[muddywellies]

Hi everyone! Some of the sweetpeas that I planted last month are getting a bit leggy. Now, I keep hearing about 'pinching out' the tops of them to encourage bushing out. However, being a daft newbie I don't know exactly where it is you decapitate them. A pic of how they look currently should hopefully appear below. I've put 3 little arrows/markers at the points I think may be the right ones. Can anyone tell me which one it is? Top, middle or bottom? Thanks!

[compostqueen]

I wasn't sure so hedged my bets and decapitated them at different joints. the ones done lower down now look fine, in fact they all do. Maybe there's no difference

Not a very scientific answer. Sorry  :oops:

[Trillium]

They get leggy due to being a single stalk. You literally pinch off, with thumb and index finger, about the first inch of the top end. If the stalk is very tall, you can pinch off still more but not more than half the existing size. This encourages side shoots to sprout and give you a fuller plant later. Pinching usually only needs to be done once per plant, but if kept too long in pots, you can pinch all ends a second time.

Smokers should thoroughly wash hands prior to any sort of pinching.

[muddywellies]

Thanks for the advice    I think I'll pinch the really tall ones off halfway and the smaller ones about an inch down then.

[fletch]

Hi Muddywellies. I would also agree with Trillium.
Next year, to avoid them getting so leggy, I wouldn't sow in January. Sow either in October or March.
I have a tray full I sowed last October that grew well and then I pinched them out in mid November. They are all now really good bushy plants. When you sow in January they just dont have enough light, hence that "stick" look with no leaves.  

[muddywellies]

Yes, I was just impatient to get going - hence the January sowing. I'd missed October and couldn't wait for March  :oops:  It was actually in my RHS 'Gardening throughout the year' book to sow in January - I've never seen it mentioned anywhere else though. I'll definitely go for an October sowing this year.

[puravida]

I've a few different Sweet Pea varieties and a couple of them say to plant from jan onwards.

I've chucked some in seed trays today so we'll see.

[Aunt Sally]

sweet peas have very deep roots so I would recommend sowing in deep pots or Richy's newspaper tubes