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Post by walt on Aug 11, 2018 13:42:35 GMT -5
Great thread. Really enjoying it. Might have another go at hand pollinating a common x common cross. Tried once years ago but I don’t have a delicate touch and managed only to mangle flowers I tried to emasculate. Those coiling stamens make it difficult. Thought I might try a fertile x fertile cross and just keep my fingers crossed. I don't know if you saw the posts on a mutant bean that makes crossing easier by delaying self pollination? Mine aren't blooming yet, but I think they will be my only route to bean crosses as my hands shake too much. |
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Post by raymondo on Aug 11, 2018 17:50:23 GMT -5
No, I haven’t seen that post walt. That would make fertile x fertile crosses a little easier. I’ve seen described the method of hooking the pollen parent stamen around the seed parent pistil to the keep it exserted but my big clumsy hands would make that difficult I think. Anyway, it’s for enjoyment only so I’ll simply have a go. If it works, it works. |
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Post by Srdjan Gavrilovic on Aug 12, 2018 5:26:57 GMT -5
Well that explains the slick, shiny pods forming on one of the vines. They are not normal greasy beans, too wide and flat. Did I send you any wild beans, phaseolus poylatacious? The tiny little pods shatter easily and takes lots to make much but they truly are perennial, my patch is three or four years old and just keeps getting bigger both from roots and self seeding. I haven't actually eaten any but they would certainly make an interesting cross. hint, hint. That is actually my hope, to have perennial greasy beans one day. There are many issues with even attempting this cross and for sure will take a lot of effort to get there. Luckily there are at least few others with overlapping aims and at least someone might get there  . I have only 2 accessions of P. polystachios and its first year to grow them here. They grow almost fine but it looks like they will not flower this year. I don't even know if they are perennial under these conditions. Fingers crossed for next year. Do you have any of those tiny pods/seeds left? Do you plan to harvest more? |
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Post by walt on Aug 12, 2018 13:41:20 GMT -5
Srdjan.
P. polystachios crosses much better with the lima bean. P. lunatus, than with the other domestic species. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try making the cross with these beans, just making sure you know which cross is easier. The are a few using P. polystachios x P. lunatus on facebook Plant Breeding For Permiculture.
But good luck to all on whatever crosses you are trying.
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andyb
gardener
Posts: 179
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Post by andyb on Aug 28, 2018 22:43:06 GMT -5
That is actually my hope, to have perennial greasy beans one day. There are many issues with even attempting this cross and for sure will take a lot of effort to get there. Luckily there are at least few others with overlapping aims and at least someone might get there . I have only 2 accessions of P. polystachios and its first year to grow them here. They grow almost fine but it looks like they will not flower this year. I don't even know if they are perennial under these conditions. Fingers crossed for next year. Do you have any of those tiny pods/seeds left? Do you plan to harvest more? That sounds like a great breeding goal! I wish you luck. I can't find a link online, but if you can track down the paper "The Ecology of the Wild Kidney Bean Phaseolus Polystachios", citation here (nih.gov), it has some really good information on P. polystachios. I wish I'd read it sooner. Apparently they have different growth modes depending on photoperiod. Too long of days, and they won't flower. Too short of days, and they won't flower. 13.5 hours of light per day is apparently just right, and they'll flower. I pruned my plant heavily and set the lights to 13.5 hours. No flowers yet, but I'm hopeful. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 28, 2018 23:47:51 GMT -5
The Common X Runner hybrids that I am growing have been flowering for a month or more. They finally started setting seeds this week. Weather turned decidedly cooler. And I've been triggering flowers when I'm in the patch.
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Post by reed on Aug 29, 2018 6:59:19 GMT -5
Mine are flowering gloriously and setting lots of pods. Bumblebees and Ruby Throat hummingbirds are handling pollination. Some of the earlier ones on the white flowered vines are about ready to pick and see what's inside.
I was over at my favorite fishing lake a couple weeks ago and found a big patch of what looks like P. polystachios growing wild. There are other wild vines around here that look similar so I'm not sure. Gonna try to make it back there in couple more weeks to see if there are pods. I got my original P. polystachios from someone here on the forum, don't remember right off who it was.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 6, 2018 9:23:48 GMT -5
The F1 common X runner crosses have grown one seed so far that looks big enough to be viable. Today is my average first frost date and the other pods are still small. The extended forecast is looking dry. Frost typically follows our first rainstorm in September.
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Post by reed on Sept 6, 2018 10:13:22 GMT -5
Mine are so intermingled I can't tell for sure but I think only two are actually making seeds. One is about done, it has the wider than normal for greasy pods but the seeds look exactly like cut short white greasy beans. That vine had white flowers and is now dying down, lots of dry pods to get picked asap so they don't get rained on especially since there is considerable spotting on the pods already. I might think this one isn't actually a cross except I don't think any of the seeds I planted looked like that, don't remember for sure though.
The red flowered vine(s) is still green and vigorous, covered in massive amounts of flowers and pods in various stages. Pods on this vine look just like other runners except smaller. The first dry seeds are a mottled bluish purple on tan, good golly, they are a mottled dark purple/ black on lighter bluish purple . They look very much like some other runners I have except, again smaller and a little cut-short. This vine looks like it might yield a quart, probably more of dry seeds. Way plenty enough to try some of the younger pods on the grill which I think I'll do this evening.
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Sept 6, 2018 13:16:22 GMT -5
The F1 common X runner crosses have grown one seed so far that looks big enough to be viable. Today is my average first frost date and the other pods are still small. The extended forecast is looking dry. Frost typically follows our first rainstorm in September. Sheesh... anyway you can harvest them like your sweet potato berries to mature longer? Or pot up in the greenhouse? |
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