Sweet peas going brown at the base and have stopped flowering (pics)

[Snooks1971]

Help and advice please! Have grown sweet peas for 20 years without many problems, but this year after happily picking about 5 vases worth they’ve gradually gone brown at the bases and there are no flowers. Maybe one or two with teeny short stems.

Is it too late to resurrect them?

How does the soil feel - are they too dry?

Mine did that last year. Had three different ones planted in different places. And they all did the same. Some were in pots some in ground not full sun and full sun. Didn’t bother with them this year

Mine always do that. I thought it was normal.

Have you fed them? Mine tend to do that towards the end of the summer.

Thanks for the replies - just seen.

@BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn no, not at all, in fact I was worried that we’d overwatered and then recent fast downpours had drowned them possibly.

@Bananas1350 it’s so hit n miss isn’t it 😞

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow do you mean go brown at the bottom or stop producing flowers? The blooms were prolific and have now all but stopped with only one or two with inch long stems.

@Beebumble2 no haven’t fed them yet, they are in fresh compost and in all these years I’ve never fed them at this stage - maybe later in high Summer.

Day off work today and I’ve inspected them closely, there seems to still be healthy growth (but no blooms). I’ve removed all the brown dead stuff.

Keep your green fingers crossed for them.

Have you been picking all the flowers? I find they stop flowering if you let any of them develop into pods.

What compost are you using? People are starting to report issues with some of these new peat-free ones, and plants they've grown for years without problems are not thriving this year.

@BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn yes always pick as they grow. My eldest is 19 in a month and DH brought a posy of them in every day whilst I was in hospital with him when he was born. Grown them every year with very few hiccups.

@massiveclamps hmm not sure but definitely a peat-reduced or -free…we’ve had Gro-More (?) I think, but all the ones that garden centres/B&M/Homebase places sell. Usually a “3 for £x” offer

If they’re in peat free compost I’d feed them.

Sylva-grow is good but all the others I’ve used have been terrible and my plants really struggled.

Feed them

Read the last 2 posts this morning whilst out but couldn’t reply on my phone, no log in.

Texted DH at home and he has now fed them. Thanks!

I have two pots of sweet peas on the go at the moment , very tall deep pots .

One is flowering well ,they started in the little greenhpuse
I love the smell of sweetpeas but not cut any yet to bring inside . The others are still green (planted later straight into pot)

I was told they are greedy thirsty plants so water/feed well and tall pots for long roots .

Last year mine were rubbish , I did consider not planting this year but thought nah, give it a go

Oh, mine have done exactly the same!! I will go and feed them now... (Potters off to garden shed muttering "thank you!")

I plant mine at the end of the raised veg bed. In the spring manure ( from a bag type!) is spread on the bed. Before planting I dig a trench and fill it with home made compost. The sweet peas do well, as they’re treated like the veg peas and beans.