If, like me, you got a head start on your sweet peas and sowed them in fall, now is the time to pinch them out. Pinching out refers to removing the top of the seedlings to encourage bushier growth. The bonus is that you can propagate the tops you removed to double your plants.
It would be a shame to miss this step when growing sweet peas because it's a quick and easy way to encourage stronger plants with more blooms, and it can double your number of sweet pea plants. You can simply use your fingers to pinch out sweet peas, and along with a water propagation station (like this pretty wooden one from Amazon), you can get results in just two weeks.
Delay no longer, however, as there's only a small window to pinch them out successfully. Doing it too late could result in leggy growth and delayed flowering. Here's what you need to know.
How to Pinch Out Sweet Peas
There are two options when it comes to pinching out sweet peas.
If you don't plan to double your blooms and simply want to make your seedlings bushier, wait until they have 2-3 pairs of true leaves (i.e., not the first seed leaves).
Using your fingers (or precise pruning snips, like these from Amazon), pinch off the soft central tip (identifiable as a cluster of immature leaves right at the top of the seedling). This will encourage outward, fuller growth, rather than tall, leggy growth.
If you wish to root the tops you remove, you need to wait for seedlings to have at least 3-4 pairs of true leaves and reach 4-6" in length. When growing sweet peas from seed (you can find Burpee's sweet pea seeds here), this typically takes 3-5 weeks in optimal conditions and gives you enough material to work with for propagating.
This time, remove the top of the seedling just below a leaf node. The cutting should be 2-3" long, and lower leaves should be removed. Make sure to leave at least 2-3 pairs of leaves on the original plant.
This will once again help encourage the original seedling to grow bushier, as well as leave you with cuttings to root.
How to Propagate Seedlings
Don't discard the top sweet pea pieces you pinched off, as you can use them to propagate and double your sweet pea plants.
All you have to do is pop them in water and keep them somewhere bright and warm. If needed, you can use a seedling heat mat (like this one from Walmart).
I personally prefer using a glass vessel to observe root growth. It also makes it easier to avoid water propagation mistakes. This propagation station from Wayfair is a good choice, with multiple beaker-style vessels.
After around two weeks, the cuttings should have substantial roots at least 1" in length. You can then pot them up into their own seedling cells (like this seed tray from Amazon) with well-draining potting mix.
FAQs
How Long Do Sweet Peas Take to Bloom?
Sweet peas are not the fastest-growing flowers. They generally need 10-14 weeks from sowing to flowering, requiring a cool and long growing season. That's why many gardeners choose to start sweet peas early for blooming in spring, rather than summer.
Once your sweet peas start blooming, don't forget to deadhead sweet peas to promote continuous flowering – it's the best way to get more from your plants.
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