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Post by Spruance on May 14, 2013 14:16:39 GMT
Just lately I have bought multi-packs of runner beans direct from the GC as it avoids germination problems and all in all is much easier. Previously I had always grown my own plants, usually sowing the first week n May in the GH and aiming to plant out at the end of May.
This year, on a whim and encouraged by the then better weather, I sowed some seeds on 26th April, but they germinated much sooner than I expected and are now rather tall to say the least and it's too cold to put them out at the moment.
I have noticed in previous years that if beans suffer the loss of the lead shoot due to wind damage that they put out side shoots so I wondered if I could get away with pinching out the tips on my over-sized plants in the same way as we do for sweet peas?
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Post by andy on May 15, 2013 16:29:19 GMT
Never given it a thought to be honest. Why don't you do a trial if you have the room and grow half normally and half pinched out /
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Post by Spruance on May 16, 2013 15:12:08 GMT
It's not something I have done before either Andy. In similar situations I have ended up looping sellotape around the canes and eventually the plants pick up. I only had patchy germination anyway so will still need to get some more from the GC.
I actually found an article online yesterday which suggested that the lead shoot should be removed on young plants and then, once they have obligingly produced two replacement shoots, the weakest of these should also be removed. Apparently it encourages greater bean production so I may as well give it a shot.
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