Comments on: Averting A Disaster with Sweet Peas

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 12:29:01 +0000

Help my leaves have turned yellow overnight.. Also one pot has some type of fungus or something that looks like rust at the joints of each vine and the tips have turned brown and brittle in the blink of an eye!! HELP What can I do or buy to fix this sudden onslaught?

By: Anthony Cuthbert

Anthony Cuthbert — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 10:06:57 +0000

Hi Matt
Bud drop is a very common ailment of sweetpeas over here in the UK. This summer has unusually been particularly wet and cold and has given the sweet peas a lot of challenges.

I have not had any virus infection for several years now but the most common one that I have come across has been the yellow leaf one. Leaves start to yellow from the base and then the yellowing gradually creeps up towards the top of the plant. Nothing you can do about it except remove the plant.

I try to keep the aphids off my plants to restrict the danger of them transferring viruses. I blast them off with a sprayer full of rain water.

I am not giving my sweet peas any extra nutrient at the moment but they will be getting comfrey liquid fertiliser later in June and July.

By: hopflower

hopflower — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:09:09 +0000

You are more than welcome.I gave many talks at the nursery for years about how to grow them; not hard- it is a matter of knowing what to expect and what to do at the proper time; understanding their growth patterns,and like anything else, finding where they work in your garden. I have grown them for many more years than I talked on them, as did my grandfather and uncles in England. It is expected that one be to be knowledgeable in the field that one works in. I would hope when I go into a shop that the person waiting on me knows something about what they are selling. No one knows everything.

Since I have relatives in England, I have been countless times to see them. If you are thinking of London, of course the mist rolls off of the river Thames; and it is foggy a lot. The south can be very soft and sunny without being hot. The best times to visit are between May or June to October when it starts getting very cold.

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 06:51:56 +0000

Thanks Hop flower!
I am so happy that these sweet peas might actually survive. I guess this is how we learn, even those of us who think we know all! There is always something new to learn. Thanks for your tips and continued support! Here in New England, we imagine the the UK is always foggy! But I have visited a few times, and I think it was sunny once, and it was in June!

By: hopflower

hopflower — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:52:13 +0000

Bud drop is common during fluctuating temperatures even in non-cordon grown peas, but especially so with them. You just take the stems off and new stems will emerge with the buds staying on when the weather rights itself again. There is nothing else you can do; but early over feeding can contribute to it, as the flowers are under a bit of stress being grown rather unnaturally with the cordon system. But it happens with those naturally-grown as well. Once your weather is steady you will not have problems with bud drop. It is too early to watch for mosaic and other viruses; some of which only occur in bad seed; others not found in seed at all, but with surrounding conditions of soil, other plants being vehicles, and insect vectors. Some of the diseases found in peas are not always around in all places, either. Anthracnose is one of them. It is typically found in hotter and sunnier areas like the southern U.S. where they have some trouble growing peas anyway.

By the way, England has some gorgeous summers; you should experience one. It is too easy to depend upon the stereotypical fog and mist and rain; that is autumn and winter weather. Being a northern country, you will not find Riviera or tropical summer weather. But there are some lovely, gentle sun-filled summer days without being too hot.

Perfect for people and sweet peas!