I went to garden class at the Calgary Zoo a few weeks ago, and the speaker there highly recommended using inocculant with sweet peas as well. I haven't personally tried it, since I get my young children to plant these types of seeds.

Janet

Yes, I have been doing it for years. It makes a huge difference.

Thanks! I'll have to try it and see how it goes.

Sue

I just bought some inocculant and I will give it a try this year as well.

Janet

Hi,

I don't mean to sound stupid, but what is an innocculant? Some type of fertilizer? Can I find this at a garden center? I'm growing sweet peas for the first time this year,haven't planted them yet, but just saw this thread and thought I'd learn more before I do plant them. Thanks alot.

Yes, please give us all the info you have about this!! I have a container of sweet peas that I wintersowed, but I have yet to see any germination.

hope this isn't information overload but the first paragraph sums it up anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: innoculant

Karchita...Do you start your sweet peas indoors or direct sow them outdoors?

I'll be starting mine indoors in another 2-3 weeks. They'll go outside early June. I did a bit of research after this subject came up and I read an inoculant is recommended for direct sowing, but not if starting them indoors...Anybody have any thoughts on that?

I want big, bad, bodacious sweet peas this year...LOL

we basically only get one innoculant available locally so...that is what we get.

It's called Rhizobium. Each species of legumes requires it's own species of the nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Most perennial legumes build up their own colonies of rhizobia on the roots, but inoculating gives them a head start. Annuals benefit if the soil lacks the bacteria in the soil which naturally lives there. If you grow peas and don't inoculate to start the roots will build some up by the time they are done with. You can leave the roots behind and nitrogen will be released for other plants to use :D

Really it's only necessary if the soil LACKS enough rhizobium. Soils that never grow legumes would benefit.

Vera

This might be helpful.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Inoculating Legume Seeds