[JohnB47]

I think I read somewhere that you should do that. Some of my runner bean plants are now over the top of the wigwam and flopping about. Should I pinch?

[gowing238]

each to their own but i do. once they reach the top of the poles i pinch the tip off. I found it encourages the plant to grow bushier!!! More leaves and beans hopefully!!!

[solway cropper]

I would pinch. There's not much point letting them grow if they have nothing to hang on to.

[Ice]

According to Dr Hessayon you should pinch out the tips when they reach the top of the supports, which is what I do. 

[GrannieAnnie]

Sometimes I pinch, sometimes I don't!  If i pinch the tips out they bush out a bit and we get more beans and if I don't pinch out,they trail along and down another cane, but they still seem to bush out and produce loadsof beans.

I think it's a personal thing!    My Dad never pinched!

[JohnB47]

Thanks all. I think I'll try pinching this year.

[GrannieAnnie]

Or you could pinch half and leave half and compare results!? 

[andy135]

Pinching out the tips in the hope that they will bush-out sounds good to me. I'll give it a try. 

[mumofstig]

A bit of a different choice, but my Dad always used to pinch some out at about half way up. This means that there are a lot more stems starting from lower down..a bit like planting twice as many 

[gowing238]

funny thing, the ones i piched out so far have now started growing more vines that i have had to re train up the poles!!!! flowering everywhere mind!!! fingers crossed for a bumper harvest!!!

Mind you im not too confident with my pole building effort!!! fingers crossed for a low wind summer!! lo!!! :blink: