From bae@oci.utoronto.ca Thu Jun 23 23:26:18 EDT 1994
Article: 35718 of rec.gardens
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!utnut!oci!bae
From: bae@oci.utoronto.ca (Beverly Erlebacher)
Subject: Re: Soak beans before planting?
Message-ID: <CrICyo.9F7@oci.utoronto.ca>
Sender: news@oci.utoronto.ca
Organization: Ontario Cancer Institute - U of Toronto
References: <CrC96y.L0x@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 1994 20:59:12 GMT
Lines: 31

In article <CrC96y.L0x@acsu.buffalo.edu> v062mbg3@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Karen C Allen) writes:
>My pole beans rotted in the ground (had some pretty cold nights here last
>week) so I decided to plant more a couple days ago and since I had heard that
>soaking them would cause faster germination I let them soak overnight first. 
>Well, they are in the ground but I just happened to come across some
>information stating *not* to soak beans before planting (in Rodale's
>Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening) although they don't say *why*.  Does anyone
>know why beans shouldn't be soaked and what I can expect to happen with these
>beans I've planted?  Should I plant more or just wait and see whether they come
>up?

Presoaking does help speed germination but sometimes when you soak beans
in a container of water they absorb it unevenly and the cotyledons may
crack, the embryo may get damaged or detached from the cotyledons, the
skin may tear, etc.   This is less likely if you put the beans on a wet
cloth rather than immersing them.  Mixing them with wet vermiculite works
too.  Peas seem to do ok with immersion, and I often soak and sprout them
to get a jump on the season.

If you want to plant your beans (too) early, or you have problems with
emergence in a heavy soil, or the slugs chew out the growing point as soon
as the seedling emerge, I think the best method is to plant the beans in
a pot and keep them indoors until they sprout.  This avoids cold soil,
heavy soil and pest problems.  It's an especially good method for pole
beans, since you can start a whole hill in a pint food carton and transplant
the whole group without injuring the roots much.

Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada




From bae@oci.utoronto.ca Thu Jun 23 23:28:04 EDT 1994
Article: 35724 of rec.gardens
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!utnut!oci!bae
From: bae@oci.utoronto.ca (Beverly Erlebacher)
Subject: Re: Forgot to treat bean seeds with innoculant
Message-ID: <CrIEK0.A5p@oci.utoronto.ca>
Sender: news@oci.utoronto.ca
Organization: Ontario Cancer Institute - U of Toronto
References: <2tkd8b$333@cmcl2.NYU.EDU>
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 1994 21:33:36 GMT
Lines: 25

In article <2tkd8b$333@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> jeff@cns.nyu.edu writes:
>This year, my planting of several varieties of bush and pole beans was done hastily
>and I forgot to treat the seeds with legume innoculant before planting. The seeds have just germinated in the last few days and I wondering if there is any point to 
>trying to infuse some innoculant around each sprout (perhaps with a syringe and short
>piece of small-diameter tubing)? Does anyone have thoughts on this or a sense
>of how important it is to use innoculant. Thanks. 

I forgot to one year as well, and since this was a new garden, formerly
lawn, I figured there might not be the right bacteria there.  I just
mixed up some inoculant with plenty of water (not all that easy),
scratched a narrow trench next to the plants, poured the mix in and
covered the trench.  When I pulled up the plants after they were done,
there were plenty of healthy nodules on the roots, so either it worked
or the soil already had the right bacteria.  Too bad I didn't do a
controlled experiment: maybe you can.  Tell me the results!

Now that I've cycled inoculated beans and peas through most of the 
garden, I've stopped buying inoculant.  Current wisdom is that beans
are 'lazy' and don't fix much nitrogen in the good soils likely to
be found in gardens, and I figure my soil is full of the right kind
of bacteria now anyway.  

Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada



