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Container Gardening

Pole Beans in Containers - Yellowing Leaves

9 years ago

Help!

I have pole beans growing in a ten-gallon pot using soilless mix. It has been hot the past month and they get plenty of sun. While it has climbed to 7 feet tall, many of the bottom leaves are yellowing. This is happening to new leaves and old leaves alike, for any that are on the bottom of the plant.

I have read so many causes online: too much water, not enough water, too cool, insects, over-fertilizing. I have fertilized it with MG Tomato Plant Food once this summer. While lots of people blame over-watering, the days have been so hot and sun so strong the plants are wilted when I get home from work. They always perk up once watering. This is why I think over-watering is NOT the problem.

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Comments (6)

drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
I have pole beans too, but have little experience with them. Hopefully someone with more experience can help.
I also would be curious as to the problem. Mine are in ground, but always willing to learn more from experienced growers of pole beans. Not some guy who grows bonsai!
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peps22
Original Author
9 years ago
Another suggestion i see online is "not enough fertilizer." While I know beans create their own nitrogen, I'm wondering if "not enough fertilizer" can be a problem when growing in containers, because you are constantly flushing out nutrients when watering.
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Hello kristimama. I think I went with the spacing I did based on the number of poles that I had on the support. I am not an expert in this area; you maybe able to grow multiple vines on a single support. I am not sure if production would suffer due to the plants being crowded. I imagine if you kept them feed and watered enough, you could get a pretty good density of plants. Perhaps find out how many based on the square food gardening method (they seem to focus on intense gardening) As feeding is concerned, I have used slow release in the past, but after the first month or so, they run out of food. I notice the plant is not producing or growing much, and I add some water soluble fertilizer (like Miracle-Gro), and the plant takes off again, indicating I had run out of food in the container. I would keep this up about once a week until the end of the growing season. This also happened with my other containered veggies. My setup has an automatic watering system, and this year, after doing some research and some discussion with justaguy2, I am going to feed my automatic watering system with a weak solution of MG. This will provide a continuous source of food and water. Here is a link to the discussion with justaguy2 Liquid Fertilizer in a Self Watering Container Hope this helps! Good luck with your beans!
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Hey Pluto, that's interesting, and I will watch my dog. The thing is though that my dog has an obsession with urinating in the ivy bed far from the garden. He also knows the garden is off limits to him. I just can't imagine that being the case here...? I will watch him though, and thanks for the input.
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Thanks, Donna. It's very possible the container-grown beans haven't been getting enough water. I've never grown them in containers before, and these were definitely an afterthought--and an impulse. I was thinning the ones I planted in the ground, and when I saw the complex root systems on the little plants I hated to throw them out. So I filled the only available container with potting mix and gave them a second chance. I would say they're doing susprisingly well, considering. I'll be more attentive to their water needs. I hope the yellow leaves are what you think they might be. Malica, I'm picking off more than you, but it's still not what I'd call bad. Bluebirdie, thanks! I'm very pleased with my bean arch. I found examples of these on these forums, first in a thread called something like "Show us your trellis" on the Peas & Beans forum, and then from there to another long thread in the Vertical Gardening forum. I was determined to make one for myself, so I bought the cattle panel and the posts.....and then persuaded my son to put it up for me. :-) It was easy, though, and not expensive--less than $35 total. The arch is 8 ft. high, so we can easily walk through it. I'm curious why the beans closer to the house have grown at a much faster rate than those on the other side of the arch. Must have something to do with the movement of the sun.
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They are lighter in general - at least mine are. My rattlesnakes are getting some yellow leaves about 6" to 1 foot above ground and yet are in beautiful condition. They have beans on them - the first to be picked as snaps mid-next week. The vines are about 7 feet tall now. The leaves at the top are a brighter green. I think I remember the same pattern from last year. They have always been excellent producers for me.
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fireduck
9 years ago
dang...you are getting more questions than answers. My beans are growing slowly...and have yellow/green color to them too. I am getting some good beans with some plants...but I just think something is not perfect here...
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years ago
Tell us a little about the soil, and if the pot is resting on the ground so there is a soil "bridge" between the soil in the container and the ground - so water has a wicking pathway from the pot into the earth.

Al - (the guy so derisively referred to above who grows bonsai)
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the_yard_guy
9 years ago
I'm not a vegetable expert so my advice might be valueless, but I know for a fact that too much water in the root zone of many plants is one possible reason for yellow leaves. This might not be your issue but too much water can cause this.

One way to check this is to insert a thin wooden dowel into your container and leave it there for a few hours or overnight. Make sure the dowel reaches the bottom of the container. If the dowel is damp when removed then the soil should have enough water. If the dowel is really wet then your soil in the root area might be too wet, and therefore causing yellow leaves.

TYG
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fireduck
9 years ago
guys, I think the posts above are good and probably correct on most counts. I only grow containers...but there are always little nuances that are different....plant to plant. I must force myself to remember that small plants just do NOT need much watering. My large tomatoes need much. One size does not fit all. My little moisture meter works good....and I must trust it!
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