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Whats Eating my Runner Bean Flowers?

TheveggardenerTheveggardener Posts: 1,057
edited July 2019 in Problem solving
Just taken a look at my runner beans and loads of the flowers have gone just leaving the storks. Has anyone any idea what is doing this and what I can do about it. 

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    If they don't get pollinated they just break off.  It sometimes happen if they are too dry at the roots. Assuming you have had rain like we have, it should get better.
  • TheveggardenerTheveggardener Posts: 1,057
    Evening fidgetbones, there's nothing on the ground and there are a few beans forming they are about an inch long some are smaller. During the hot weather they were getting two buckets of water twice a day, the leaves are healthy not limp and a good green colour. 
  • bestwickrobert1bestwickrobert1 Posts: 15
    Sparrows can be partial to pecking but usually fall off if not set later flowers tend to set later we always seem to loose the first ones
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    More are absent here than usual too. I suspect the parakeets. My bean plants are later this year (I had to replant due to squirrels digging up the seeds / biting off the young plants, so am behind) - I'm hoping once the coverage is more dense that more flowers will be left to set fruit.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • TheveggardenerTheveggardener Posts: 1,057
    bestwickrobert1 and LG, I had to re plant due to slugs so mine are also a bit late although the are at the top and over there wigwam they are growing up. If I take of the top which is hanging over will that encourage them to thicken up. Sorry if it's a stupid question but this it the first year I've grown veg and it's not going to well.

    Onions                       Small.
    Pea's                          Enough for just one meal.
    Tomato's                    Seem to be doing well.
    Sweetcorn                  Flowers at the top no sign of cobs.
    Cabbage                    Something eat them. 
    Carrots                      Didn't grow.
    Beetroot                    Didn't grow
    Turnips                      Covered in holes.
    Runner Beans            Flowers gone.  

    I have always grown flowers and shrubs without a problem. The fruit area is producing well which is encouraging. I'll go out and take a photo of the beans but hope as LG said they will thicken and we will get something.
  • terryaber80terryaber80 Posts: 1
    Gave up growing runner beans because of the sparrows pecking the flowers off for a number of years. Tried again last year and they left them alone. This year they have not left one flower intact on the main set of bean sticks but so far have ignored about eight planted behind the shed. Maybe the decoy approach may work! Have tried netting but not really viable as a method. Feed the birds everyday anyway and am now at a loss to save the main set of beans.
  • cornellycornelly Posts: 970
    First flowers dropped with our beans, but a marvellous crop we have now, plenty for family and neighbours, usually have flower drop with the first plants.
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