Topic: Clubroot in Beans?

[southernsteve]

A bit of a beginners question here I am afraid, but can anybody tell me if runner beans can be affected by clubroot. I have just pulled mine up from the back garden and was about to transfer them to the compost heap on my lottie, when I noticed the roots where rather large and looked like small twisted parsnips. It is a while since I last grew runners, so forgive me if this is normal, but I have not encountered any problems with the plants themselves during the summer, and the only thing grown on the site in the last 10 years or so was sweet peas last year. It used to hold my greenhouse. I don't want to compost them and introduce clubroot into the allotment. I suppose the only other reason could be the lack of rain we have had here and I was away a lot during the summer so they didn't receive the water they needed.

Many thanks, Steve

[manicscousers]

never heard of it in beans, it's a brassica problem, isn't it, the nodules on the roots contain nitrogen, I think, we just dig the roots in so the cabbages use it later :)

[supersprout]

your beans should be fine ss :) btw you can snip them off at ground level so the roots can rot into the soil and release their nitrogen for the next crop :)

[laurieuk]

Some people try to grow the "tubers" on for the next year, I did this once but it really is not worth the bother, you get much more vigour from new seed.

[southernsteve]

Thanks for the info. I haven't grown beans for a number of years and only grew them in the garden this year to fill a gap until I got a lottie. I think I used to just let them die back then dig them into the soil. Just got a bit of a shock when I pulled them up and saw the roots, they just didn't look right. As all the nitrogen is in those roots, I think I will dig the whole lot out and compost them or even put them in the bean trench which I will be digging for their perminant home. Where they were is being put to grass in the spring.

[manicscousers]

is it o.k to put the roots of beans in a bean trench ? :)

[supersprout]

yes, I would :)