Some of my broad beans came up upside down. I saw white
roots poking up above the surface of the soil, and when I
dug them up, there were the beginnings of leaves making
their way downwards. So I uprighted them. Just thought
you'd be amused.

Rhiannon

I've got a few Australian runner beans too. Every year I forget which way to plant
them - eye up, eye down, on their side, on their end. It never says on the seed
packet. Just for the record - which way are they *supposed* to be planted?
--
Drakanthus.


(Spam filter: Include the word VB anywhere in the subject line or emails
will never reach me.)

you just poke 'em in and up they come

Drakanthus wrote:
:: Some of my broad beans came up upside down. I saw white
:: roots poking up above the surface of the soil, and when I
:: dug them up, there were the beginnings of leaves making
:: their way downwards. So I uprighted them. Just thought
:: you'd be amused.
::
:: Rhiannon
:
: I've got a few Australian runner beans too. Every year I forget which
: way to plant them - eye up, eye down, on their side, on their end. It
: never says on the seed packet. Just for the record - which way are
: they *supposed* to be planted?

"Kase" wrote in message
...

"Drakanthus" wrote in message
...
you just poke 'em in and up they come


It's just disconcerting when a root pops out of the compost and the
shoot
with
leaves is heading off down to the bottom of the pot!
Why do a minority of beans do this?
--
Drakanthus.


When the seed casing burts, the root and shoot will grow in the direction
that they were planted for a very short while, however roots are
geotropic -
that is, they will turn towards gravity, and therefore grow downwards,
even
if you turn the plant over a few times! The leaves are generally
phototropic
(they will grow towards the light) and anti-geotropic (they will grow away
from gravity). You won't see the root and shoot turning themselves the
right
way up if you plant the seed at the proper depth as it will happen under
the
surface of the soil until the seedling is just the right size to show
above.


I found that by the simple means of getting an onion set upside down! Roots
came out of the top and headed south looking like the bars of a cage. When I
dug it up to replant it, I found the shoot heading upwards. Now it's
probably just confused.

I wonder what seeds / onion sets do in zero gravity?

Do the roots just head off in every direction? Anyone know?

Yup and Yup....

- h

In article ,
Drakanthus writes
I found that by the simple means of getting an onion set upside down! Roots
came out of the top and headed south looking like the bars of a cage. When I
dug it up to replant it, I found the shoot heading upwards. Now it's
probably just confused.


I wonder what seeds / onion sets do in zero gravity? Do the roots just head off
in
every direction? Anyone know?

Haven't they been trying that sort of thing on the space station?

Not gravity, but like - I remember reading as a kid how to grow a zig-
zag potato by putting it in a closed box and open the ends to the light
alternately
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Drakanthus" wrote
I wonder what seeds / onion sets do in zero gravity? Do the roots
just head off in
every direction? Anyone know?
--
Drakanthus.


http://library.thinkquest.org/C00376...p?page=human03 may have
the answer :~)
Jenny