Topic: Gigandes!

[artichoke]

I sent gigandes beans to lots of people last year, and one tells me that his won't germinate.

Guiltily, I remembered my own, and put 25 to soak in warm wet cloth in plastic tray in plastic bag on Sunday evening. Today, Thursday,  I have just put 20 with good healthy roots into compost and thrown away 5 duds. 80% germination?

I was disappointed that it was not 100%, and apologetic to anyone who has duds, but I am writing to say that these big dry seeds do need a lot of moisture for them to plump up and put out a root, and I think soaking them first is very important.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's probably where I've gone wrong. Out of five, only one has germinated well; a second has emerged looking as though it's dying, and the others haven't done a thing. I'll give the pots a good soak over the weekend, hopefully that'll do it.

[artichoke]

I'm really sorry about that. It is such a habit of mine to soak big seeds before planting them that I didn't mention it while raving about gigandes last year.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I didn't think of it to be honest. Anyway, as long as one's up, I should get some seeds off it. Hopefully I'll still get more up.

[tricia]

I soaked 5 - three germinated and have already reached the top of their wigwam canes! They are really strong plants. Thank you Artichoke!

Tricia

[Robert_Brenchley]

I checked mine; one's up, one looks as though it's dying, two have rotted, and one is at least trying to germinate. I hope they're self-fertile.

[cambourne7]

i always presoak my peas and beans and i planted 3 beans they are all up and n desperate need of being potted on. And the slugs dont seam to want to eat them ;) that said i have not checked them since tuesday  ???

[artichoke]

Self fertile.......

I suppose this could mean one of two things: for example, french beans, I believe, pollinate themselves within each flower so basically the flowers are pointless - they might as well stop producing petals/scent/nectar, as in the cleistogamous stage of some violets and violas.

Secondly, I understand you to hope that a bee travelling from one flower to another on your single gigandes (sorry....) can pollinate each of them. I believe that to be true without definitely knowing it.

I know some species have a defence against their own pollen to ensure genetic diversity, and I don't think runner beans do that - gigandes is apparently a form of runner bean. What do you think?

[artichoke]

PS the gardener whose gigandes failed to germinate has now added that his compost was full of "little worms" when he looked for the beans after a fortnight. He reckons they came from the beans.

I have looked carefully in my Greek bag of dried beans and find no worm holes or worms, and my soaked beans have no worms either. It is a mystery.

Has anyone else found their gigandes have produced worms?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Not mine. They just look like a typical case of seed which didn't germinate to me.