top of page
Search

Sweet Peas From cuttings

  • Jane Westoby
  • Feb 23
  • 2 min read

Updated: Mar 5

Sweet Peas are mainly grown from seed, however it's also possible to grow them from cuttings. So if you have a favourite variety but not many seeds its a great way to get plants for free and increase your stock.


Sweetpeas from cuttings

This cutting was taken on 2nd Feb from my autumn sowings. They were ready for pinching and instead of chucking the snippings onto the compost I dipped the ends in hormone rooting power and popped them into a pot filled with compost & vermiculite. Around 70% Vermiculite and 30 % compost. They should in theory root in just perlite, however I am a bit lazy when it comes to potting on so I add a little compost just to that the seedlings have some nutrients ready and waiting incase I don't have time to pot them on soon enough.


To take the cuttings:

  1. Snip the tips off your Sweet Pea seedlings when they have around 6 sets of leaves. Leave 2-3 sets of leaves on the plant and snip off the remaining shoot which should also leave you with 2-3 sets of leaves. Your cutting should be around 7cm long

  2. Trim the cutting below a leaf node and remove the lowest pair of leaves

  3. Dip the end into hormone rooting powder

  4. Make a hole around the edge of the pot with a pencil or your finger and insert the cutting, moving the soil back in around the cutting gently. You can repeat this method all the way around the edge of the pot.


Taking sweetpea cuttings


  1. Watered well with CLEAN water. DO NOT use water from a waterbutt and ensure that your watering can is clean as it may have been sitting outside all winter going moulding in the bottom!

  2. Place seeds into a propagator with a heat mat or if you don't have one you can place the pot into a zip lock bag on the windowsill indoors. This is the only time you should EVER keep Sweet Peas indoors.

  3. After around 3 weeks , once they have rooted they will start to show some top growth, they can then be potted on. I pop 3 -4 seedlings together into a small 10 cm pot and then grow these on in the greenhouse where it's much cooler.


I've not noticed any difference in flowering time, hardiness or growth. What a total gamechanger!


For more information on growing Hardy Annuals check out our blog Growing Cool Flowers


Want to learn more then read our blogs






Comments

bottom of page