Beans germinated in paper smell funky - shall I thow them and start over?

Hi everybody,

I normally start my seeds in pots, but this year I wanted to try a variety of runner beans, mangetout, broad beans and borlotti.
Given it is a bunch of plants, I decided to try and germinating them in paper.
I left them for 20 hours soaking in water, and then I made three trays.
One for broad beans and one for borlotti, which do not smell and all germinated very well.
And a last one with a mix of runner beans, a few germinated (it has been 2 days now) but they smell funky.
Shall I just throw them, including the ones which have germinated, and start over?

Thanks,
Aldo

 

If they germinate they'll be fine. I find when germinating on damp kitchen paper (e.g. in Tupperware containers) the key is not to get the paper too wet. I use dry kitchen paper and a spray bottle, to get the paper only just moist. The beans absorb the water, so need to re-spray once of twice a day so they can keep on drinking

If your paper is wet maybe replace with fresh (and only "damp" rather than "wet")?

 

Normal ones and funky smelling ones.

 

I expect the bottom ones are fermenting ...

The might get on better in some damp vermiculite, or compost. Just chuck them in the container, and inspect every day and before they start throwing up Seed Leaves move them on to pots / similar.

They do look a bit wet to me though

 

Yeah I used to germinate runners like, that before potting up, they do get a bit pongy, but its nothing to worry about.
I'm sure you will get one or two that just rot, and that is why I did it that way, no use potting up dead seeds.

 

Something different now ?

 

Haven't grown runners in 10 yrs.
Not greatly into veg these days, but used to grow a fair bit in the 80s and 90s.

 

I think you are right, it is the first time I try and probably I sprayed too much water.
Also considered that I soaked them first.
The other trays did ok, but perhaps the beans absorbed less water.

 

Thanks, I'll change the paper or use vermiculite instead and see how that works out.

 

Ah ... and there was I thinking you had some magic-recipe for Bean Germination that you weren't sharing