Finally, there are some pests and disease information you should be aware of when growing sweet peas. First, they attract rabbits and groundhogs, so you might want to spray repellent when planting them. You should also look out for aphids, leaf miners, and thrips.
What do sweet peas attract?
bees
Companions Sweet peas attract bees and butterflies into the garden. Like other pea family members, they fix nitrogen into the soil and so they benefit a wide range of vegetables such as brassicas, leafy greens like silverbeet and spinach and salads.
Are sweet peas susceptible to slugs?
Hostas, delphiniums, dahlias, gerberas, sweet peas and tulips are regularly attacked by slugs, and it can be difficult to grow these plants if you have a big slug problem. In the vegetable garden peas, beans, lettuce, celery and potato tubers are often damaged.
Do slugs and snails eat sweet peas?
Answer: Young sweet peas are indeed a favourite of slugs and snails. The best approach to control them is to use a mixture of techniques. Among these are placing scooped out half orange, grapefruit or melon skins, cut side down onto the soil to attract slugs and snails; check each day and empty them.
What eats sweet pea?
Remember that slugs like to eat sweet peas!
Are sweet peas invasive?
Annual or Perennial
In many areas of North America, the perennial sweet pea (L. latifolius) is an invasive problem, clogging open fields and roadsides. It looks pretty until you realize it’s crowding out other plants and acting like a thug.
How do you protect sweet peas from pests?
Protecting Sweet Peas from Mice
Seriously though the first thing to do to deter the ravenous rodents is put a light sprinkling of chilli powder over the seeds and then the emerging seedlings. This will not harm the mice but should deter them.
How do I stop slugs eating my peas?
1) Crushed eggshells/gravel/woodchip or mulch Molluscs don’t like travelling over rough ground, so if they sense sharp edges, you can use this texture to deter them. 2) Coffee grounds. Slugs don’t like the bitter taste of coffee grounds. Sprinkle coffee grounds on the soil around your plants to deter them.
Which plants do slugs hate?
Are You Being Driven Mad by Slugs and Snails? Here are 7 Plants They Hate
- Ferns. Low maintenance, incredibly hardy and well down the slug and snail menu; ferns make an attractive, hassle-free addition to the garden.
- Hydrangeas.
- Euphorbias.
- Lavender.
- Rosemary.
- Geraniums.
- Japanese Anemone.
Do sweet peas come back every year?
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) only live for a year, dying after setting seed. But don’t let this put you off as they are super easy to grow from seed. Perennial species such as Lathyrus latifolius come back year after year, but mostly lack fragrance and there are fewer to choose from.
Whats eating my sweet pea leaves?
Probably the most common pests that will be eating your sweet peas are slugs and snails. They love sweet peas, particularly when they are young. Look for slime trails and unevenly eaten edges of leaves. These are textbook signs that your sweet pea plants are being eaten by slugs and or snails.
What is killing my sweet peas?
Pests and diseases
About the only pest to attack Sweet Peas is aphids. These appear mainly after a dry spell when plants are under stress. Aphids can be dealt with by spraying with S.B. Plant Invigorator.
Do mice eat sweet pea seedlings?
Mice love sweet pea seeds and your whole crop may disappear in one go so keep them somewhere mouse-free or try soaking the seeds in liquid seaweed fertiliser before sowing to make them unpalatable.
What insects are attracted to sweet peas?
Perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius)
Popular with both bees and butterflies.
Do sweet peas attract aphids?
With respect to sweet peas, the common pea aphid, which is a relatively large creature for an insect and which has yellow, pale green and pink coloration, is one of the species of concern, however, some other aphid species can also bring great trouble to sweet pea plants.
Do mice eat pea plants?
Mice and voles can eat the recently sown seeds of peas, beans and sweet corn and kill seedling plants by grazing on the foliage. In cold weather field mice often enter greenhouses and cold frames, where they can destroy many seedlings overnight. They can also enter sheds and feed on stored fruits, such as apples.
Do I need a trellis for sweet peas?
Because Sweet Peas are vining, they need support to grow up and flower. Many types of structures can work such as a trellis, supports with mesh or twine, or fences. They need a structure that is well anchored in the ground to support the weight of the vines.
How long do sweet peas last?
4 to 5 days
Sweet peas are a short-lived cut flower, lasting at best 4 to 5 days in a vase. Adding sugar or flower preservative to the water makes a big difference and will add a few extra days.
Are sweet peas companion plants?
A good plant partnership is sweet peas with climbing beans. Grow them together on a wigwam of canes or ornamental obelisk, and the sweet peas will provide colour and interest to the structure, along with attracting beneficial insects.
How do you protect sweet pea seeds from mice?
To stop mice eating peas, beans, sweat corn etc when they have been put in the soil to germinate just cover the area with a fine mesh (wire or plastic) making sure it is secured to the ground (I use long, old metal pipes to weigh down the edges or push sufficient soil over the edges of the net to weigh it down, or tent
Do birds eat sweet peas?
Peas, beans and sweetcorn are eaten by jays. Leafy vegetables are attractive to wood pigeons and collared doves, especially in winter when their favourite foods such as clover are unavailable. In fact, growing clover between your winter brassicas may entice birds to eat this, rather than your precious crop.