Beans Not Cooperating

[so lucky]

For some reason, my bush beans look like they are at the end of the season, and they have barely produced. Now that they look so scrawny, the bugs are causing them a lot of stress, too. I put fish emulsion on them earlier in the week, and we have had plenty of rain. Not too much, I don't think. Even the pole beans are not maintaining the vigor they started out with. It seems to me the weather has been ideal for bean growing, but they look rather pathetic.
I guess I will mix up some spinosad and spray them. I don't see the bugs, but it looks like they are being eaten at night, maybe. Just many little holes in the leaves.
You know, it occurred to me there might be something else at play here: I mentioned earlier that my broccoli went straight to seed, without forming heads. Well, both the broccoli and the bush beans were old seed that had been frozen for about 12 years. Germination was great, but do you suppose the plants were doomed from the start, from being from such old seed? Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[seedcorn]

Age of seed only affects germ and vigor coming up. Once roots set, genetics take over.

 

[journey11]

Too much rain/wet feet or weed competition maybe? Beans won't need additional nitrogen since they fix their own. Could be that they are diseased. Can you post a pic?

 

[digitS']

Flea beetles are rather sneaky, leapy things. (You've got the right spray.)

Beans are also susceptible to spider mites - so tiny, you have to use your imagination to see them. I'd bet on beetles, tho'. The mites like it hot and dry; then they move in.

Sometimes, legumes benefit from N to get started. I don't know if that is true when you use inoculate, or not. If they are having trouble from whatever the cause, you may want to just pull the bush beans rather than wait for more production. I've got until the middle of this month to sow bush beans and expect a harvest.

Steve

 

[majorcatfish]

had the very same thing here.
the yellow wax beans were very sorry maybe a couple dinners then stopped producing no bug damage just stopped, hoping the ones in the raised beds will produce for a couple canners worth..
the first round of blue lake pole beans was a wash as well saw maybe 10 beans, pulled all of them up. will have to chalk it up to being planted in the new expanded part of the main garden and lack of pollinators.
which kind of worked out ok need that area to plant the cantaloupe, did reset the pole bean trellis where the peas were going to give another college try .

 

[so lucky]

Maybe I will replant the bush beans. There should be time here, too. Can't post pics right now, @journey11. Just imagine a yellowing, sparse leaved, scrawny, bug-eaten bean plant, and you will have a good picture in your mind's eye.
If I do plant more, I'm gonna have to stay on top of the insect issue, because from here on out is when they are normally bad for me.

 

[seedcorn]

Way to check for spider mites is to hold a white piece of paper (computer paper works fine) below plant. Shake plant, little black specks should (or should I say not) fall on paper. If spider mites, they will start to move.

 

[digitS']

My beans seem to be doing okay. Getting past this extreme weather event will allow greater confidence, one way or another. I've got more green beans than usual but started this morning, replacing the miserable peas with a late planting of beans.

Seems likely that spider mites are tolerating all this heat.

Mites are fairly easy to kill with soap. The horticultural oils should also work. You don't want the sun damaging the plants after spraying, tho'.

The mites have to be hit with the spray. No killing them, otherwise. And, those things must have generations rated on a daily basis.

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

It's happening with my beans two (actually it eventually happens most years) starting at the base, the leaves start to yellow and brown and drop off (faster than they would if it was simply an "old leaf' issue). Eventually, the plants get into a sort of race against time, where the long term survival/ production of the plants becomes rather dependent on the tips growing faster than the back is dying (by the end of the season, a lot my bean vines are probably 10-15 feet long unwrapped.........and have leaves only on the farthest 5-6 inches.) I doubly worrying since it is happening on the Mottled greys (who still haven't even really started making vines,) at the same speed (increasing the chances of the problem reaching the end of the plant and killing it.)

 

[dickiebird]

The deer ate 60% of my bush beans before I got an elect fence up.
Those that are left are producing like mad.
They also ate the tops off a bunch of my tomatoes but I think their pruning has helped with the tomato production.

THANX RICH