	0.5–2 m
Color of flowers	Lilac
Type of flowers, inflorescences	Racemose
Flowering time	All summer months
Decorative time	Spring-summer
Place of application	Vertical gardening, decorating columns of gazebos or walls
USDA zone	4–9

According to one version, the word Lathyrus in the name of this plant was first used by Theophrastus. The dates of life of this prominent figure fall around 370 BC. e. and between 288 BC e. and 285 BC e. The term itself is made up of the Greek words “la” and “thoures”, which translate as “very” and “attractive”, respectively. The second part of the name in Latin “odoratus”, meaning “fragrant”, was given to the plant almost three centuries ago thanks to the Sicilian monk Francisco Cupani, as while walking near the walls of the monastery he was attracted by the inimitable and delicate aroma of flowers. The Sicilian was so impressed by the plant that in 1699, after collecting sweet pea seeds, he sent the material to Robert Uvedle, a school teacher in the English county of Middlesex.

All varieties of sweet peas are perennials (although in our latitudes they are used as an annual crop) with climbing stems that can vary in height from half a meter to two meters (if any support is available nearby). The root system is rod-shaped and extends quite deep into the soil (sometimes up to 1.5 m), with strong branching present. The stems are winged and not well branched.

On the shoots, leaf plates of a paired pinnate shape, consisting of 4–6 leaf lobes, unfold. The leaves usually end in a tendril (modified leaves), which serves to secure the shoot to nearby plants or other supports.

During flowering, which begins in June and extends throughout the summer months, a racemose inflorescence is formed, composed of a small number of buds. The inflorescence originates from the leaf axil. The flowers have irregular shapes of the quintuple type and resemble a moth in appearance. This structure is justified by the second name of the family - Moths. The corolla in a flower is formed from the largest petal, which has the shape of a “sail” with a wide oval outline. The petals located on the sides of the corolla resemble “oars”, and the lower pair are fused in such a way that they resemble a “boat”. The color of the petals is lilac, the width reaches 2–3 cm in wild plants, but cultivated garden forms are very diverse in color and size. When flowering, a pleasant aroma hovers around sweet pea plantings.

After pollination, the fragrant rank produces a bean-shaped fruit. When it reaches full ripening, it opens with a pair of valves. Inside there are spherical seeds measuring 0.4–0.5 mm. There are 5–8 of them in a bean. Occasionally there is compression on both sides. On the surface you can feel a slight roughness, devoid of a pattern. Seeds can be colored from pale yellow or light greenish to black-brown. The germination of Lathyrus odoratus seeds remains excellent for 6–8 years.

Planting and caring for sweet peas in the garden

Place for planting fragrant chin.Since the plant comes from the Mediterranean, it is recommended to choose a flower bed that is well lit by the sun, but at the same time protected from drafts and cold winds. However, if cultivation is carried out in a very hot and dry area, the flowers will gradually begin to shrink. There is an interesting feature, although sweet peas do not need pollination by insects, since pollen is independently transferred from the anthers to the stigma of the flower (self-pollination), in hot climates the pea develops the property of cross-pollination, when pollen from one flower is transferred to the stigma of another.
Soil for sweet peasmust have good air and moisture permeability. Acidity values are preferable within the pH range of 7.0–7.5 (neutral or slightly alkaline soil). In this case, it will do well in a moist and nutrient-rich substrate.
Planting sweet peasin open ground is carried out in mid-late May (possibly in the first days of June) - this will guarantee that the soil is already sufficiently warmed up and morning frosts will not return. If it is clear that buds or even blossoming flowers have begun to form on young seedlings, then they must be removed so that the plant can direct its energies to rooting and adaptation. Before planting seedlings in a flowerbed, preliminary hardening in the open air is required for at least 14 days. It is recommended to prepare the soil before planting. To do this, dig the intended area to a depth equal to the bayonet of a shovel. Then organic fertilizers are added to the soil, which can be humus or compost. Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are added to the soil mixture. Fresh manure should absolutely not be used when caring for sweet peas. This remedy can cause Fusarium wilt of the plant. Nitrogen preparations are not used for treatment. When planting, holes are prepared for seedlings, placing them at a distance of 25–30 cm from each other. It is recommended to place 2-3 young plants in one hole. If you are planting a tall variety of sweet peas, you should immediately provide a support along which the shoots will shoot upward. So a wooden or metal peg is stuck into the prepared hole. Some gardeners use netting or twine. Over time, you need to independently bend the grown shoots in the right direction, and when they adapt a little, tie them up.
Watering.The plant is considered unpretentious, but if, when caring for sweet peas, regular and sufficient watering is not carried out, this will lead to the shedding of buds and already open flowers. This will also affect the duration of flowering - it will be greatly reduced. If the summer weather is hot and precipitation is minimal, then weekly watering is recommended, and they try to get up to 3–3.5 liters of water per 1 m2. It should be noted that excessive humidity may also cause buds and flowers to fall off.
Fertilizers.Although this factor can be ignored when caring for sweet peas, experienced flower growers recommend using fertilizing. At the very beginning of the growing season, seedlings need to be fertilized with a nutrient composition. It is obtained by diluting 1 tbsp in a 10 liter bucket of water. l. urea with nitrophoska. During the period of formation and opening of buds, it is necessary to use a solution based on 1 tbsp. l. Agricola and the same amount of potassium sulfate, which are dissolved in a bucket of water. When the flowering period is in its peak phase, it is recommended to feed the fragrant china with Rossa and Agricola preparations intended for flowering plants. These fertilizers are taken 1 large spoon and diluted in 10 liters of water.
General care tips.Since Lathyrus odoratus is usually cultivated as an annual plant in central Russia, it is recommended to destroy all remnants of the plantings with the arrival of autumn days. In this place, planting sweet peas will be possible only after 4–5 years. In order to stimulate the growth of adventitious root shoots, the bushes are hilled to a height of 5–7 cm, and you will also need to use a more nutritious soil mixture. Trimmings are not used when caring for sweet peas. To increase the duration of flowering, it is necessary to immediately pick off those flowers that have begun to fade. If you need to obtain seed material for subsequent planting of fragrant china, then a couple of the most developed bushes are selected, on which the flowers are not touched until the fruits ripen.

To grow new bushes with climbing shoots, the seed propagation method is used. Seed material can be immediately placed in open ground or seedlings can be grown from it.

Attention! Although seeds usually germinate in about 2 weeks, some of the crops may not germinate for a long time, although the seeds used were completely healthy in appearance. This type of seed is called “glass” because it can take up to a month to germinate. To speed up the germination process, it is recommended to carefully pierce the shell of each seed with a needle. But here it is important not to damage the embryo, but only to disrupt the integrity of the upper peel.

If you have no experience in this matter, then another method is to soak the seeds in warm water before planting so that they swell, or wrap them in damp gauze and keep them in this state for several days.

Attention! If you soak the seeds of varieties of sweet peas with snow-white or cream-colored flowers, their germination rate sharply decreases. It is recommended to sow them dry.

When sowing fragrant seeds in open ground, select the time when the weather is warm and the threat of night and morning frosts has passed. Although young emerging seedlings can withstand temperatures as low as -5 degrees, the sowing period usually begins in mid-May. When sowing, beds are formed, which are located at a distance of 15 cm from each other. If holes are dug, then 2-3 seeds are placed in them, the distance between them is kept about 30 cm so that future shoots have more space to grow. Such plants planted in open ground (especially if imported varieties with a growing season in the range of 50–80 days) will begin to bloom at the end of July or in the first week of August.

When growing sweet pea seedlings, seed material should be soaked at the end of March. Seeds are placed in a shallow container, a little water is poured in so that it covers their surface, and the container is covered with gauze on top. The container with the seeds is placed in a warm place for several days. Every day, from the total number of soaked seeds, you need to select those that have already hatched, then they are sown in pots with a peat-sand mixture with the addition of compost (all parts of the components must correspond to a 2: 1: 2 ratio). The substrate can be made independently or purchased at a special store. The rest of the material from the container must be washed and left so that the seeds begin to hatch. After a week or two, all the seeds will be planted in their own pots. Seedlings grown using this method will bloom in mid-June. Seeds that have not swelled during this period should not be sown.

It is categorically not recommended to pick young sweet pea seedlings, as they have a very fragile root system. For each seed, you should immediately use a separate pot made of peat (this will make subsequent planting in open ground easier). The depth of the seed is no more than 3–5 mm. The temperature during germination should be between 18–20 degrees. Until the first shoots hatch, all pots must be covered with plastic wrap or placed under glass. Caring for the crops will consist of airing every day for 10–15 minutes and moistening the top layer when dry.

After a pair of true leaf blades develop on the seedlings of the fragrant china, it is recommended to pinch the growing point to stimulate branching. The side shoots are subjected to the same operation. With the arrival of early to mid-May, you can plant sweet pea seedlings in open ground, but it is important to be careful not to destroy the earthen ball or injure the root system.

Important!!! A week before the seedlings are planted, they begin to harden them by placing containers with plants in the open air in the shade. At first, the residence time will be 10–15 minutes, but this will be increased daily until it becomes 24 hours a day.

If pots made of plastic rather than peat were used, they should be cut lengthwise in several places, and then carefully transfer the earthen lump into the prepared hole. The seedlings are sprinkled with soil on top and watered. It is necessary to provide shading for several days to allow the adaptation period to pass.

Tips for controlling diseases and pests when growing sweet peas

If the rules for growing fragrant china are violated, the plant may suffer from the following diseases:

Ascochyta blight, characterized by the formation of brownish spots on the foliage, fruits and stems that have clear boundaries. For control, treatment with Rogor is used 2–3 times, with breaks of 14–20 days.
Powdery mildew and downy mildew (downy mildew),which may appear in mid-summer. In this case, a loose whitish layer forms on the leaves and shoots. After some time, the foliage takes on a yellow tint, turns brown and flies off. To destroy the pathogen (fungal spores), a 5% solution of colloidal sulfur is used. Leaf plates are washed with this product.
Fusariumon sweet peas it appears as yellowing and wilting foliage. Chin bushes cannot be cured; they are removed, and healthy ones are recommended to be treated with TMDT (fungicide). To prevent damage to all pea plantings, it is recommended to alternate different crops in the flowerbed.
Blackleg and root rot,affecting sweet peas, manifests itself by darkening of the root collar and roots, which causes the plant to die. There are no methods of control; infected bushes of fragrant china are destroyed. Healthy plants should be replanted immediately, but before doing this, disinfect the root system and soil.
Viral mosaicis clearly visible on the leaves of the bushes due to the appearance of a pattern of streaks on them; the tops of the stems begin to curl and take on an unnatural shape. There is no treatment, and the affected bushes need to be immediately dug up and burned.

Harmful insects that attack sweet peas are root weevils and aphids (various types). The first harmful insect can be destroyed by pouring 100 ml of Chlorophos in 0.1% into the hole when planting. The bushes are sprayed with the same product. Aphids infesting plantings of moths can usually be bean, chin or pea. To prevent the appearance of these insects, it is recommended to spray the bushes 2-3 times during the growing season with Tsineb or Tsiram. Repeated treatment should be performed after 14–20 days.

In the course of medical research, it was found that sweet pea seeds contain b-aminopropionitrile, a substance that prevents the cross-linking of fibrillar protein (collagen). At the same time, lysyl oxidase, which contributes to skin sagging, is inhibited. Recent experiments have been aimed at obtaining this drug in order to use it for medicinal purposes. It helps strengthen skin elasticity after skin grafting operations.

Types and varieties of sweet peas

All varieties of fragrant china are usually divided into 10 groups planted in the garden, among which the most popular are distinguished:

Duplex (Duplex),characterized by strong shoots and flowers with a double upper leaf (sail). The inflorescence has 4–5 buds. The best varieties are considered to beCream. The height of its stems is 0.9 m, the diameter of the flowers is 4.5 cm, there is a strong aroma, the color of the petals is light cream. The sail can be folded or doubled. The inflorescences are crowned with straight flowering stems reaching a height of 20 cm; they consist of 3–4 buds.

Galaxy- a group bred in the middle of the 20th century, a late-flowering species, with stems reaching a height of more than 2 m. The inflorescences are compact, varying in length from 30–50 cm. The petals in flowers have a corrugated surface, often double. The inflorescence is formed from 5–8 buds; when opened, the diameter of the flower is 5 cm. Known varieties:

Neptune- branched stems, reaching 1.5 m in height, simple flowering stems stretch to a height of 20 cm. They are crowned with inflorescences consisting of 5–7 flowers with blue petals. When opened, the diameter of the flower is about 5 cm. Often in flowers the base of the petals is whitish.
Milky Way.The stems of the plant are branched, their height measures 1.45 m. The flowers have a strong aroma, their petals are soft cream, the diameter of the flower reaches 5 cm, the sail is double. Each inflorescence has 5–6 buds.

Bijou.A group launched in America in 1963. The varieties included in it have a semi-dwarf stem height not exceeding 45 cm. The length of strong inflorescences reaches 30 cm. The flowers have corrugated petals, the diameter when fully opened is 4 cm.

Sweet pea is a beautiful flower belonging to herbaceous plants of the Legume family. It is capable of growing up to 2 meters in height, provided there is good support. Sweet peas have been actively cultivated since the 17th century, and they still attract people with their bright colors, pleasant aroma and long flowering time. The first flowers appear in June, and the plant blooms almost until late autumn, depending on climatic conditions. The flower has a wide variety of shades.

Sweet peas, growing from seeds. When to plant, photo

The topic of this article is sweet peas, growing from seeds. When to plant, photos and recommendations from experts will help you decorate your territory with an unusual, vibrant plant.

How to grow sweet peas from seeds?

Sweet peas are widely used in landscape design: they decorate gazebos, fences, and arches. The flower is grown as an annual and perennial plant. It can be planted as seeds in open ground or as seedlings. If you plant sweet peas as seedlings, flowering will occur faster. Seeds are planted in May.

Sweet Pea Seeds

Before sowing it is necessary:

Soak the seeds for at least two hours in a hot aqueous solution (+50 degrees) of the drug “Bud”, prepared at the rate of no more than two grams per liter of water. This promotes better germination, since the seeds have a fairly dense shell. But sweet pea seeds, which have a creamy tint, should not be soaked; they are planted dry.
Choose high-quality planting material. The seeds that float to the surface are removed, as they are not suitable for planting. Those that have sunk are taken out and placed on a damp cloth, which is placed on damp sand. It is necessary to ensure that the sand does not dry out.
Disinfect the soil. To disinfect the soil, it is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. Sprouted seeds are planted in individual containers to a depth of 3 centimeters.

After two weeks, the first shoots will appear. After three true leaves have grown, the tops of the plants are pinched, which will promote active growth of side shoots. In the second half of May, when the plants grow to 10 centimeters, they are planted in open ground, leaving a distance of at least 20 centimeters between them. The depth of planting depends on the development of the root system. When transplanting seedlings, you need to remove them from the container along with a lump of earth so as not to damage the roots.

Caring for sweet peas

Plants need to be tied up when they are still very small, and support should be provided for them. You can use a net or a stretched rope as a support. In order for flowering to occur simultaneously, the plants are fed with mineral fertilizers. Also, in order for the flowers to be lush and delight them with their bloom for a long time, faded buds and pod ovaries should be removed. As they grow, you need to tie the shoots in the required direction.

IMPORTANT! As care, you should ensure regular weeding of plants, loosening as necessary and abundant watering. In order for sweet peas to delight owners with beautiful flowers and lush blooms, the climatic features of your region should also be taken into account. So, in warm areas, the plant can be planted directly from seeds in open ground. In areas with colder climates, it is recommended to use seedling growing methods.

So, the topic is sweet peas, growing from seeds, when to plant, photo will definitely help you get a beautiful flower bed of unusual flowers.

See also video:

My task for the spring was to plant a climbing plant that would completely decorate the inconspicuous building. After some hesitation, the choice fell on sweet peas. Despite all the fears, the seeds quickly sprouted, and I managed to plant young plants on my site.

Caring for and growing this plant is not too easy, but I wouldn’t call it difficult either. The main condition remains attention to the flower and proper care, in accordance with all the rules.

This climbing flower will quickly entwine any support it comes across, forming a weightless carpet, the aroma of which will spread throughout the entire territory of the site. The variety of shades of inflorescences gives a wide choice for creating a beautiful flower garden.

Sweet peas gained their popularity thanks to their delicate, one might even say fragile, flowers and beautiful weaving. In many private houses you can find this particular plant in gazebos, and it is not surprising, because the vine has a number of advantages.

This plant is so unpretentious that it can be grown on the balcony, and the flower will even trail along the loggia. If you maintain normal watering, a decent plant can grow in ordinary boxes with soil. If we talk about the positive qualities of sweet peas, it is worth noting the following:

Excellent decorative properties, the liana can create an amazing screen on your site and turn a nondescript wall into a magnificent facade;
With the help of a vine you can make a good shadow in the desired place on your site;
If you have chosen a low-growing variety of sweet peas, then you can plant it in a flowerbed without resorting to support;
This plant has a faster growth rate compared to other types of climbing plants and vines;
You can admire the flowering for a long period;
Growing is possible not only in the garden, but also on the balcony;
After cutting, the plant is stored for a long time; bouquets last in vases for quite a long time.

Growing conditions

This crop tolerates almost all climatic zones, so it is grown in all corners of our country. Choose a site for planting sweet peas with good lighting; it’s okay if there is partial shade, the main thing is that the winds do not damage the delicate flowers.

The soil is well suited if it is moist, easily permeable and light. The plant will not tolerate heavy clay soils, as well as close groundwater and strong accumulation of moisture. When the temperature fluctuates sharply, sweet peas usually drop all their foliage, and in some cases die completely.

Before planting, the soil must be prepared. Normal conditions must be maintained for the root system of sweet peas. When digging, add potassium and phosphorus fertilizers and compost to the soil to a depth of 30 cm.

Remember that this crop does not tolerate fertilizers in the form of fresh manure or nitrogen. The soil for the vine must be fertile and have neutral acidity.

You can hear the opinion from gardeners that sweet peas are a capricious plant and growing them is not an easy task. In reality, figuring out planting and growing this plant is not so difficult.

So that growing sweet peas does not bring you great difficulties, you need to take into account some features, namely:

Growing a liana with seedlings is more difficult than simply sowing its seeds in open ground. Do not forget that the seedlings of this plant are very capricious and absolutely cannot tolerate cold. The root system goes deep into the soil, so it is sure to be injured during replanting, and it’s also not easy not to break the thin stems. For these reasons, sweet pea seedlings are planted in the ground along with containers;
Sweet pea seeds have a thick skin, which is why they germinate with difficulty and not at the same time. Experienced gardeners know many tricks to speed up the germination process. Usually the seeds are pre-soaked, scored or rubbed with sandpaper;
Young plants grow tall very quickly, so they need to be tied to a support as early as possible;
The liana needs to be watered regularly and abundantly, since its root system lies deep and absorbs moisture in large volumes.

More details about this plant culture in the video:

Planting sweet peas

Sowing of seeds should be done in March. Don’t forget to prepare the seeds before planting, because they have a hard time germinating. After any of the preparations, the seeds can be placed in damp gauze, sawdust or sand, where they will germinate. In this state, the seeds will stay for about 3 days at a temperature of 20 to 24 degrees Celsius.

When you notice that the seeds have begun to hatch, they must immediately be planted in the ground. It is better to use a ready-made rose soil mixture. Regardless of the choice of soil, any of them must be disinfected with a strong solution of manganese.

A glass or small pots are usually used for sowing seeds. Sowing occurs only in moist soil. Place several seeds in one container to a depth of about 3 cm.

If the seeds are germinated in a common container, then you need to keep 8 cm of free space between them. After planting and watering the seeds, they must be covered with polyethylene or glass. Place the finished pots in a warm, well-lit place.