Hi

Can anyone help ?.

My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
flower used to be.

Any suggestions ?

TIA


Paul

On Wed, 18 Jun 2003, X wrote:

My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
flower used to be.

Water copiously and give them time.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Internet: | writing from |
| Fidonet: David Rance 2:252/110 | Caversham, |
| BBS: telnet://mesnil.demon.co.uk | Reading, UK |
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In article , David Rance writes:
| On Wed, 18 Jun 2003, X wrote:
|
| My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
| friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
| flower used to be.
|
| Water copiously and give them time.

And/or perform a rain dance. As you point out, that is normal in
hot, dry weather.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Paul wrote in message

My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
flower used to be.

Any suggestions ?

Two.

That birds are pecking off the flowers, some people with that problem grow
the white flowered varieties which the birds don't seem to like as much as
the red flowers.
It's too dry, you aren't watering the plants enough and as they like it
humid you should also spray the plants copiously with water each evening,
that helps fruit set too.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

In article , X
writes
Hi

Can anyone help ?.

My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
flower used to be.

Any suggestions ?

Same here - and it happens every year - quite normal in fact. Give them
time, the beans will follow on when they are ready. We think that it is
because the necessary pollinating flying insects are not active this
early in the year. We are cropping dwarf french beans at the moment -
eating them, (lovely chopped raw into salads), freezing them and giving
them away. The runners will be in full growth before the dwarf french
ones are finished, so we'll have fresh green beans daily until the first
frost arrives.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
flower used to be.

You need to attract more bees to pollenate the flowers. If the bees go
through "the back door" to get at the nectar the flowers will drop off.

Try attracting bees to come more often by very occassionally lightly
spraying the flowers with a sugar solution 1 tsp to 0.5 litres in the
evening.

Plus keep them watered.

If the leaves start to go patchy yellow, lightly spray leaves only and earth
at base (bees do not seem to like it) with chemist's shop Epsom salts at the
same concentration.

Plus keep them well watered!

Regards

Ron.

On Wed, 18 Jun 2003 17:38:14 +0100, "Sue & Bob Hobden"
wrote:


Paul wrote in message

My runner beans are producing lots of flowers which are attracting my
friends the Bees. However no beans, just little a stump where the
flower used to be.

Any suggestions ?

Two.

That birds are pecking off the flowers, some people with that problem grow
the white flowered varieties which the birds don't seem to like as much as
the red flowers.
It's too dry, you aren't watering the plants enough and as they like it
humid you should also spray the plants copiously with water each evening,
that helps fruit set too.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

I have been watering the beans, but perhaps not enough, now its
raining that might help.

As to the birds, I have noticed the bean stalks are being snapped off
where they grow above the beansticks, keeping a watch after your
suggestion that birds are pecking the flowers I have noticed that a
pair of Magpies are perching on my beansticks. So out come the old CDs
and plastic bags.


Thanks all

Paul