Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: tiny50 on April 08, 2009, 08:27

Title: upside down bean
Post by: tiny50 on April 08, 2009, 08:27

Can anyone explain why some of my French beans have germanated with the root breaking surface and not the head?????  Mr confused.

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: paintedlady on April 08, 2009, 09:15

unless you are in zero gravity where you live, the chances are the "root" is in fact the stem of the bean looping out (it may be pale now but will soon green up), or the seed was too close to the surface but the root will soon grow downwards  ;)

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: tiny50 on April 08, 2009, 19:55

It was definatly root, 2 of em they even had root tendrils hangin down,  or is that up!! any hoots I have carfuly taken em out and repoted  and they seem to have recoverd well.  i also had some new little ones today in the form of my sweetcorn breakin through,  wow they shoot fast dont they. 

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: Jay Dubya on April 08, 2009, 20:37

Hi, when you plant your beans make sure that the little scar is on the bottom this ensures that your bean does not rot.

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: tiny50 on April 09, 2009, 16:39

Thanks for that jay.

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: Howard on April 09, 2009, 17:33

Quote from: Jay Dubya on April 08, 2009, 20:37

Hi, when you plant your beans make sure that the little scar is on the bottom this ensures that your bean does not rot.

Can I be contrary?   ;)
If you look at the scar side of the bean, you will notice that one end of it is slightly fatter than the other and often (at the fatter end) where the scar ends the bean has two 'cheeks' for want of a better description. Plant the bean so that the scar is vertical, with the fatter end at the bottom.

Howard

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: JulesJ on April 10, 2009, 13:10

I sowed all my beans with the dipped scar side up (didn't have a clue what I was doing but it seemed logical), and all but one have grown the right way and look very happy; one I'll turn round as all I can see are spreading roots which are definitely different to the stems.

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: Jay Dubya on April 15, 2009, 20:11

Hi, thats alright if like me you water once until germination, but scar up once the bean opens and you water the water can get into your bean and rot it. Our head gardener says scar down and sow shallow in a pot and water once.

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: mumofstig on April 15, 2009, 21:28

I chitted my beans this year,(only 4 beans didn't germinate) and once they showed root growth I put them into paper pots and only gave them an occasional squirt from a water bottle and it worked. :lol:
i was losing 50% last year (not chitted)
I think the point is that once they have germinated on kitchen paper it is so obvious that you have to point the root down into the compost so they dont rot :) I did the same with my sweetcorn again with better results...so would highly recommend chitting :)

Title: Re: upside down bean
Post by: Howard on April 15, 2009, 23:05

Quote from: Jay Dubya on April 15, 2009, 20:11

Hi, thats alright if like me you water once until germination, but scar up once the bean opens and you water the water can get into your bean and rot it. Our head gardener says scar down and sow shallow in a pot and water once.

My post above was based on Medwyn Williams' thoughts. What he actually said was:

'...and when sowing the seed take a close look along the scar where the bean was attached to the pod. At one end of the scar there will be a dimple. Always make sure that the bean goes into the compost with it’s length vertical and the dimple at the bottom of the scar.

I was taught this by the past master of growing Runner beans, Brython Stenner, he assured me that by placing the seed in the compost in this manner the germination would be much more even.'

If it's good enough for the likes of these two, it's good enough for me!  :)