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+--- Thread: Broad beans plants but few pods (/showthread.php?tid=307)
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RE: Broad beans plants but few pods - Scarlet - 05-08-2020
I love broad beans but the black fly just gets on top of me. So I haven't bothered the last few years.
Pollinators breaking into the side of a flower to reach the nectar is called pollen robbery as they don't pollinate the flower. This is often long throated flowers like foxgloves...so maybe sticking some potted plants with some single flowers around/growing marigolds on the edge etc will help. I stick marigold everywhere.
I think I watched/read something recently? (Maybe gardeners world as I rarely watch TV )on flower shapes and what birds/bees pollinate each flower. Beak length /shape etc suited to certain flowers.so putting a mix about helps. Ants "rob" pollen too.
That said I think the birds are eating the flowers on my runner beans!
RE: Broad beans plants but few pods - PyreneesPlot - 05-08-2020
Its the chcolate spot that always does for mine, but did get a bagful in the freezer this year. Blackfly used to be a real problem but I found that if I just gritted my teeth and accepted that there would be some losses after about a week to ten days they'd all be gone - ladybirds and hoverflies I guess, although I did watch a blue tit scrape a load into its beak once!
Winter sown do better than spring in general.
RE: Broad beans plants but few pods - Mark_Riga - 22-09-2021
They have done a bit better this year. The plants are dying off now with chocolate spot but have 1.4kg dried now (enough for about 4 to 5kg of hummus). Also picked a bagful today and still a few left on the plants.
The seeds for next year are on the table between the bowls. They are ones I can't see any disease on and come from pods having 6 beans in. The smaller bowl are a dwarf french bean I grow for drying. I only sowed a few for eeds next year as I got a bumper crop last year that we are still eating.
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