Pole bean leaf affliction

TexasTycoon · April 28, 2016

Can anyone help me figure out what's going on with my Kentucky Wonder pole bean leaves? Pictured are two leaves from the base of my biggest plant, several leaves on a few plants look like this.

ginger2778 · April 28, 2016

Kelly, the first 2 are for sure spider mites. Nothing else has that stippled appearance. The third shows also what appears to be early blight, at least it would be if it was a tomato plant. Beans are famous for foliar fungal stuff. The last one looks like grey mold.
I would hit it with a solution of 1Tbsp 70% or higher Neem, plus 1 Tbsp of dish soap, both per one gallon of water. Do every 4 days for 3 times to catch the stages. And I know you know the right time of day to spray neem. Neem is antifungal as well as insecticidal.

TexasTycoon · April 28, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Kelly, the first 2 are for sure spider mites. Nothing else has that stippled appearance. The third shows also what appears to be early blight, at least it would be if it was a tomato plant. Beans are famous for foliar fungal stuff. The last one looks like grey mold.
I would hit it with a solution of 1Tbsp 70% or higher Neem, plus 1 Tbsp of dish soap, both per one gallon of water. Do every 4 days for 3 times to catch the stages. And I know you know the right time of day to spray neem. Neem is antifungal as well as insecticidal.

Thank you Marsha! The first two are the top and bottom of one leaf, second two are the top and bottom of another leaf. I'll hit them with some of that spray tonight and pull them back on the patio a little bit so the rain we're forecast to get tonight doesn't wash it all off. I didn't see anything that looked webby on the leaves, so I wasn't sure if spiders mites or something else.

AlittleSalt · April 28, 2016

Kelly, I agree with Marsha on the spider mites. There are so many diseases and other things that can effect beans. One year, aphids got on a crop of black eyed peas so bad that you could see the aphids...while standing outside the garden.

TexasTycoon · April 28, 2016

Ugh, this is what I hate about the weather warming up. We've got aphids on our lavender again, fungus gnats in multiple pots, and leafminers in the hollyhocks. Time to order some yellow sticky traps and to stop being so lax with my DE spray (also need to get more mosquito dunks for the watering cans)!

Worth1 · April 28, 2016

More rain, I'm doomed.

Worth

Worth1 · April 29, 2016

I would remove all inflected leaves if possible.
On a side note your mention of rain reminds me I have a pile of garlic curing outside I need to bring in 1/2 of my crop.
I haven't turned the TV on in days and had no idea it was going to rain.

Worth

TexasTycoon · April 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

More rain, I'm doomed.

Worth

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

I would remove all inflected leaves if possible.
On a side note your mention of rain reminds me I have a pile of garlic curing outside I need to bring in 1/2 of my crop.
I haven't turned the TV on in days and had no idea it was going to rain.

Worth

I'll clip some more leaves off tonight, quite a few are showing similar symptoms but the new growth and the new sprouts we planted to fill in the gaps where some had died are still good. I guess we might have had spider mites for a while and I just didn't realize it. I thought it was some type of mold or mildew for sure and clipped all the damage off last week but I guess I didn't get it all (I didn't spray anything on them last week either).

Sorry Worth it looks like we're set for another rainy week through Tuesday, according to NOAA/NWS: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...7#.VyNXr_nR84k

Nematode · April 29, 2016

I have childhood memories of kentucky wonder pole bean flavor being the best thing ever.
Tried growing them and they are pretty fussy for me, leaf problems, yield problems. Also not as prolific or tasty as northeaster or fortex. Dont miss them anymore, the mentioned varieties are a lot less stringy too.
Thats my exlerience in MA anyway.
Nematode.

b54red · April 29, 2016

It looks to me like Gray Mold also and it can be devastating to beans even though I have only had it hit mine twice in 40 years of gardening. If it is Gray Mold and it keeps coming back you will have to use something like the bleach spray of if it isn't too bad copper spray might work. The first step is to remove any infected leaves and see if it comes back quickly which GM will tend to do. If it doesn't then you may have a less serious problem. Good sunshine and air flow make a huge difference in keeping GM at bay. I spray my beans with Daconil but if it still shows up then I will go to something stronger if I have to. As a matter of fact I just sprayed everything in my garden with it this morning and hope the rain will stay away for a week.

Besides spider mites you could also have flea beetle damage. Either one will be deterred by DE if it is applied well.

Good luck with your problem.

Bill

TexasTycoon · April 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

It looks to me like Gray Mold also and it can be devastating to beans even though I have only had it hit mine twice in 40 years of gardening. If it is Gray Mold and it keeps coming back you will have to use something like the bleach spray of if it isn't too bad copper spray might work. The first step is to remove any infected leaves and see if it comes back quickly which GM will tend to do. If it doesn't then you may have a less serious problem. Good sunshine and air flow make a huge difference in keeping GM at bay. I spray my beans with Daconil but if it still shows up then I will go to something stronger if I have to. As a matter of fact I just sprayed everything in my garden with it this morning and hope the rain will stay away for a week.

Besides spider mites you could also have flea beetle damage. Either one will be deterred by DE if it is applied well.

Good luck with your problem.

Bill

My husband is home today so I asked him to clip off all of the damaged leaves for me (or pull the plant if there are only damaged leaves). I know we've had a lot more cloudy rainy days already than we're used to, so I'm leaning towards grey mold as well. I did clip all damaged leaves off last week as well and it's back again, so that seems like what you're saying. We've got rain in the forecast for the next week or so, so I may need to go pick up some Daconil this weekend.

I haven't seen any bugs on the beans at all (I check all my plants thoroughly every evening) so I don't think there are any flea beetles. Only critters I've seen on the patio so far are aphids, fungus gnats, spiders, ladybug larvae, and leafminer damage on my hollyhocks though I haven't seen the leafminers with my own eyes.

Gardenboy · April 29, 2016

Yes the humidity is starting to get high again here in South Florida. My KY Wonder beans have been very prolific this season. They love the sun and warmer weather. I've filled up 3 gallon plastic ziplock baggies. Can't wait to boil them with some ham hock and bacon drippings.

My King of the Garden Lima beans are starting to flower this week. Will see how productive they are. I'm planting Florida Speckled Butter bean in the morning. Water all your bean in the morning and let them dry out during the day. I also cut all the leaves off from the base of each plant about 4 to 6 inches up so they don't get wet and start fungus problems. Glad to see my neighbor "Ginger"!!!

TexasTycoon · April 29, 2016

What we're left with

April 28, 2016	#5
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	Ugh, this is what I hate about the weather warming up. We've got aphids on our lavender again, fungus gnats in multiple pots, and leafminers in the hollyhocks. Time to order some yellow sticky traps and to stop being so lax with my DE spray (also need to get more mosquito dunks for the watering cans)! __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

April 28, 2016	#2
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Kelly, the first 2 are for sure spider mites. Nothing else has that stippled appearance. The third shows also what appears to be early blight, at least it would be if it was a tomato plant. Beans are famous for foliar fungal stuff. The last one looks like grey mold. I would hit it with a solution of 1Tbsp 70% or higher Neem, plus 1 Tbsp of dish soap, both per one gallon of water. Do every 4 days for 3 times to catch the stages. And I know you know the right time of day to spray neem. Neem is antifungal as well as insecticidal.

April 28, 2016	#4
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Kelly, I agree with Marsha on the spider mites. There are so many diseases and other things that can effect beans. One year, aphids got on a crop of black eyed peas so bad that you could see the aphids...while standing outside the garden.

April 28, 2016	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	More rain, I'm doomed. Worth

April 29, 2016	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I would remove all inflected leaves if possible. On a side note your mention of rain reminds me I have a pile of garlic curing outside I need to bring in 1/2 of my crop. I haven't turned the TV on in days and had no idea it was going to rain. Worth

April 29, 2016	#9
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	I have childhood memories of kentucky wonder pole bean flavor being the best thing ever. Tried growing them and they are pretty fussy for me, leaf problems, yield problems. Also not as prolific or tasty as northeaster or fortex. Dont miss them anymore, the mentioned varieties are a lot less stringy too. Thats my exlerience in MA anyway. Nematode.

April 29, 2016	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	It looks to me like Gray Mold also and it can be devastating to beans even though I have only had it hit mine twice in 40 years of gardening. If it is Gray Mold and it keeps coming back you will have to use something like the bleach spray of if it isn't too bad copper spray might work. The first step is to remove any infected leaves and see if it comes back quickly which GM will tend to do. If it doesn't then you may have a less serious problem. Good sunshine and air flow make a huge difference in keeping GM at bay. I spray my beans with Daconil but if it still shows up then I will go to something stronger if I have to. As a matter of fact I just sprayed everything in my garden with it this morning and hope the rain will stay away for a week. Besides spider mites you could also have flea beetle damage. Either one will be deterred by DE if it is applied well. Good luck with your problem. Bill

April 29, 2016	#12
Gardenboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 771	Yes the humidity is starting to get high again here in South Florida. My KY Wonder beans have been very prolific this season. They love the sun and warmer weather. I've filled up 3 gallon plastic ziplock baggies. Can't wait to boil them with some ham hock and bacon drippings. My King of the Garden Lima beans are starting to flower this week. Will see how productive they are. I'm planting Florida Speckled Butter bean in the morning. Water all your bean in the morning and let them dry out during the day. I also cut all the leaves off from the base of each plant about 4 to 6 inches up so they don't get wet and start fungus problems. Glad to see my neighbor "Ginger"!!!