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.
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.
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.
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.
I soaked 5 - three germinated and have already reached the top of their wigwam canes! They are really strong plants. Thank you Artichoke!
Tricia
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.
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 ???
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?
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?
Not mine. They just look like a typical case of seed which didn't germinate to me.