How to grow sweet peas? Cultivation and care tips for beautiful flowers
Sweet peas are winter and spring flowers, characterized by their blooming season in winter and spring, bright colors and beautiful flower shapes, and they always attract butterflies when in bloom. They have excellent ornamental value. Below are the cultivation methods for sweet peas, which those who love flowers and plants can refer to.
Temperature
The cultivation temperature for sweet peas should not be too high. Before flowering, the temperature should be controlled at 9 to 13 degrees during the day and 5 to 8 degrees at night. Otherwise, if the temperature is too high, the plant will form buds before fully developing, affecting plant growth. During flowering, raise the room temperature to 15 to 20 degrees and supplement sunlight, which is beneficial for flower formation.
Sowing
For different types of sweet pea varieties sown before November, the peak flowering periods differ considerably. Therefore, for different types of sweet pea varieties sown from mid-to-late November to early December, the peak flowering periods do not differ much, and the peak flowering periods are all from late March to the end of April the following year.
Pot cultivation
For pot cultivation of sweet peas, use a mix of leaf mold, peat, river sand and some organic fertilizer. Before flowering, apply diluted liquid fertilizer once every half month. In the early stage of bud formation, apply potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a top dressing. Water according to the principle of alternating dry and wet.
Pinching the top and keeping the main branches
Select and keep 1-2 main branches per plant. When the seedling height is 15 cm and the main vine has 6 nodes, pinch the top of the main vine. When pinching, keep only 2 strong side branches; all other side branches need to be removed, otherwise too many branches will result in small flowers and dispersed nutrient supply to the plant.
Flowering period management
During the flowering period, promptly remove faded flowers, which can extend the flowering period. After flowering, the plant produces fruit. The pod ripening periods differ among different parts, so they need to be harvested as they ripen.
Indoor care
For indoor pot cultivation, place in a sunny position. Be sure to ventilate the room to prevent leggy growth or bud drop. For climbing varieties, set up supports for shaping when planting. Plants that bloom from December to February to March of the following year can be maintained in a moderately warm greenhouse, which helps flower growth.
Sweet peas are very beautiful winter flowers that can bloom in both winter and spring, and have excellent planting significance. The above are detailed cultivation and care tips that you can refer to.
What are the cultivation techniques and propagation methods for sweet peas? How to care for and manage them after planting?
Sweet peas can be said to be plantable in all four seasons. Their flowering periods fall into three stages: spring-flowering, summer-flowering, and winter-flowering types. To grow them, you need to understand their growth habits. Today we will take you through how to grow them, how they are propagated by sowing, and what care is needed after planting.
Sweet pea cultivation techniques:
The growth temperature is 5 to 20°C. If the temperature exceeds 20°C, growth vigor declines and flower stalks become shorter. Continuous temperatures above 30°C will cause death. It has low requirements for soil, but grows best in well-drained, deep, fertile, neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Sweet peas have rich, brilliant colors, beautiful flower shapes, and many petal types, including double, semi-double, single, wavy-petaled, crinkled-petaled, and flat-petaled. The flowering period is from March to June. The fruit ripens from July to August. Cultivated varieties include spring-flowering, summer-flowering, and early-flowering types. They can be used for trellis greening, windowsill and eave greening, and can also be potted for cut flowers. In addition, they are highly resistant to the harmful gas hydrogen oxide. However, they are extremely poor in resistance to sulfur dioxide, so they can be used as a monitoring plant for that gas. Sweet peas prefer a climate with warm winters and summers without extreme heat, and are suitable for biennial flower cultivation. In the south, they can overwinter outdoors and can tolerate low temperatures of -5°C. In the north, they need to be brought indoors to overwinter, and grow poorly below 5°C. The optimal germination temperature is 20°C, and the optimal growth temperature is around 15°C. They complete the fruiting stage and die before midsummer arrives. They prefer abundant sunlight and can also tolerate semi-shade. Excessive shading causes poor plant growth. In areas with many cloudy and rainy days during the growing season, the ornamental effect is poor. They require good ventilation; poor ventilation makes them prone to pests and diseases. They are deep-rooted flowers that require loose, fertile, moist and well-drained sandy loam soil. They grow poorly in dry, barren soil and do not tolerate waterlogging.
Sweet pea sowing and propagation:
Sweet peas are propagated by sowing, which can be done in spring or autumn. In North China, autumn sowing is mostly done from August to September. The seeds have hard coats. Before sowing, soak the seeds in 40°C warm water for a day and night for uniform germination, then transplant into a greenhouse. Alternatively, sow directly into pots in the greenhouse from September to October. Pot diameter 10 to 13 cm, sow 3 to 5 seeds per spot. After emergence, thin the seedlings and keep one strong seedling. Sweet peas do not tolerate transplanting, so direct sowing for seedling cultivation or pot sowing for seedling cultivation is mostly used. When seedlings have grown, remove from the pot and transplant to avoid root damage. The optimal germination temperature is around 20°C.
Sweet pea seed germination:
Seed germination: Sweet peas are mainly propagated by sowing, and germination is the first step in cultivation. In the initial trials, ordinary 5°C-10°C low-temperature induction treatment and 20°C constant-temperature methods were used for germination, but the seeds germinated with difficulty. To solve the problem of difficult seed germination, chemical agent treatments and germination trials at different temperatures were conducted. The results showed that after treating seeds with sulfuric acid, germinating in a constant-temperature chamber at 15°C-25°C gave the best germination results. Low-temperature treatment through germination followed by low-temperature vernalization treatment can achieve the goal of early flowering. Sweet peas are biennial overwintering plants. During their growth period, they must go through a period of low temperature, and then bloom in the spring of the following year. Low-temperature treatment at the seedling stage can allow the plant to pass through vernalization early, enabling smooth flower bud differentiation and early flowering. The effect of low-temperature treatment varies depending on the variety and the number of treatment days.
Sweet pea cultivation and care:
For sweet pea potting soil, use a mix of leaf mold, peat, river sand and some organic fertilizer. Before flowering, apply diluted liquid fertilizer once every 10 days. In the early stage of bud formation, apply potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a top dressing. Water according to the principle of alternating dry and wet. The cultivation temperature should not be too high. Before flowering, daytime temperature of 9 to 13°C and nighttime temperature of 5 to 8°C is suitable. If the temperature is too high, the plant will form buds before fully developing, affecting plant growth. During flowering, raise the room temperature to 15 to 20°C, which is beneficial for flower formation. For greenhouse or home maintenance, place the potted flowers in front of a window to receive light. Pay attention to ventilation to prevent leggy growth or bud drop.
The above is what we have learned together today about the methods of growing sweet peas and their care. Fellow flower lovers, do you have a certain understanding after reading this article? We hope this article will be helpful to you. To learn more about herbaceous flowers and related knowledge, please continue to follow our Succulent Garden, and we will provide you with more related knowledge!
Cultivation and care of passionflower
Passionflower, also called passion fruit, is a perennial evergreen herbaceous vine of the genus Passiflora in the family Passifloraceae. Tendrils are axillary. Leaves are alternate, 3-parted deeply, with a wedge-shaped or heart-shaped base and serrate margins. The cyme is reduced to a single flower, flower diameter 7 cm, with 5 sepals, green on the back and white on the inner surface, 5 petals, white tinged with purple, and a corona composed of many twisted filamentous structures, alternating purple-red and white. The fruit is ovoid and yellow when ripe.
Commonly cultivated varieties include:
"Incense", flower diameter 12 cm, purple-red with a yellow center, with the fragrance of sweet pea, fruit eggplant-shaped, sweet with a slight sour taste;
"Adularia", vine length 5 m, flowers small, pink to apricot-yellow.
Species in the same genus include:
"Winged passionflower", vine length 4 to 5 m, flower diameter 10 cm, flowers deep red, corona alternating purple and white, fruit edible;
"Red banana passionflower", vine length 5 m, flower diameter 12 cm, deep pink, fruit shaped like a banana;
"Blue passionflower", vine length 9 m, flower diameter 10 cm, flowers white, corona blue, fruit relatively small, orange;
"Purple passionflower", vine length 7 to 8 m, leaves 5 to 7-lobed, flowers white, flower diameter 7.5 cm, flower center purple-red, fruit deep purple;
"Hairy passionflower", leaves 3-lobed, with white hairs, flowers purple-red, fruit yellow, hairy;
"Giant granadilla", vine length 15 m, leaves entire, flower diameter 12 cm, flowers blue-purple, fragrant, fruit yellow, fruit as large as a melon, weighing 3000 grams.
Passionflower is native to the southeastern United States, and is cultivated in all southern provinces of China. It prefers a warm, humid environment with abundant sunlight. It is not cold-tolerant, but the American hybrid variety "Incense" can tolerate low temperatures of -30°C in winter. It dislikes waterlogging. In winter, in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas of China, the aboveground parts will wither and sprout again the following spring. It prefers loose, fertile and well-drained sandy loam soil.
Propagation is commonly done by sowing and cuttings. Sowing can be done in spring or autumn. Before sowing, the seeds need low-temperature (0°C) pretreatment for 3 months. The optimal germination temperature is around 20°C. Germination occurs 30 to 180 days after sowing, and seedling emergence is uneven. Cuttings are best taken in May. Cut 10 to 12 cm tender shoots; the cuttings should have a heel. Insert into a sand bed, with the bed temperature controlled at 18 to 20°C. Roots can form in 25 to 30 days.
In tropical and subtropical regions, it can be planted in the ground, and a well-drained, sunny location should be chosen. In the north, it can be cultivated in summer or grown in pots. Apply sufficient base fertilizer before planting. The vines grow rapidly. When the vine reaches 20 cm, a trellis needs to be set up and the vines tied onto it. Properly thin out weak side branches to help the main vine become thick and strong. During the growing period, apply fertilizer once every half month, and apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer 1 to 2 additional times during the flowering and fruiting period. In winter, the stems and vines gradually wither; cut off dead branches and earth up for overwintering. In cold regions, it can only be potted in a greenhouse, and the winter room temperature needs to be kept above 10°C. Sometimes powdery mildew and aphids occur. Powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying 65% zineb wettable powder at 500 times dilution. Aphids can be killed by spraying 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500 times dilution.
Passionflower has slender stems and vines, peculiar flower shapes, rich colors, and abundant fruit. It is both ornamental for flowers and fruit, and the fruit is sweet and delicious. In tropical and subtropical regions, it is widely planted in small courtyards, letting it twine freely onto flower walls or flower hedges, creating a landscape full of wild charm. Passionflower is both ornamental and edible, making it a wonderful flower that serves two purposes at once.