When runner beans reach the top of their supports should they be 'nipped
off' to, possibly, encourage more 'sprouts' to form lower down ?

Or should the growing tip be 'nipped' before it reaches the top ?

Or, as i have done in previous years, should they just be allowed to
continue growing and to flop where they may ! ?

"Bowman" <nospam [at] nospam.please.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1mseb1fqbbt0z$.1oqnjs106e9y5$.dlg [at] 40tude.net...
: When runner beans reach the top of their supports should they be 'nipped
: off' to, possibly, encourage more 'sprouts' to form lower down ?
:
: Or should the growing tip be 'nipped' before it reaches the top ?
:
: Or, as i have done in previous years, should they just be allowed to
: continue growing and to flop where they may ! ?

They should be nipped when they reach the top or just before as they seem to
keep going for a while

In article <NtOdnfPE7vD4fgHZnZ2dnUVZ8s6dnZ2d [at] bt.com>,
"Robert" <beachcomber [at] ultimate-anonymity.com> writes:
|> "Bowman" <nospam [at] nospam.please.co.uk> wrote in message
|> news:1mseb1fqbbt0z$.1oqnjs106e9y5$.dlg [at] 40tude.net...
|> : When runner beans reach the top of their supports should they be 'nipped
|> : off' to, possibly, encourage more 'sprouts' to form lower down ?
|> :
|> : Or should the growing tip be 'nipped' before it reaches the top ?
|> :
|> : Or, as i have done in previous years, should they just be allowed to
|> : continue growing and to flop where they may ! ?
|>
|> They should be nipped when they reach the top or just before as they seem to
|> keep going for a while

Or whatever. I have over-optimically allowed for them to climb over the
top of a 'cage', but I also nip them very low to encourage more than
one shoot. Take your pick - provided that you don't nip them out before
the first true leaves, you can do it anywhere.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks Robert, Nick.

So, no difference in time of earliest crop or of maximum crop ?
( not that the latter is terribly important really, we usually get
[eventually] more than we can eat/freeze ! )