Broad bean help

[Dogs and Veg]

Hi everyone,

I have just gone to collect my pots of overcrowded tomato seedlings to try and separate them and was looking at things that haven't appeared yet, broad bean being one of them.

I lifted the pot out the tray to move the soil a bit and check it and when I lifted it I saw these shoots out the bottom of the pot, i lifted the rest and they are all the same, some had one or two of these shoots.

What have i done and what can i do please?

[Bren In Pots]

You've done nothing wrong mine always grow the same way, I sow my broad beans in loo rolls and the roots always appear before the tops.

[nickdub]

Look like bean roots to me - best to carefully remove the contents from a pot and confirm this first.


If the beans have germinated and these are the roots then, all things being equal, the tops will appear above the surface soon - you might need bigger pots, broad beans can really motor when they get going.

[Dogs and Veg]

Thank you guys,

so should I carefully take out the pot, if it is the roots then obviously I don't want to stunt or damage them so should I then transfer all of them into bigger pots and keep everything covered with soil?

[nickdub]

depends really on how many you are dealing with - if you can do it without too much trouble, then yes move them to bigger pots so the roots have more room. If on the other hand you've got loads of pots and not much time, don't stress out about it. Plants can cope with loosing a few roots when transplanted - its just less than ideal is all.

Definitely cover with soil - the tops of many seeds appear quite a bit later than the roots - makes good sense if you think on it from the plant's POV.

[rary]

Broad beans make roots first than push up the way just leave till the plants develop

[Dogs and Veg]

I was transplanting tomatoes earlier tonight so since I had the pots and soil out I did the broad beans as well, just into bigger pots since those roots were stuck through the bottom and just hitting the plastic...keeping fingers crossed they will make it...thanks again guys