Runner beans not setting

danielle1977

will keep my fingers crossed then as they are in the ground

Dustykitten

Can I ask who nips their runners out when they get to the top of the poles? I've never done this, just trained the shoot back downwards. Will I get a better crop it I pinch out. They are flowering well and setting okish. Flat beans I've been trying for the first time are doing slightly better.

morg_monster

I pinched them out when they got to the top but they just grow new shoots everywhere which grow a foot in a day or so! Which makes pinching out seem a bit pointless. It's so hard keeping on top of the new shoots I've almost given up with it, due to the problems with setting I described here, it's not like I was getting much reward for my dutiful pinching!. I planted them interspersed with sweet peas and its just a tangled mess now! Still only a few beans too. Don't think I'll bother with them next year - french beans all the way!
Most places say that you should pinch out though as it makes the plant concentrate on the beans/flowers it already has.

Mojisola

Pollen needs moisture to move so that pollination can take place. That's why it's worth following Jack's Mummy's Grand-dad's advice.

The transfer of pollen from the male parts to the female parts is done by bees - honey bees or bumbles. With the reduction of honey bees in recent years, it's important to make our gardens bumble bee friendly so that we can get decent crops.

Lotus-eater

It's one of those ideas that gets passed around, as it's what your grandfather told you, many gardening books still tell you to do it. In fact it has been proved to be counter productive.
http://www.gardenseeker.com/vegetables/peas_beans/runner_beans.htm

Mojisola

Lotus-eater wrote: »

It's one of those ideas that gets passed around, as it's what your grandfather told you, many gardening books still tell you to do it. In fact it has been proved to be counter productive.
http://www.gardenseeker.com/vegetables/peas_beans/runner_beans.htm

I don't think anyone would suggest doing what that page says -

"Insects pollinate Runner bean flowers, and they need warm conditions to do it! They are unlikely to be so active if you persist in giving them a cold shower!"

The pollinating insects won't be around in the evening - which is the best time to water the plants. While bees will move pollen from the anther to the stigma, the pollen grains need moisture in order to move to and down the pollen tubes to the ovaries.

Lotus-eater

Maybe you'd believe the RHS then.

Don’t mist or syringe the flowers with water (as used to be advocated) as this has not been shown to help pod-set.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=381

Mojisola

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Maybe you'd believe the RHS then.

Don’t mist or syringe the flowers with water (as used to be advocated) as this has not been shown to help pod-set.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=381

Maybe, as long as they aren't giving that advice on the same reasoning as the earlier post.

Primrose

I've had the same problem with runner beans again this year and only grow a few plants now. I really recommend that everybody tries next year to grow climbing French beans. Their flowers are self fertile and don't need bees or insects to pollinate them. Two excellent varieties to try are Cobra (long round podded green beans) or Blauhilde (a purple bean from Thompson & Morgan) which goes green when cooked. These are so much more reliable in producing beans in all types of weather. My climbing French bean plants are now dripping with beans which I've been picking for almost two weeks already whereas my runner beans have not yet produced one single bean.

Farway

A second for Cobra climbing French bean

I grow both climbing French & Runners, both seem to do OK for me, but I did read somewhere that they prefer opposite temperatures at night, not sure which is which, but cooler nights for one, warmer nights for the other, so by doing both one lot must get it right