QUESTION: Why aren’t my peas flowering? What can I do to encourage pea plants to flower? -Patty R.
ANSWER: There are several potential reasons your pea plants may not be flowering, and knowing the most likely causes will help you figure out what the problem is for your individual plants and take the necessary steps to correct it. Pea plants need sufficient light in order to develop flowers, so make sure your plants are located in a spot where they’ll get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day.
If your plants have bloomed already but aren’t putting out the next generation of blooms, make sure you’re deadheading your plants to help them along. That just means you should pinch off the spent blooms once the flowers have faded so new ones can replace them. Check over your plants and deadhead the expired flowers every few days or so.
Fertilize your pea plants with a bit of fertilizer or organic material before planting, but don’t over fertilize them, and especially don’t provide them with too much nitrogen, or they may have problems blooming. Too much nitrogen encourages plants to develop green foliage, but not flowers, while phosphorus in fertilizer helps with flowering. Fertilizer meant for lawns is especially known for having too much nitrogen for pea plants, so make sure to steer clear of it.
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