Organic Cluster Bean Seeds - Open Pollinated

Cluster bean has become one of the most important commercial crops in the arid and semi-arid regions. Because of its deep tap rooting system is a drought-resistant leguminous crop with a high capacity to recover from water stress. The endosperm of cluster bean seeds contains around 30-33% gum. The gum is used in various foods, including ice cream, baked goods, and dairy products. Its gum is also used in various other industries, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, mining, textiles, paper, oil drilling, and explosives. Cluster bean pods have traditionally been used as a vegetable.

Benefits/Uses of cluster bean

• Cluster beans contain glycol nutrients, a water-soluble dietary fiber that aids digestion while also preventing rapid changes in blood sugar levels.
• Potassium aids in the maintenance of a healthy heart as well as the proper flow of body fluids. Potassium supports in maintaining healthy blood pressure, and Cluster Beans are an excellent source of protein.
• Cluster Beans contain a significant amount of calcium as a nutrient, making them an excellent option for preventing Kidney Stones.
• These beans are rich in folic acid, which satisfies the needs of women by supplying them with essential vitamins and minerals.
• These beans also contain Vitamin K, which is essential for the development of a fetus. As a result, including Cluster Beans in one's diet may benefit both the mother and the fetus.
• Cluster Beans improve blood circulation by increasing hemoglobin levels in the blood since it is high in iron, which serves as the building block for blood cells and improves blood circulation.
• Cluster beans are also known to contain photo-chemicals, which help the body's blood circulation.
• Cluster Beans benefits include lowering harmful cholesterol levels in the body, improving heart health, and reducing the risk of heart failure or heart attack.
•  Cluster beans contain folic acid and potassium, which help minimize heart-related risks, maintaining a happy and safe life.

Specifications of cluster bean seeds

Planting and care for cluster beans

Sowing cluster bean seeds

• Sow beans in grow bags will rise against their supports or four to six inches (10-15cm) apart with 18 inches (45cm) between rows for bush varieties.
• Scratch out rows with a hoe or use a trowel to dig individual planting holes.
• Place two seeds in each hole, about an inch (2 cm) apart and two inches (5 cm) deep.
• Sow the first seed one week before the last predicted frost date, then every three or four weeks until mid-summer.
• A thin layer of organic mulch should be applied to the soil before sowing seeds.
• When the plants reach a height of 6 inches, you can add more mulch until it comes to a thickness of 4 inches.
• Cluster bean plants require 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, and they do not produce satisfactory results when grown in the shade.

Growing cluster beans

To keep moisture in the soil, make sure it's well-drained. Since beans have shallow roots, mulch helps keep them cool—water about 2 inches per week from the beginning of the pod to the end of the set. Beans may avoid flowering if they are not kept well watered. On sunny days, water lightly so that the foliage does not get saturated. Fertilize if possible after heavy bloom and the emergence of pods. However, stop using a high-nitrogen fertilizer, as this will result in lush vegetation but little beans. Halfway through their growing season, apply a side dressing of compost or composted manure. To avoid disturbing the root systems, weed vigorously and cultivate shallowly. When pole beans hit the top of the support, pinch out the tops to force them to focus their energy on growing more pods. Using row covers in hot weather can cause blossoms to fall off plants, reducing harvest.

Harvesting cluster beans

Approximately two weeks after bloom, beans are ready to harvest. The beans should be harvested right before the seeds mature and the pods develop bumps. When bent, the pods can snap back into place. To keep the plants productive, pick beans every 2–3 days. To avoid damaging the plant, pinch the beans rather than pulling them. Using scissors, cut the pole beans from the plant.

Precautions while growing cluster beans

• The cluster bean plants are drought tolerant and prefer full sun, but they are frost prone. The plant typically has little rain, but it needs additional water during the growing season and maturation.
• Since cluster beans are a Kharif crop, many types of weeds grow naturally around them, competing for nutrients and humidity with the main plant. It is essential to eradicate them.
• Any weeds that do poke through should be pulled out by hand to avoid damaging the bean plant's roots. When pole beans have hit the top of their supports, pinch out the tops.
• It keeps them from being a tangled mess, and it directs the plants' efforts toward growing more flowers and beans.

Common Problems affecting cluster bean plants and solutions

Cutworms are grey grubs that curl up at the base of plants in the soil. Debris and plant residue should be removed from the garden. Maintain a weed-free garden. Around seedlings, use cardboard collars.

Seedcorn maggots are the larvae of tiny grey flies that are yellowish-white in color. Maintain the cleanliness of the garden. Cultivate to get the larvae to the surface and disrupt the life cycle. When the weather warms up, replant.

Damping-off is a fungus that lives in the soil and thrives in humid environments. Planting in damp, moist soil is not recommended. Ensure that the soil is well-drained.

Bean leaf beetles are about 14 inches long, reddish to yellowish-orange in color, and have black spots on their back and black margins on their front wings. Larvae will drill roots. Select and kill by hand. Maintain the cleanliness of the garden. In the spring, cultivate to a depth of 6 inches to kill larvae and interrupt the life cycle. Using a floating row cover, keep beetles out.

Flea beetles are a sixteenth of an inch long bronze or black beetle. Seedlings and small transplants have small holes in their leaves that they digest. The larvae eat the roots of newly sprouted plants. Diatomaceous earth should be spread around the seedling. Cultivate often to throw off the life cycle. Keep the garden clean.

Leafhoppers are 1/3-inch long orange, brown, or yellow bugs with wedge-shaped wings. They suck the juices from plants by jumping sideways. Insecticidal soap should be used. To keep bugs away from your plants, use floating row covers and insecticidal soap.

Use of Trichoderma Viride or Pseudomonas Fluorescens biofertilizers for fungal infections and bio pest control for problems with pests and insects are highly recommended.

No. of Cluster Bean Seeds - 50+