Runner beans not setting

morg_monster

Title says it all really... 6 scarlet runner bean plants growing up bamboo pole wigwams, I pinched out all the tips when they got to the top of the poles; we have had lots of red flowers for the past few weeks, now the flowers that are spent are just falling off leaving stubs, no beans. Have managed to find 2 baby beans over all the plants.

There are plenty of bees and bugs in the garden. Also quite a few ants crawling over the plants, herding the blackfly which i keep under control with soapy water - I would think the ants would help with pollination! So far everything else is setting (tomatoes, peppers, french beans [though i think they are self pollinating]). They are getting plenty of water in this heat. They are in a raised bed which is about 60% b&q MP compost and 40% well rotted horse manure; made this year. Now they are being fed with wilkos all purpose plant gro about once every 10 days or so. As I said the plant is absolutely thriving; just no beans!

Any tips? could it be the heat?

Kay_Peel

This is normal. The stubs behind the spent flowers become tiny little spikes. The spikes grow longer and fatter. They start to look like beans.

Help them along with a good glug of water but go easy on the feed. it sounds to me like you might be overwatering and over-feeding. Leave them to it and let them do their own thing.

Don't worry!

Jack's_mummy

My Grandad always used to spray the flowers with water each night when he watered them. He said it helped them to set if it hadn't been raining

morg_monster

Thanks. Looking at the stubs tonight and the few successful baby pods I do have, I think there is no hope for the stubs, they look like they have been munched! but hopefully my luck will change with all the flowers left! Will heed the advice and perhaps treat them a little meaner for a while!

morg_monster

Just wanted to bump this up. 2 weeks later and I've still got hardly any pods forming. I would say of 6 plants, about three quarters of the flower shoots have no pods on at all; all the flowers have just fallen off leaving stubs. The remaining quarter of shoots have one or two pods on at the most. I've had a couple of great big pods, so assume they are getting all the nutrients they need, but the pods are just not appearing and its really hard to find the ones that have appeared!. I'm really disappointed! How long do they keep producing for? Hoping for a second wind of beans (sorry...)

Lotus-eater

Have you stopped feeding them?

jsh99

Jack's_mummy wrote: »

My Grandad always used to spray the flowers with water each night when he watered them. He said it helped them to set if it hadn't been raining

This is also good for tomatoes in greenhouses.

morg_monster

Yes I've stopped feeding them (although adjacent plants do get fed but only once a fortnight).

also they have only been watered once a week since my first post and not had any rain since then (well until yesterday).

The spraying thing is a good tip but I don't think pollination was the problem as the sweet peas they are interspersed with have no problems producing pea pods when i don't cut the flower quick enough (or they set pods in the vase inside!), and the tomatoes next to them also have plenty of fruit. Maybe the bees are just attracted more to the other things than the runners!

Farway

Runners can be problematic to pollinate, the bees seem to give up at times, apparently something to do with flower shape, but temperature / humidity is also a hazard, hence the gentle water misting suggested

danielle1977

ooh are you supposed to feed runner beans I haven't been doing that-didn't know to pinch the tops either (first time at growing veg, I'm just on the plant and let it grow mode, but am watering the tomatoes)

Farway

danielle1977 wrote: »

ooh are you supposed to feed runner beans I haven't been doing that-didn't know to pinch the tops either (first time at growing veg, I'm just on the plant and let it grow mode, but am watering the tomatoes)

If they are in the ground it is not too important to feed runners as they will find what they need generally [unless in desert, and assuming the ground was in fine fettle before sowing], in pots it is important