Broad bean flowers falling off (again)

[Marb67]

Well this happens year after year. Perfectly healthy aquadulce claudia (yes, healthy believe it or not) with tons of flowers, some slight thrip damage on a few tips and well watered in deep raised bed. So why are the flowers falling off before they pod ? Plenty of bees pollinating for weeks.



This is the thrip damage but summer varieties usually much worse hence why I now grow Autumn for an earlier crop as *&%£"+@#@ thrips seem to be a curse in my garden in late summer

[Greenleaves]

It could be the bees eating through the flowers, blossom drop can also be the cause, too hot or too dry.

[Snoop Puss]

They're a bit like plankton: millions produced but far fewer survive. The plant couldn't support every bean if every flower were to succeed. Many are bound to drop off, but some will turn to beans. The only possible failings I can imagine are those that Greenleaves mentions, or possibly too much nitrogen, so healthy leaves but not so good for beans.

Edited to ask: Out of interest, what are the spacings between your plants? They look a bit cramped compared to mine, but maybe that's just because yours are so lush and healthy.

[Scarlet]

I agree with the others, it’s all good - you can expect every flower to produce. Though if I was to change one thing it would be to give those plants a little more room.

[Marb67]

I haven't the luxury of space to have them apart more. I have seen a lot of examples of growers having them very close together. I haven't fed with nitrogen. Should I use comfry to feed ?

[Scarlet]

If you haven’t fed them you could give it a go....but to be honest with you Marb, if they were my plants I would be pretty chuffed!

I never find broadbeans give a huge crop, so if I grow them ( I haven’t this year) I often eat them young - including the pod to get the most out of it.

[Snoop Puss]

If you do want to try feeding them, give them something with more P and K than N. Maybe a bit of ash from hard wood if you have a fireplace or woodburner.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Marb, I've just given my beans a lookover to see if I could spot any beans forming. Glad I did as the blackfly has found them and is covering the tops on about 6 of the plants. So thanks for making me inspect them!!
The lower flower trusses have not set - the flowers have gone and there's just a tiny green stalk left. Some of the next ones have started setting - but not all and there are flowers dropping off them.
I'm growing Wizard Field beans and, sshh, don't tell the others, but mine are quite close together too.

[Lumpy]

A grow the dwarf variety of Robin Hood.................about to start singing but thought better of it.
Mine are very close together and every year flowers drop but I'd like to think its like app;e drop where only the best survyve.
As far as the holes go do you have alot of sparrows lurking about because I've caught the pesky little critters a few times pecking through the immature pods. They have also had a feast on my baby blackcurrents.

[Marb67]

Ok, thanks folks. I will feed with wood ash I will apply.

[HoneyChild]

I have quite often found that flowers of various beans fall off in the beginning of the season. I have no idea why but then suddenly beans start to appear so I no longer worry about it.

[Penellype]

I'm growing The Sutton - the first time I've tried broad beans as I have no idea if I like them. I have 3 plants in a 30 litre bucket (I sowed 5 seeds but 2 didn't germinate) and they are covered in flowers. The first few flowers fell off, but I now have a group of 3 little pods about an inch long.

[nickdub]

I have quite often found that flowers of various beans fall off in the beginning of the season. I have no idea why but then suddenly beans start to appear so I no longer worry about it.

Flowers falling off is almost always due to not being pollinated. Early in the season, sometimes the temperature is too low for the pollen to work or sometimes there aren't enough pollinators around. Broad beans need the larger bumbles to pollinate them.