Hi, I have a question concerning the growth of lima bean plants. My mother, who is an experienced gardener, says that lima beans can be planted in cotton or paper towel and left there until they grow reasonably tall, and then should be repotted in soil. I am sceptical, however; I am under the impression that plants need nutrients from the soil to grow anything but very small roots.

If lima bean plants can be grown in cotton for a while successfully, is there a way to tell that they must be repotted? And is this even true?

Thanks,

Melissa

Melissa, you have to make a guess at this. The plants are using the stored food in the seed at first: there is a lot there (which is why we eat them, too) which allows them to grow in water, but as soon as that gets used, they need all the things that all plants do. I would not wait too long to plant them out (in fact, I wouldn't start them this way at all unless I just wanted to try the method out for fun.) Derek

Nataija,

The bean will start to grow in a few days, and will use the food stored in the bean at first. It will not really grow to a large size in the house unless you have a very light place for it, but if you want to try, you can use any soluble plant food that you buy in a nursery, using a very dilute rate. Follow the instructions on the packet using about half as much as they recommend, and give the plant as much light as you can. Derek

I'm doing an experiment on plants and wanted to grow a lima bean. How long will it take? I'm planting it in my house and have to have it grown in at least a week. Can I do that?

The answer is the same as the one that I gave before
The bean will start to grow in a few days, and will use the food stored in the bean at first. It will not really grow to a large size in the house unless you have a very light place for it, but if you want to try, you can use any soluble plant food that you buy in a nursery, using a very dilute rate. Follow the instructions on the packet using about half as much as they recommend, and give the plant as much light as you can. Derek

i am doing a science experiment on lima beans. Will they grow in a zip log bag and with artificial light.