This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Beans - germination rates.

Yesterday, Susan W.Smith <sws2@psu.edu> asked:
> I tried planting lima beans this year and out of three 10 foot rows I
think
> I got about 6 plants to come up.  So I went out last night and replanted
the
> same area with string beans.  Someone in our commented that our soil is
not
> good for growing limas.  I did manage to get mine to grow last year (in a
> different spot in the garden) but I had to replant some spot in the rows
to
> fill in.  I have never had any problem with my string beans.  However,
this
> year I did plnat some Blue lake bush beans and thought the germination
was
> about 50% on those.  On looking closer, the tops of a number of the
plants
> looked like they had been chomped.  I did check my fencing to make sure a
> rabbit or groundhog could not get in.  I did spot a few in the area. 
When I
> dug up the rows to replant, I did not even see the remnants of many
seeds.
> Would something eat the seeds if I did not have them planted deep enough?
 I
> am puzzled by this lima bean thing.

Mice. Voles.  Birds.  All are possible predators of young seedlings. 
Central PA had a mild winter last year.  Survival of the smaller mammalian
pests could have been higher than normal, and that could be the problem.  

I once lost about a third of an extensive squash trial to field mice.  The
seeds would germinate, but before emergence, the mice would locate them (by
smell, maybe?) and dig up the germinating seeds and eat them.  They left
the dead seeds alone, and didn't touch seedlings that actually had emerged
from the soil.  But for a day or two, there was apparently a very tasty
window of opportunity for mice with good senses of smell!  

Finally, I think most of us have learned that sparrows learn quickly to eat
young seedlings from exposed flats.  I've often seen sparrows eating
seedlings in unprotected greenhouses.  
Rick Grazzini
rickg@centrelab.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index