Topic: French bean plants looking sad

[ina]

Several leaf sets are all yellow, mostly on the bottom but some in the middle. Not brown or dry looking, just bright yellow and dead. Harvest has been going for a while but the plants don't look as vigorous as I'm used to at this stage. Harvest is very good but I think it will not last as long as in the past. No new blooms either.
What could be wrong?

[ruud]

Ina,i got the same problems.I am now harvesting the beans,and throwing the plants on the bin,no second harvest.I have in the meanwhile sowed some rows again.Mayby i am to late but that is the gamble i take.

[ina]

Aha! That makes me think it may have something to do with the weather here. It has been very wet up until two weeks ago.

[Lady Cosmos]

Ina, is your soil only clay? May be the beans have been overwatered and now they are very dry. For french beans is the recipe:"Moisture at the roots is essential to ensure maiximum pod development and a long cropping period. Water copiously and regularly if the weather turns dry or after the flowering period".
After all that heavy rain they had enough water and that dry weather at the moment is not good for them. I water them every other day and they are still nice and green and I can pick beans every day. Because of my sandy soil I have to water often otherwise nothing is growing. But changing from wet to extremely dry is a difficult thing for plants to cope. If it is not a bug, like downy mildew f.i. may be it is a shortage of water.

[tim]

Me too!  Rakker, I'm afraid. Had a shaky start & are on the poorest bit of ground. Other French nearby, & the Runners, are fine, though the latter are only just starting to produce straight beans - all the early ones were curly. = Tim

[alit]

I have the same problem with my dwarf french beans.  Its only just started to happen end of last week.  they have been lovely and healthy up until now.  I am picking the last and pulling up the yellow sickly looking plants.  What i have found though, is that they have next to no root system left.  i wondered if they had been eaten by something.

Alit :(