If you love sweet peas as much as I do, you will probably be sowing your seeds right about now. You may also share in my knowledge that sweet pea seeds can sometimes be difficult to germinate. But my little trick will see each and every one of your seeds sprouting shoots – and fast. All you need is a pair of nail clippers.
Using nail clippers (or sometimes a nail file) to make a nick in each sweet pea seed coat is the key to fast, guaranteed germination. It is quite a mediative exercise once you get the hang of it.
In the most recent episode of Petals & Roots, I show you exactly why and how to nick sweet pea seeds and sow them for a 100% germination success rate.
What You Need for This Sweet Pea Sowing Trick
- To sow sweet peas I like to use either cardboard tubes, or these biodegradable pots from Amazon, which you can plant directly into the soil, so no transplanting even needed
- A trusty pair of nail clippers, such as these ones from Walmart
- If you don't already have your sweet pea seeds, this mix from True Leaf Market is gorgeous
- Seed potting compost
- Plant labels, such as these wooden ones from Amazon, are always essential, to ensure you don't forget what you have planted (and can note the sweet pea variety, too)
- I often empty my seeds into a shallow ceramic dish before nicking them, which you can see in some of the photos below. If I was looking for a new one, I would not hesitate to snap this scalloped ceramic dish up, from Amazon. I also love the rustic rope handles on it.
- A small watering can
Why Nick Sweet Pea Seeds?
Sweet pea seeds are surrounded by a tough seed coat or casing, and this is what can sometimes make germination difficult because it can prevent water getting to the seed inside.
You may have heard that soaking sweet pea seeds is the answer, and this is often helpful in softening the seed coat. But it takes a little while and involves planning ahead, and I prefer a quick and fuss-free solution when it comes to prepping seeds.
By nicking a very tiny section of the seed coat away, this allows water to get directly inside the seed, and immediately sets germination in progress.
It also means that your seeds should all germinate at the same time, so you will get uniform growth as opposed to some seedlings becoming leggy and others very short.
How to Nick Sweet Pea Seeds
There are several ways you can nick sweet pea seeds.
You could use a small knife or an emery board to file away a section of the seed coat. However, when I have tried this I found it very fiddly and time consuming.
The easiest and quickest way I've found to do this successfully is by using a regular pair of nail clippers. Make sure they are clean before you start, and get your seed tray, compost and seeds all ready, so you have an easy, organised production line ready to go.
Place a seed in between your thumb and forefinger, and very carefully press the clippers against the seed coat to take a tiny section away, revealing the yellow seed inside. You will hear it softly crunching as you remove it.
Take your time with this, as you don't want to end up clipping your skin by mistake. You also don't want to press too hard and damage the seed inside.
Once you get the hang of it, however, you can do each one in seconds.
Then you can plant as you go, placing one or two seeds into each plug, pot or root trainer, wherever you are sowing your seeds. Push them down into the seed compost, and lightly cover over.
Keep them in a warm, light place, preferably inside or in a greenhouse until they germinate. If I were to sow only one flower seed in March, it would be sweet peas. And with this technique, I know I'll have uniform germination only a couple of weeks later.
Your Sweet Pea Sowing Kit
There are so many beautiful sweet pea varieties, but when I choose new ones to grow each year I am always buying for a traditional, dreamy scent.
These are my go-to pots for sowing most flower seeds, as they are biodegradable and you can plant them out directly without the need for any transplanting.
A small watering can is essential for seeds, and this one is so delicate it will prevent you over-soaking those smaller seed trays.
Petals & Roots is a weekly video series fronted by me, Rachel Bull, Head of Gardens at Homes & Gardens. Every weekend on social, I share my seasonal gardening and flower arranging expertise and advice.
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