How To Sow & Re-pot Sweet Peas Using RootMax

Now is the perfect time to sow these beautiful climbing blooms. Sweet peas add fragrance and colour to your garden as they intertwine and continuously grow all summer long! They make the perfect cut flowers, too; last year, I collected over 40 vases throughout the season. Read on to see how to sow and re-pot sweet peas using RootMax.

What Is RootMax?

RootMax is available in powder or liquid form, and it’s 100% organic and plant-friendly so that it can be used on all plants, flowers, and shrubs! Its magic ingredient is mycorrhizal fungi - a root fungus. This is a species of fungi that lives and thrives on the roots of plants. When these fungi begin their growth, they do so by associating themselves with the root systems of plants. These fabulous fungi essentially created a two-way nutrient exchange system, increasing your plant's uptake of water, minerals, and nutrients. So, your sweet peas will be bigger, brighter, and more robust! Buy Here

The Benefits Of Using Rootmax When Sowing
INCREASED ROOT SIZE - Mycorrhizal Fungi in RootMax develops a secondary root system, increasing the roots' size by 3 to 5 times.
STRONGER & HEALTHIER PLANTS - The plant can draw more essential nutrients from the soil with a more robust and extensive root system. As a result, the plant will be far stronger and healthier.
OVERCOME ADVERSE CONDITIONS - The plant grows healthier as the root system is more extensive. The plant can overcome extreme cold or drought conditions.
100% NATURAL & ORGANIC - RootMax contains Mycorrhizal, a 100% natural and organic fungi containing zero synthetic nutrients.
GREATER FLOWERING & YIELD - The plant can draw in more minerals, nutrients, and water with a more extensive root system. As a result, the plant can grow healthier flowers and fruits during its flowering stage.

What You Will Need:

• Compost and RootMax
• Deep pots empty toilet roll tubes work great too
• A water tray
• Lids if growing in the greenhouse
• Sweet pea seeds
• A tall frame for them to climb

Step-By-Step:

1. Start by mixing your compost ready. This is the perfect time to add Root Max or Root Max for flowers!
2. The general guide for adding Root Max to compost is two scoops per 2 Litre container. Mix this in well with your hands and add to your seed tray. 
3. Sweet peas need to be started in deep pots. Sow two or three seeds in each (depending on pot size) empty toilet roll tubes are great.
4. Mice love sweet pea seeds, so be sure to put a lid over your pots if growing in the greenhouse! Sweet peas can be started inside too.
5. You should see germination within a week. From now until April, your sweet peas will grow slowly and be easy to look after.
6. Remove the lid or transfer your precious peas to the greenhouse as soon as you see germination.
7. Water when the compost looks dry and keep an eye on temperatures. They’re hardy down to minus five, any lower than this, and they’ll need to be brought inside.
8. If your sweet peas don’t branch naturally, you will need to ‘pinch them’. To do this, pinch off the top two leaves when you have four or more true leaves, and this will encourage plant hormones called auxins to move and create more branches. Wait until they’re around five or six inches to do this, though.

Click Hereto watch our video on how to sow sweet peas

Repotting and Caring for Sweet Peas

If you sowed your sweet peas in the autumn, they will now be tumbling down your greenhouse shelf and hopefully looking very healthy!

It’s not too late to add RootMax. I like to start my sweet peas in smaller pots then repot them into biodegradable pots so they can be planted straight into the ground when spring comes around.

Click here to see our video tutorial on repotting sweet peas.

1. Gently tease your sweet peas from their original pot.
2. Add some compost to the base of the biodegradable pot, then sprinkle in some Rootmax.
3. Place your sweet peas on top of the rootmax. They should be in a nice compact cube!
4. Add more compost around the top and press down. Return to the water tray and repot the rest of the other sweet peas.
5. Return your tray to the greenhouse.

Once the last frost has passed, usually March or April, you need to harden off your sweet peas. This means gradually getting them used to the outdoor conditions. To do this, put them outside during the day but put them back in the evening, do this for around a week.

Then, you can not plant your sweet peas! You will need a trellis or obelisk as they climb high. This can be easily made from bamboo canes and twine, like shown in the photo. Plant your sweet peas at the base, water regularly and watch them climb!