How are the plants being fed? From the little I know about that method of growing, I suspect a possible excess of fertilizer. That is only a guess, however.

Jim

Hello Jim!

I have an automatic watering system that is watering/feeding them with a 1/10 Miracle Gro solution. Click here for a more detailed description. I may very well be over feeding them. I have other veggies growing on the same system, but it looks like the bean are the only ones showing any problems. I can put the beans on a "diet", and water by hand for a few days to help lower the fertilizer already in the soil.

I did do some poking around, and thought it might be a rust, but after seeing some pictures of rust, it does not look like that. I will do some research on over fertilizing and see if I come up with anything.

Thanks for your comments!

I am not an expert. My first year w/ pole beans, but lots of experience w/ bush varieties. I suspect Jimster is spot on because I don't think beans require nitrogen other than what they get from the atmosphere. They improve soil quality because I believe they harness nitrogen from the atmosphere. It is one part of the idea behind rotating soybeans every 4th year w/ corn in a farming operation.

Not a scientist, but I don't add N for beans.

I'm not one who quickly jumps to the conclusion of excess N as the cause of any problem. I arrived at my guess mostly by elimination. I see nothing there that looks like insect damage. I see nothing that looks like disease. I see nothing that resembles nutrient deficiency. That doesn't leave many choices. But it is still a guess.

Jim

Hello Mark and Jim.

Thanks to you both for your thoughts. I have cut off the supply of water/fertilizer to the container. I have also given it a good watering to try and help flush some of the excess fertilizer out (if that turns out to be the problem).

I have also submitted photos of the plant to the NC State Plant Disease & Insect Clinic online to see what they have to say. If/when I get the results, I will post it here.

I have also read that beans do not need nitrogen because they pull it from the air. So, if I were to fertilize the beans, what type of fertilizer would I use? I have not found a fertilizer that has a low/no N, with some level of P and K.

Just curious on how one would fertilize beans in general.

Thanks!

I have kentucky wounder beans that will not grow up the the pole. They are 46 days old and look like bush beans, but there producing beans. What is wrong with them?

Most likely you planted a bush version. There are a number of varieties on the market called or alluded to to as bush Kentucky Wonder. Most bear little resemblance to the original pole version.

Hi Jethro,

I've been dealing with similar conditions, that is, more yellow leaves than beans. Thank you for asking the question, and I look forward to your posting of answers from the Disease and Insect Clinic.

Penny

I've used Sevin for years, it does not harm plants at all.

Wow! I had to go back and dig up old emails on this problem.

The response I got back from the NC State Plant Disease & Insect Clinic was a simple:

Yellowing and browning of lower foliage suggests possible nutritional disorder.

So it would seem the fertilizer was the problem.

I have not grown pole beans since then, as my garden area has shrunk due to the trees in my yard getting taller and fuller over the years, and I am getting fewer hours of direct sun light every year. I think this year will be my last year doing a garden. I will miss it . . .

Thanks for all the thoughts and comments on this problem!

Let me share my kentucky wonder pole bean story....

Most of my pole beans didn't make the rabbits picking them off, I have three surviving plants, mixed in with bush beans in the same garden box....which was a last minute decision to fill the box-they are doing great. a couple of weeks ago i spread a little manure mixture around the plants and watered heavily, but have slowed down the last two weeks, since everything looks great-beans are growing wonderfully.

4 days ago, the neighbor's dog had their muzzle in my green beans for a minute or two. then the dog took off, the dog came back and had their head into the beans once more. that's when i ran out the door and let the neighbor's know that dogs carry pathogens to unborn babies and the dog is no longer welcomed. today i went to water the plants, and the exact spot where the dog was nosing, is all yellow and brown-the leaves feel like sandpaper. I know it's the dog's fault-it has to be. the saliva i don't believe was washed off, the dog is female, so i don't believe it's dog urine. this would match up with the other comments about the leaves looking yellow brown more towards the bottom of the plant. I just wanted to post, to make sure I wasnt going to get a disease from eating the beans from the plant. also, the kentucky wonder pole beans seem to be the only plant effected. is this dog's favorite food?