Split Pea

Split Pea is the combination of a forwards-facing Peashooter and a backwards-facing Repeater (without the dark green leaves), similar to conjoined twins. It is the 29th plant obtained, found after beating the backyard fog level 4-5. Its name may be a reference to the actual split pea, the dried, peeled, and split seeds of Pisum sativum from north India.

Suburban Almanac Entry
Split Pea

Split Peas shoot peas forward and backwards.

Damage: normal

Range: forward and backwards

Firing Speed: 1x forward, 2x backwards

"Yeah, I'm a Gemini," says Split Pea. "I know, big surprise. But having two heads -- or really, one head with a large head-like growth on the back-- pays off big in my line of work."

Cost: 125

Recharge: fast

Usage
The player should use the Split Pea where he or she would use a normal Peashooter, but plant ahead of the rear line, so that it can fire backwards at foes such as Digger Zombies. Note that the second head is a Repeater, and can shoot Peas twice as fast.

Standard Levels
This plant is needed on the earliest levels that the player knows will have the Digger Zombie. The player should not plant the Split Pea in any row left of the third row, so as to give his or her Split Pea time to kill the Digger Zombie; otherwise, the Split Pea will be eaten before it can kill the Digger Zombie. Alternatively, he or she could simply put Pumpkins around the leftmost plants.

Split Peas can also attack Bungee Zombies behind them. When targeted by a Bungee Zombie, the Split Pea fires three peas, both from the back and front. It is also useful to put them behind shield-bearing zombies such as Ladder Zombies, Screen Door Zombies, Trash Can Zombies, and Newspaper Zombies (as shields only protect from the front); they also make a good defense against jumping Zombies such as Pole Vaulting Zombie, Dolphin Rider Zombie, and Pogo Zombie, as they attack with the firing rate of a Repeater, cost less, and won't be eaten by the Zombie the player puts it behind.

By placing a Torchwood behind the Split Pea, it can become more effective against Digger Zombies, which can be helpful if the player has to play the level with predetermined plants and he or she has no room to waste slots. However, doing so is thought to be wasteful of the valuable rightmost ground spaces.

For levels with Dolphin Rider Zombies or Pole Vaulting Zombies where Split Pea is a predetermined plant by Crazy Dave, it may be helpful to use it as a form of offense. When the Dolphin Rider or Pole Vaulter jumps over it, it will be hit with the equivalent of a Repeater from behind. If the Split Pea is not a predetermined plant, however, it is generally not worth it.

Additionally, one can bring out gimmicky layouts by combining it with Garlic. This strategy lets the player kill the zombies from behind, thus bypassing zombie shields.

Pogo Party
Split Peas are actually quite useful in this mini-game. As the majority of zombies are Pogo Zombies, most of the zombies will just jump over it, getting hit twice in the back. Don't depend on these plants alone, however, as regular zombies can still appear, and the peas will only fire on the flat part of the roof.

I, Zombie
It is a bad idea to use a Pole Vaulting Zombie to jump over the Split Pea in the I, Zombie levels. The same applies to using Digger Zombies in rows containing the plant. Rather, the player should treat it as he or she would a normal Peashooter, and should simply use Buckethead Zombies or other tough zombies to get through the Split Pea lanes, unless there is far more offensive power facing forward than backwards. If there is a very tough lane with a Split Pea, send a Bungee Zombie to steal it, then send a Digger Zombie. However, a Digger Zombie can survive a Split Pea in the second column from the left.

Plants vs. Zombies

 * When a Split Pea is firing from both heads, a glitch causes the front head to also fire two Peas, causing it to become a Split Repeater. This glitch doesn't happen in the Xbox Live Arcade version and Game of the Year versions.
 * It is the only plant that can fire in multiple directions with one side firing faster than the other side.
 * The Split Pea and Threepeater are the only plants that can shoot three peas at a time.
 * The Split Pea, Twin Sunflower, and the Cherry Bomb are the only plants with two heads in the game; however, the second head of the Split Pea is, according to itself, more of a large head-like growth.
 * The Split Pea is one of the only four plants which are able to fire backwards, the other three being the Cattail, Gloom-shroom, and the Starfruit.
 * Sometimes in Versus Mode, the Split Pea shoots backwards when a zombie is in front of it, even when there are no zombies behind.
 * The Split Pea's firing animation is different than the Peashooter's and the Repeater's.
 * Split Pea calls himself a Gemini as the Astrological Sign Gemini represents twins, and the Split Pea is a twin plant (a joined Repeater and Peashooter).
 * Split Pea is the last peashooting plant the player gets, unless the Gatling Pea is not yet purchased.
 * In I, Zombie, Split Pea first appears in Can You Dig It?.

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time

 * In Plants vs. Zombies, the Peashooter's head that is facing right is bigger than the back-facing Repeater's head. However, in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time, the Repeater has the bigger head.
 * This may mean that the head-shape growth has grown bigger since the last game.