Runner bean flowers all falling off

[mothhawk]

Well it 's been warm for a long period of time now but ALL my seemingly healthy bean flowers are still falling off before they set.

Runner beans don't LIKE warm. They like COOL nights, below 10C to set flowers. They come from the mountains of central America - warm days, cool/cold nights. Wait till this hot spell is over and you'll find lots of beans will set.

[Nannysally99]

Mine have finally picked up now, thank goodness. Tons of flowers, still some on the floor every day, the bees can't get em all.

[Jay-ell]

My dwarf runners have a few set, this warm wet weather we've had lately must have helped. My climbing runners aren't even flowering yet.

[TrialAndError]

What seems to be missing from the replies is that all runner bean flowers fall off at some stage. It's an indication that they have been pollinated. A week or two later the young runner beans will appear and that's just part of the process of producing runner beans.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Picked my first boiling today Fire Storm.

[Greenleaves]

I dont know about Potty but 95% of mine set on Firestorm

[mothhawk]

My Firestorm are setting too. Because they are self pollinating they don't need to produce the copious amounts of pollen that bee pollinated RB's need to, so the warm nights are not such a hindrance.

[Penellype]

Firestorm and the white flowered variety Stardust are supposed to be self pollinating. I find that I still get quite a lot of flower fall on Stardust (whole flowers including the bean part, not just the petals), and it is a bit of a tricky customer to grow, but the beans are the nicest I've ever tasted and lack strings and tough seed covers that some runners produce, even when fairly big. I'm trying Firestorm for the first time this year.

[veggiechicken]

I have a couple of Firestorm growing undercover as a perennial - in their 3rd year. They were chosen because they are self pollinating.
Mostly I grow Climbing French beans because they seem to be more tolerant of changing weather than runners.

[Alison]

Mostly I grow Climbing French beans because they seem to be more tolerant of changing weather than runners.

Interesting, I find runners much more resilient and generally hardier although I do grow more frenchies as I prefer them fresh and they freeze sooo much better

[Potstubsdustbins]

#21 & 22 Yes third season with Fire Storm and been well happy each year. Tons of mini beans on all plants and I have been out and picked another handful today. Seems like the glut is about to start, soon be time to fire up SWMBO and get freezing.......

[Marb67]

Well i just can't get Scarlet emporer to germinate in soil or soaking overnight in water. I didn't overwater the soil but they just rotted. The ones I have soaked have done nothing except split in half. The beans were not shrivelled or mouldy or anything.

Just want to get soemthing to germinate so I can have beans this summer as the others are still falling off

[lottie dolly]

It's a bad year for beans am afraid,i to have had several rot away,my home next door remarked,how my home beans are much like theirs,backwards,plus they are not setting despite the bees,every year the last few,seems that something is afected by the climate change,not only about rain or shine,but the weather also upsets the echo system regards the bugs,good or bad.

[Marb67]

But what would be affecting the lack of germination in the house ?

[Greenleaves]

I know you have said you have not overwatered Marb but the key is damp compost at sowing, indoors, the top of the compost will crust and dry very quickly and our tendency is to think they need water when the compost underneath is fine.