Poorly dwarf beans....

[citizentwiglet]

Hello, hoping someone can help me out here.

I have 6 Dwarf French bean plants (Top Crop) up in the community garden. They were sown from seed and hardened off properly before planting outside, and well protected against any frost (though we didn't get any). They've been out about a fortnight now, and they ain't looking too happy.

Growth seems to be checked (they were sown in loo roll inserts and planted out like that, but the roots were clearly coming out of the bottom). New leaves seem very pale, yellow around the edges. One plant is sporting a bright yellow spot on one leaf.

Experienced gardener bloke on next bed said it was probably a nitrogen deficiency, and recommended organic seaweed liquid feed, that I duly applied tonight.

For the record, the site is very unsheltered and can often be quite windy; we have also had a lot of sharp showers followed by very bright sunshine so I'm not sure either of these could be partly to blame (another gardener thought they looked a little scorched).

I am a bit concerned they have a virus though - it's early days to tell, but I don't want to risk any virus passing from my plants to other beds. Is there any surefire way to tell, apart from waiting to see if the seaweed works? Or would you err on the side of caution and pull all the plants up?

Thanks in advance xx

[frozenthunderbolt]

Have you got a good reason to suspect a virus over any other diagnosis? I would be inclined to agree with the verdict of nitrogen deficiency - diluted piddle 1-10 with water will help address this. I am doubtful as to the nitrogen content of seaweed fertilizer - while no doubt marvelous for micro nutrients i wouldn't have thought is was naturally high in nitrogen.

[Millymollymandy]

When in doubt (which I often am!) I resort to a general purpose liquid fertiliser as I know it will add all the nutrients necessary and quickly. Do you have other veg nearby that seem to be suffering though? It's sometimes odd when everything is OK bar one type of veg. Last year quite a lot of my veg seemed a bit pale coloured including my toms and a liquid feed righted all of that. This year I have one potato (yes, just the one!) which is all yellow on the edges! I'm not going to worry about that one though as the rest are fine.

[citizentwiglet]

Thanks guys!

I think the seaweed was recommended as it is organic and, although not terribly high in nitrogen, won't do any harm to anything else, IYSWIM....well, that's what our resident Geoff Hamilton said anyway.

MMM - some of my kale is looking a bit yellow, too, to be honest.

I've no reason to suspect a virus over anything else, no - but I have to consider it as a possibility. I'd feel terrible if it spread to other plots.

Thanks for the tip of high nitrogen feed, Thunderbolt. Will get the kids weeing in the watering can pronto!

[Millymollymandy]

If it should be some kind of virus it won't be your fault as there are so many plant diseases around it's practically impossible to not get anything. Try a bit of the piddle and see how they are in a week or so's time.

[citizentwiglet]

I assume that I should leave it week or so after having the seaweed feed, should I? Or should it be OK to do ASAP?

[frozenthunderbolt]

Should be ok to do ASAP- pee diluted is not strong enough to harm them - different nutrients to the seaweed so wont overload it :-)

[citizentwiglet]

Magic, thank you!

[citizentwiglet]

Sadly, the beans are still looking very miserable. I sowed five more seeds direct into the raised bed, they are also looking very sad and yellow. I don't think the big ones are actually growing at all.

My beans and their strangeness are now the talk of the community garden, with much stratching of heads and much garbled mutterings. There is no reason why my raised bed should be any different in content to anyone else's, but the fact that the new sowings have also come through looking rather pathetic is causing some debate. At the moment, we can only assume that it is the actual seeds that are to blame. Nobody else is using this particular brand, and variety, so we have nothing to compare with. Or, it might be a virus. Apparently. As everything else has been ruled out, really.

They are actually taking up quite a lot of room in the raised bed - room that I could be transplanting my baby PSB into soon. I have eight climbing French beans (Blue Lake) doing marvellously at home (being totally neglected, watered only when I remember, that kind of thing). Do you reckon I should just cut my losses and cut down the beans in the raised bed and use the space for PSB instead? If a virus was suspected, would you dig out the roots as well, or still keep them intact for the nitrogen fix for the PSB?

Muchos gracias, and all that.....x

[Millymollymandy]

I'd take the roots out, I don't think they'll be very big at this point anyway and if the plant isn't healthy it's better to be rid of the whole lot - and don't compost the plants either to be on the safe side.

Why don't you plant a couple of seeds of another variety (get from someone else at the community garden) just to rule out it being a problem with your soil?