Talltinman's Inbox

Hello there... I understand that runner beans need lots of watering, feeding so do that but one more thing you could do is spray the flowers with a sugar solution to encourage pollination. That may just be the answer. I really hope so for you.

we had this problem early on and found that birds were the guilty party, they liked the red flowers and were eating them, hence no beans..hung up some old cd's on string around the beans and this has scared them off, plenty of beans now!!!!

Hi, I've just been to look at our beans which are in flower and as yet there are no new beans growing. My husband Ian says spray the plants with water, but in my gardening book it says this has no effect, as they are insect pollinated and the insects are brought out by warmth. Grow runners in sheltered rather than exposed positions to encourage insects. They are also more attracted to the white flowered runner varieties than they are to pink or red flowered ones.

Needless to say we have always grown red flowering varieties and there has been no problem with the setting of the beans. I think the weather this year has been too cold and wet and everything is later than usual, you could always use an artists brush to pollinate them if the insects aren't doing their job.

Hope this helps you a bit.