runner bean seeds rotted?

[chilli_grower]

I sowed 15 white lady runner bean seeds around 8 days ago, maybe more...

Only 3 of them have come up.

I just had a poke around in the soil, and discovered that the seeds have sort of split in half lengthways and gone to mush!!!!

Any ideas why?

Is there a particular way I should plant the seed? i.e sideways?

[veggiechicken]

Too wet CG I sow bean and squash seeds on their sides, not flat and on end too.
Dunno whether its right or wrong but it works for me

[rustylady]

Where did you sow them? It's too cold for them outside yet.

[SarzWix]

I find white bean seeds particularly difficult to germinate, I always have a proportion of them rot, and that's in a heated propogator, in root trainers I usually sow twice as many as I actually want, and hope to end up with enough to grow!

[chilli_grower]

interesting. All were sowed in a heated conservatory.

I just sowed 6 more!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Yep I'm like Sarz, love the White lady but they are a pain to germinate, I usually work on 50% will poke their head up.

Potty.

[chilli_grower]

good to know, as I was convinced they were not too wet

[SarzWix]

I've got loads of white-seeded french beans to sow this year, for drying beans, so I'm going to try a couple of experiments:
1. Soak the beans overnight and then sow into dryish compost
2. Half fill the root-trainers with compost, water it, sow the bean on top and cover with dryish compost.

then do the rest as I normally do beans - sow into root-trainers and then sit them in a tray of water until they've absorbed it and then let it drain again.

They'll all then be put into heated propagators.

[Normans Mum]

Interesting... I've put mine in root trainers but on their end :O Might have to change to side on, me thinks. I might even try some in the heated prop.....

[BertieFox]

In these uncertain cold times, with overnight frosts and dull, wet days, many of these types of seeds will rot and it is far better to sow them under controlled conditions. I usually sow my beans fairly closely in a small seed tray filled with vermiculite (which retains moisture but drains well). Water well, place the whole thing inside a polythene bag and put somewhere warm indoors to 'chit'. (Not so warm that they will 'cook'!) This usually only takes a week or so. Keep checking them to catch them when they are sprouting.
It is an easy matter to simply pull the germinating beans from the vermiculite complete with all the roots and pot them up ready to get them into strong growth ready to plant out when the danger of frost is over.
I have found this method always works for me and as long as you don't leave the beans too long so they are 'over chitted' and the roots and stems start entangling, you have much more control. Sowing outside in cold wet soil will lead to a lot rotting and if sown in pots immediately, you waste time sowing seed which is not viable.

[chilli_grower]

forgot to mention, one of the beans even germiated the wrong way around.

I.E root on top, and stem underneath!

[bearded bloke]

I.E root on top, and stem underneath!

Best post that one to Feral,sneaky antipodean seeds trying to take over our varieties

[kathyd]

Interesting... I've put mine in root trainers but on their end :O Might have to change to side on, me thinks. I might even try some in the heated prop.....

Confused - are you saying you shouldn't sow them on end? If not, why not? What's the difference between on their side or on their end??

[veggiechicken]

To me, on end means the "pointy" end down, "on their side" means horizontal on their narrowest side, and "flat" means horizontal on their widest side! Of course, it probably means something totally different to "normal" Grapes

[Irish-Veg]

That happend to me to except it wasnt beans but Peas :s I sewed about 12 in a length of guttering and they were in the greenhouse they sprouted fast and i checked 3-4 days later and all but 2 have rotted into a mush, others have dissapeared completly, i dont spose birds would have snapped them up? I had them out by day and back in again to harden them off, actually that was stupid of me thinking now, the fluctuating temps would have done no good for germinating seeds. Im just going to pot the 2 survivors on.

so anyway on my main plot I sewed 2 drills yesterday in ridges with approx 12 seeds in each I watered them in well and covered with fleece, fingers crossed something happens!