Climbing French Bean

[MKG]

Gnash, gnash, gnash.

This year, after reading wonderful reports, I'm trying French bean Cobra. All I have is an awful - truly awful - germination rate of less than 50% and, of those that did germinate, half appear to have some genetic deficiency. They sprout, grow a couple of stunted and misshapen true leaves, then stop. From 12 seeds sown (aiming for a half-dozen usable plants) I have three viable (so far) products.

Is this the variety, or could it be the fault of the supplier (a large well-known one)?

Over to the bean experts ...

Mike

[Odsox]

I think it could be something to do with the conditions last year Mike, I was going to say "weather" instead on "conditions" but changed my mind because it could have been anything of course.
I say that because I had the same problem with my dwarf French beans Stanley, the ones I'm growing in troughs. I sowed 10 to get 8 plants and ended up with 3. I resowed another 10 and got 5 which gave me my total of 8. (8 from 20 ???)
My climbing beans are Fashold which I think is the same as Cobra, well both are black seeded anyway, and had 100% germination and growth, but that was from last year's 2010 seed (or possibly 2009)
Last year I had a bad case of foot rot in my climbing French beans, but that was down to crap un-sterile compost, proved by this year's seed being the same but better compost.
Always something, isn't there ?

[Carltonian Man]

We’ve experienced just the same thing this year Mike with cucumbers, squash, courgette, marigolds and sunflowers. Talking on the allotments it seems most other people are struggling too, whether with shop bought or self saved seed stock. I planted runners and French climbers straight into the soil last week end, it’ll be interesting to see how they come up.

[Gra]

I grow Cobra every year, I've never had a problem. It is a very good bean.

[Millymollymandy]

It can't be weather conditions because both last year (warm sunny spring) and this year (cool spring) I've had the same germination problems - i.e. bugger all comes up so resorting to chitting everything Odsox stylee in marge tubs indoors.

I never had this problem in previous years (except for sweetcorn). Can't understand as it's all brand new seed. I don't do anything early - I start everything late (well, actually, when it says on the packet for outdoor sowing! but that is late compared to all the people who are desperate to start everything early ) and it should have been warm enough in the cold frames.

Oh well, c'est la vie and if all else fails I'll buy some from the market man or a garden centre, although that does go against the grain somewhat.

I'm a bit at the point in life (whether my life or my gardening life, I'm not sure) that I feel rather Que Sera, Sera.

[gregorach]

Well, the obvious place to start looking is your compost... What are you using?

I've been getting pretty good germination rates (75% - 100%) for most things this year, even some quite old seed, with a 50/50 mix of garden compost and topsoil. (None of it sterilised.) My problem is the @!#&%$! pigeons...

[Carltonian Man]

Well, the obvious place to start looking is your compost... What are you using?

Have used compost from five different suppliers ranging from top shelf organic right through to the lower cost stuff but unfortunately I didn't keep note of what went in where. Also mixed some 50-50 with topsoil. Of the seeds that do germinate some plants suffer root rot and most develop leaves that bleach out, starting from the outer edges and working in until the whole leaf disappears in a pale cream crisp. Some plants with bleachy leaves have good root development.
Plant pots and trays were all cleaned at the end of last season and a few were new this year; the problem doesn't seem to be linked to equipment.
Closer examination of some of the larger seeds that didn't make it shows they had started to germinate.

[dave45]

My climbing beans germinated fine in the greenhouse, but 75% snuffed it once planted out... don't think they liked the cold.... just pushed some more seeds straight in the ground now the weather is warming up a bit... nothing yet.

However pea germination is hopeless !

[Green Aura]

I'm not reading any more of your threads, Mike!

Since you started this one some of our Cupidon and Boston beans (both dwarf French) have done the same, I think. They've grown to about 3-4" with the seed leaves and then have put on an extra 1/2" stalk but no second leaves have appeared. I thought they'd been eaten by something but OH (who's more observant than me) informed me they grew like that.

I've put them in anyway to see if they'll do anything as they make up nearly half the Cupidon and a quarter of the Boston.

Hey ho. If they don't amount to anything we'll have to live courgettes - they're romping away.

[Green Aura]

Just a quick update.

All the beans have now put on new leaves and, although they're a little bit behind the others, are all looking healthy. I'll see how well they produce.