What's wrong with my beans?

Megan 6/26/2010, 8:52 am

...if anything? I have noticed lately that on my pole limas, the lower leaves have developed this reddish-tannish dappling. The backs of the leaves are unremarkable.

What's wrong with my beans? Photo-796782

What's wrong with my beans? Photo-796782

The other pole bean (not a lima) 4 squares away on the diagonal does not have this, just 1-2 leaves totally yellow at the very bottom of the plant.

Both plants seem to be extremely healthy otherwise, they've topped their 6.5-ft trellis and are sending out additional vines all over the place and blooming. (So pretty -- the lima blooms a cream color, the other one purple!)

I tried looking in that visual guide to plant mineral deficiencies which Belfrybat so kindly linked for us, but beans are not listed. Have any of you seen this coloration before? I even wondered if it was just pigment, as the actual lima seeds are splashed with dark red...

What's wrong with my beans? Lb104

(photo from Baker Creek)

... any ideas? :?:

Retired Member 1 6/26/2010, 1:01 pm

I have three kinds of pole beans planted and all are yellowing at the bottom. But the tops are nice and green and producing beans, so I'm not going to worry about it. It could be caused by soil splash, but it doesn't seem to be bothering the plants.

Megan 6/27/2010, 11:54 am

Will pole beans keep going until frost kills them? Or could I plan something else for the trellis after they go by? (I am thinking about starting a pumpkin.)

Retired Member 1 6/27/2010, 3:45 pm

They'll go until frost, but will stop producing when temps are above 90 on a regular basis. But mine then perk up in the fall and I usually end up with a good crop. You are in a cooler zone, so I would think yours will not take as long a "vacation" as mine.

Megan 6/27/2010, 4:09 pm

Highs in the 90's, or lows? It has been very hot during the day here, but getting down to the 60's at night.

elliephant 6/27/2010, 7:05 pm

belfrybat wrote:They'll go until frost, but will stop producing when temps are above 90 on a regular basis. But mine then perk up in the fall and I usually end up with a good crop. You are in a cooler zone, so I would think yours will not take as long a "vacation" as mine.

Darn! I was hoping maybe I could grow a quick crop of bush beans before I put my fall garden in. So many empty squares...but there just doesn't seem to be anything I can put in them right now.

Megan 6/27/2010, 7:13 pm

I just ordered some seeds for fall gardening... not sure how it will work out, but I'm going to try!

ander217 6/28/2010, 7:54 am

I'm having some bean problems, too, and I found this site which includes beans in their photos of mineral deficiencies:

http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/beans.htm

From the photos it appears to me you could have a light magnesium or calcium deficiency. See what you think.

(From these photos it appears my own problem is a potassium deficiency, which is strange because the squares of different varieties of beans on either side of the problematic one are fine, but the wax bean leaves look browned around the edges and tips, exactly like the ones in the photo.)

ander217 6/28/2010, 7:59 am

Megan wrote:Will pole beans keep going until frost kills them? Or could I plan something else for the trellis after they go by? (I am thinking about starting a pumpkin.)

My pole beans produce until frost, but after the first few weeks they usually begin to have smaller beans that curve, rather than the long, full, straight pods that are produced at first. Mine usually begin losing their leaves, too, so that by the time I pick the last beans before frost there are usually just vines with a very few leaves left on the plants.

I'm not sure if mine develop diseases, or if they exhaust the soil of a needed mineral, but I usually try to pick my freezing beans from the first flushes, and the later ones I just use for eating fresh or adding to soup mixes.

Megan 6/28/2010, 5:52 pm

Thank you Ander! I think I'll spread some Epsom Salts a little later this evening after it's not quite so danged hot. Need to mix up that fish emulsion I got, too.

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