Sweet pea (rank) is a perennial plant that grows in almost any climatic conditions, is unpretentious in care. During flowering, peas exude a wonderful delicate smell and amaze with a variety of shades. The plant blooms for a long time and pleases with its beauty until late autumn (from June to November).
Sweet peas: planting and care
Arches, fences, gazebos are decorated with sweet peas, to which the plant gives unique beauty and comfort. Moreover, the flower does not require any special conditions for planting and growing.
Sweet peas - cold-resistant plantable to withstand frosts down to -5 ° Celsius.
Although breeders, in addition to perennial peas, have proposed many varieties of annuals, gardeners still prefer the former. This is explained by the following reasons:
- no annual planting and growing of seeds is required;
- the flower will delight the eye for several years without needing a transplant.
The main thing here is to make the correct planting of the plant in the first year.
Types of Sweet Pea Flowers
There are many varieties and types of ranks, the thickets of which adorn the fields of Eurasia, the Mediterranean coast, the mountains of Africa and South America. The most popular are the following varieties of sweet peas:
rank broad-leaved or large-flowered;- fragrant rank;
- rank forest;
- spring companion;
- rank tuberous
- rank of Gmelin.
Growing sweet peas from seeds
The material for growing sweet peas from seeds must be prepared in early spring (March-April). Before sowing, the seeds should be soaked in an aqueous solution of the "Bud" preparation (1-2g / 1l.), While the water must have a temperature of + 50 ° C.
Floating seeds should be removed as they are unsuitable for planting. The rest are placed in a humid environment for germination. For this, a piece of cloth and damp sand are used, which must be constantly kept moist.
For growing seedlings of sweet peas, it is better to purchase store-bought flower soil "Saintpaulia" or "Rose". But you can also use a universal potting mix. To disinfect the soil, it must be pretreated with a manganese solution.
Plant the sprouted seeds in a container or other container. You can use pots, paper or plastic cups, etc.
Specialized stores now offer a wide assortment of pots, containers and flowerpots of various shapes and colors, so you can easily pick up a container for a plant depending on its type and color.
Embedment depth - 2-3 cm... The plant needs to be watered regularly, as well as provide it with sufficient heat and light.
After 10-14 days, the active germination of sweet peas will begin. When the first three true leaves appear, you should pinch the top. This will ensure the active growth of side shoots. To ensure fast germination of seeds at low air temperatures, cover the container with a piece of glass or film. Watering is carried out every 7 days.
Important! Seedlings are planted in the ground when they reach a height of 5-10 cm. In order for sweet peas to take root well, it is recommended to transplant the plant along with an existing earthen clod.Avoid soil oxidation, as this can lead to root rot.
Sweet pea care
Perennial sweet peas, subject to the rules of caring for them in the first year after sowing, will delight you with flowering snow-white, orange and bright crimson inflorescences up to half a meter long.
Watering the plants in dry weather is carried out 1 time in 7 days, but quite intensively. For 1 m2 of plantings, 30-35 liters of water will be required.
For the entire period of growth of a rank in the open field, it is recommended to carry out the following 3 dressings:
- At the beginning of seedling growth. Dilute urea and nitrophosphate (1 tablespoon each) in water (10 liters).
- During the flowering period. The drug "Agricola" and potassium sulfate (1 tablespoon each) for 10 liters of water.
- During the flowering period. "Agricola for flowering plants" and "Ross" (1 tablespoon each) for 10 liters of water. Consumption - 3-4 liters of solution / 1 m2 of area.
During the adaptation period the plant requires regular watering.
Sweet peas, although they can tolerate cold, still need warmth and sunlight. If you enrich the soil with mineral fertilizers before planting seedlings, you will get a friendly appearance of flowers.
As long as the stems are not too long, they must be carefully tied up.
Do curly sweet peas need to be trimmed?
Since the nature of the plant itself is such that it twists by itself, braiding at the same time on garters, pruning is not required at all. You just need to monitor the appearance of the peas and periodically remove dry inflorescences. Thanks to this procedure, new flowers become lush, bright and large. In addition, the timely removal of old inflorescences contributes to a longer flowering (about 6 months).
If the flowers grown by you do not correspond to those painted on the package, do not rush to scold the manufacturer: it is quite possible for them the soil just doesn't fit and they need to be transplanted next year.
At the end of the warm period, the branches of the plant must be cut at the root and covered with sawdust. If the trunk of sweet peas is too thin, potash or phosphorus fertilizers can be applied to the soil. This will help to strengthen it for the next season.
Sweet peas - growing from seeds
Every gardener have their own secrets of growing certain plants, including sweet peas.
Here is some of them:
- the seeds should be soaked and germinated in the spring (April-May);
- seedlings are best grown in a greenhouse, because in room conditions, due to a lack of lighting, the seedlings are stretched and can break during planting in the ground;
- planting peas should be in peat pots. This will save the seedlings from damage to the green mass and root system in the future;
- before planting, the seeds of the rank must be soaked, since their dense shell interferes with germination.
Preliminary preparation of peas obligatory for varieties with brown and brown inflorescences.
The seeds of a rank with a cream or light color are sown in the ground without soaking and preliminary preparation.
- As soon as 2-5 true leaves are formed on the seedlings, they need to arrange a lattice, support or garter, on which the direction of growth is formed. If this is not done in time, the stalks will intertwine and it will be very difficult to separate them;
- sweet peas bloom beautifully and profusely on the sunny side;
- the soil for planting the rank should be neutral, well-drained. Fertilizers need to be applied 2 times a month;
- the formation of dense greenery and new flowers depends on the regularity of watering.
Important. Sudden changes in temperature (day / night), as well as a lack and, conversely, an excess of moisture can cause loss of flowers and buds.
- the soil before planting the plant should not be fertilized with fresh manure;
- peas do not grow on oily soils;
- Planting material is best taken from plants grown in seedlings.
Growing sweet peas, although it requires some maintenance, is well worth it.After all, how nice it is to sit in the evening in the gazebo, inhaling the delicate floral scent, or admire the green hedge with fragrant bright inflorescences. ... ...
Following the simple recommendations and advice of experienced gardeners, you can easily afford it.
Amateur gardener
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