[Weston grower]

I've planted some climbing French beans in a tub. They are now happily growing up some pea sticks - about 5 feet high. My question is:

When they get to the top of the sticks - if I pinch out the growing tips will they bush out? If I leave them to grow they are going to get into a tangled mess.

My assumtion is that if I stop them growing upwards they will put their efforts into more side shoots and beans?

Regards, WG 

[bigben]

My gut feeling is they will not but this is only based on my efforts last year to encourage one or two to wrap round their cane - in doing so I managed to snap off the tip on two of them and they died. Others with more experience might be able to confirm/deny this.

[simonwatson]

These plants tend to only produce climbing runners. When/if they do produce stems lower down in response to losing a growing tips, that runner will also keep on going up the pole again.

[mumofstig]

If you pinch them out you will indeed get more shoots and flowers lower down IMO, but you will also end up with even more congestion a the top, which is where they all eventually end up

[Kristen]

My Climbing Beans finish before the season is over (unlike Runners that carry on ... and on ... !)

So i think its wroth sowing a bean (about now) at the base of each cane to follow-on from the plants that are running up the pole.

[Weston grower]

Thanks all.

Think I'll just wait and see what happens.

WG