Can You Grow Sweet Peas Cordon-Style to Get More Blooms?

Improving Bloom Quality

• The cordon system helps sweet peas develop better-quality blooms and is a method often used by growers who want to exhibit their flowers. It should not be relied on by growers who simply want to increase the number of blooms. The method leads to healthier flowers, as energy is focused on a smaller number of shoots and buds. Growers using this method restrict growth to one or two canes and the healthiest shoots for each plant. Another reason this method improves flowers is that the blossoms do not get tangled in the trellis. Instead, the blossoms tend to stretch outward, retaining their quality and increasing the ease of removing them.

How to Plant

• The National Sweet Pea Society of England suggests planting sweet peas 8 to 15 inches apart when using the cordon system. Remove sideshoots and tendrils, which take energy away from flower production. Removal of early buds helps improve bloom quality as well. Use cane stakes to support the central stem, and keep only the strongest shoots for producing flowers. Since many shoots are removed, there are often fewer flowers under this system. It is used by growers who want the highest-quality blooms, at the cost of quantity.

Getting More Blooms

• Although cordon style does not improve the number of blooms compared with natural growing styles, there are a number of other tricks that will. Keeping the root system cool will improve vigor and flowering. Avoid over-fertilizing, and prevent disease and fungal infection. Removing dead flowers will increase blooms across the entire plant, as will frequent cutting of flowers. The flowers will remain fresh if placed in water for a long time, so don't hesitate to enjoy the sweet peas indoors. Remove flowers before seed pods develop to extend blossoming time.

Growth Requirements

• Grow sweet peas in an ideal environment with a natural growing style to increase blossoming in the plants. Sweet peas prefer well-drained soil and a cool environment to thrive. They need at least 50 days of temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit to grow best. A variety of support systems may be used, including stakes, trellises, posts and netting supports. Dwarf varieties may be grown in pots or baskets, or allowed to grow naturally. Remove dead flowers to increase blossoms across the entire plant.