Runner bean flowers falling

hubballi · « **on:** July 15, 2012, 14:53 »

I have very healthy runner bean plants as well as nice flowers. However, the flowers are falling off before they set at a worrying rate.

Is this normal ?

Ivor Backache · « **Reply #1 on:** July 15, 2012, 15:00 »

Mine are the same. Runner beans need insects for pollination. The rainy weather keeps them away, the flowers don't get pollinated and they drop off.

There is a self pollinating type which should solve the problem. (just like climbing french beans.) Someone will have grown them and should be able to comment.

tosca100 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 15, 2012, 15:36 »

I always have this with the first few. Don't give up, there might be some sun one day! And then the insects will be busy.

Goosegirl · « **Reply #3 on:** July 15, 2012, 16:11 »

Yes - we need the insects - particularly a certain type of bee that does the job, as I remember. Most of us have found the rain has put off insect pollination but I also remember that my runner flowers fell off at the start, then all went well.

boldondig · « **Reply #4 on:** July 15, 2012, 16:21 »

Just returned from my allotment and I have exactly the same problem - flowers but no beans . On the plus side, the sun was out, and there were bees about on the flowers.....Fingers crossed.

fatcat1955 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 15, 2012, 16:44 »

It is usually the white flowered varieties such as Monnlight and White Lady that are self pollinating although one of the major seed companies has introduced a red self pollinating variety.

JayG · « **Reply #6 on:** July 15, 2012, 18:50 »

As far as I know all runner beans are self-pollinating, but need insects to "trip" the flowers, although Moonlight is claimed to set well even in poor weather, which presumably means in the relative absence of pollinating insects.

White-flowered varieties are supposedly less attractive to birds (not true at least as far as my local sparrows are concerned!) and also set better in hot weather than red-flowered varieties (we won't talk about that!)

My White Lady runners are reluctantly growing up the canes (best 6', worst 6"

) and have some flowers - time, and the weather, will tell.

shokkyy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 15, 2012, 18:53 »

My White Lady have started flowering this week. They've grown on a storm since the weather got a bit warmer though. They've gone off the top of 8' poles now. Fingers crossed the flowers will start turning into pods soon. The long-term forecast for my area is looking a bit more optimistic for the end of July now.

Isn't it funny how bad weather never seems to bother aphids?

hubballi · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2012, 19:43 »

Ah, ok

Seems like it's a common problem then. We had a sunny day in Cheshire and there were a few insects knocking about.

The worrying thing I have found are the amount of dead and dying bees this summer I have seen around. I even found one crawling around with no wings.

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Runner bean flowers falling

hubballi

Runner bean flowers falling

Ivor Backache

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tosca100

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Goosegirl

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boldondig

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fatcat1955

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JayG

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shokkyy

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hubballi

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