Split Pea (PvZ)

Split Pea is a peashooting plant that is the combination of a forward-facing Peashooter and a backward-facing Repeater (without the dark green leaves), similar to conjoined twins. It is the 29th plant obtained in Plants vs. Zombies, obtained after beating the backyard Fog level 4-5.

Origins
Its name is a reference to the actual split pea, the dried, peeled, and split seeds of Pisum sativum from north India. The split in its name refers to the fact that it is split, with two heads, and the pea in its name refers to the fact that it is a peashooting plant.

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 backwards head can shoot peas twice as fast as forwards. Planting it in the Pool in columns 1-6 is a bad idea, as zombies will never appear behind there, thus making it a waste of 25 sun, unless of course the player did not select Peashooter.

Strategies
This plant is needed on the earliest levels that the player knows will have the Digger Zombie. It is advised to not plant Split Peas on the column closest to the lawn mowers, so as to give the player's Split Pea time to kill the Digger Zombie; otherwise, the Split Pea will be eaten before it can kill the Digger Zombie. Alternatively, the player 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 the 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 Zombies, Dolphin Rider Zombies, and Pogo Zombies, as they attack with the firing rate of a Repeater, cost less, and will not be eaten by a zombie the player plants 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 to pick it up.

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. This strategy includes several lanes of Split Pea. The Garlics move zombies out of the Split Pea lanes and moves them inward when so they will be hit from behind.

Pogo Party
Split Peas are quite useful in Pogo Party. The majority of zombies are Pogo Zombies, all of which will jump over it, and then can be shot in the back. Do not depend on these plants alone, however, as regular Zombies can still appear. Also, they may not hit zombies if they are not planted on the flat part of the roof, meaning that Gloom-shrooms may be preferred. However, this strategy will let the player earn the achievement Sproing! Sproing! as long as the player doesn't bring Magnet-shroom or Tall-nut to fill his/her seed packet slots.

I, Zombie
It is a bad idea to use a Pole Vaulting Zombie to jump over the Split Pea in the I, Zombie levels, and the same applies to using Digger Zombie 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 first column from the left.

Trivia

 * When it is firing from both heads, a glitch occurs that causes the front head to also fire two peas, causing it to become a Split Repeater. This glitch does not happen in the Xbox Live Arcade version and Game of the Year versions.
 * Another glitch can occur in Versus Mode where it shoots backwards when a zombie is in front of the plant, even when there are no zombies behind it.
 * It is the only plant that can fire in multiple directions with one side firing faster than the other side.
 * It, Twin Sunflower, and Cherry Bomb are the only plants with two heads.
 * It is one of the only four plants which are able to fire backwards, the other three beings Cattail, Gloom-shroom, and Starfruit.
 * It calls itself a Gemini as the Astrological Sign Gemini represents twins, and the Split Pea is a twin plant (a joined Repeater and Peashooter).
 * It is the last peashooting plant the player unlocks unless the Gatling Pea has not yet been purchased.
 * In I, Zombie, it first appears in Can You Dig It?.
 * When Bungee Zombie try to steal him, the backwards repeater head will fire instead of his front peashooter head.