Kitchen Garden Forum

I don't know if anyone has any thoughts about this.
I'm growing some sweetpeas in a tub, they are up to about five foot tall now, and i would like to keep them about this height.
I was wondering what would happen if i pinched the tops out at this height.
I know when you grow them as cordons, you can undo them off their canes, and start to tain them at the bottom of another further along the row, i can remember havng to do this when i as a boy at the Manor house, and worrying to death case they snapped off.
I have also grown them, and just let them get on with it.
So if anyone has tried stopping them at five foot i would be interested to know how you got on.

I just know someone will have some answers for me, well i hope you do.

OH

Sorry no answer from me, in the past I just let them grow tall, this year they are sulking haven't moved an inch since I planted them out about 3 weeks ago. I was given these once in exchange for some Chrysanths by another plot holder.Hope you get an answer soon.

Bren.

I plant mine agains a metre high chain link fence and just leave them to it , never occurred to me to pinch them out, the annuals are only half way up but the perrenial ones are already a foot higher than the fence, I am mixing up metric and imperial but you get my drift

Dear Bren, and Gilly C, thankyou both for your replies.
I think i will pinch the tops out and see what happens.
What i am hoping for, is that they will put new shoots out lower down the plant so making them more bushy, and to continue flowering.
I just hope they don't shoot just below where i pinch them out, as this will make a tangled mass at the top of the plant.

I will try and remember to let you know what happens.

Sorry OH, I'm not much of an expert on Sweet Peas. whenever I've grown them I've always had a rather poor display and have been frightened to pinch the top shoots out for fear of killing them off altogether. This year I have 3 batches destined to grow up trellis around clematis but they are sulking around 9" inches high and possibly competing for nutrients with the clematis roots. I rather suspect that you might be right about getting surplus bushiness at the top of the plant rather than equally spaced,but could you just pinch out half of them and see what the result is?

Dear Primrose, you must be able to read my mind, this is just what i thought about doing when i was at work this morning, so thankyou.

Maybe it was telepathy.

If you have enough to really experiment why not try pinching some at half the height you want, bit like cutting a new hedge below the final height required.

Dear Geoff, i was really hoping no one would say that. I know you are probably right, but it seems a bit hard.
I suppose at times you have to be cruel to be kind.

I will try it with one stem, and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice.