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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Digeroo on July 29, 2020, 13:30:01

Title: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: Digeroo on July 29, 2020, 13:30:01
I like a variety from T&M called Pencil Pod Black Wax and was unable to buy more, so was pleased when I found a few left in a very old packet. 
Quite a few germinated so I was pleased knowing also I could hopefully save some seed.  I ended up with 12 nice plants. 
But then things started to be odd.  They started producing  climbing tendrills.  The first one to appear I removed, but they produced more, and soon all the plants had them.   So I provided some sticks, but these were not long enough so I put in canes.  Then they produced more and more climbing tendrills.  Then it became obvious that every leaf node was producing another climbing tendrill, and the leaf node on the tendrills were producing more tendrills, so now each cane has 6,7,8 tendrills maybe more, wrapped around it and more coming and more sticking out of the plant.  The plants are now huge and finally have started to have a few flowers.
Has anyone experienced anything like this before?
I must have grown the rest of the packet some years ago, but can not remember anything exceptional except I liked the variety.
I grew them first about 10 years ago I remember them along one side of my plot and they did well, but the packet I found was not that old.   It was the SSW edge so I would have remembered any tendency to climb.   


Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: laurieuk on July 29, 2020, 14:39:31
I think I would save a few seeds this year and see what comes next year that way provided it is not an F1 variety youshould e ok for the  future . You could always use the various search sits to trace the original .
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: Digeroo on July 29, 2020, 16:14:04
They are not F1 they are a heritage seed variety.  Several companies in the USA sell them.  I am not sure that T&M had them this year, not in our local garden centre, out of stock online.  But we have lost Wyevale and gained Hilliers so we had fewer seed varieties to choose from.  (Plants are very pricy).
I do intend to save some seed.  If it produces any. 
The bean plants are very shy on the flower front.   I really want to continue to grow the variety. 
Actually I am growing 8 different types of dwarf wax beans.
First to produce beans has been HSL Hungarian Wax, but Lidl's Best Wachs not far behind.   
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: galina on July 29, 2020, 20:12:55
Yes tendrils are pretty normal in older dwarf varieties.  Maybe because of the weather more than most years.  I would not worry.  :wave:
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: galina on July 30, 2020, 05:07:04
Just read the description.  T and M say they grow to 50cm which is actually very tall for a dwarf variety.  They would need a bit of support.  Hope the slightly bigger plants will bring you a huge harvest too.  :wave:
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: gray1720 on July 30, 2020, 13:04:01
Hmm. Maybe that's why my dwarf borlotto from Suttons kept turning out to be climbers?
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: Digeroo on August 09, 2020, 17:50:01
They are currently about 2 meters.  Only because they have run out of the canes at the top and I have been pinching them out in the hope of some flowers. 
They are finally flowering.  But still seem to be set on producing more and more tendrils.
The tallest dwarf bean I know about is HSL Hungarian Wax, they are normally 60-70 cm. 
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: JanG on August 10, 2020, 05:42:57
They seem even to have passed the semi-climbing stage. In US, many bean growers seem to use the term semi-runner for beans about six feet tall. I find it more useful to think of a shorter type about four foot tall as I have a frame about that height which I use for some.
But basically all heights up to ten feet or more are possible. But, as you originally said, the odd thing with yours is that apparently they were nowhere near that last time you grew them. I wonder how much difference weather does make to the degree of climbing and what the conditions are which encourage one habit or another.
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: Vinlander on August 14, 2020, 18:02:11
Hmm. Maybe that's why my dwarf borlotto from Suttons kept turning out to be climbers?
Dwarf Borlotti were the first ones that ever climbed for me, but they didn't get all the way to 2m - so they were perfect for growing up (but not swamping) the dwarfed sweetcorn varieties that are the norm in the UK (I imagine the Mexican ones could support a runner or 3). I also used Crystal Apple (/Lemon) as the 3rd dwarf sister.  Unfortunately my corn patch doesn't get that much sun now the trees have grown, so I don't do all 3 sisters these days (scrambling cucs made weeding much more complicated, and I wasn't sure the corn were strong enough to carry both the other 2).

I just had a purple dwarf that climbed, but it was from one of the independent £ shops so I'm assuming the quality control was poor. On the other hand T&M need to be taken with a bucket of salt half the time...

Cheers.
Title: Re: Day of Triffids crossed with Dwarf bean
Post by: Digeroo on August 25, 2020, 22:04:11
They have finally got beans, but they are not penil beans at all.  They tend to be slightly curled.  But worse of all they are rough on the outside.  I like my beans smooth.  So I would not have rated them at all, yet I particularly liked this variety.
It has been windy and most of them have blown over now, and todays wind I am sure will have flattened them totally.   Anyway I will ripen a few beans and see what happens next year.    I do not really mind they were good ground cover, I was trying to get rid of creeping thistles, and in that they have done a very good job.   
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