Trouble with bush green beans

10 years ago

Hello,
I have a 4' by 4' garden bed planted with bush green beans. They grew quickly and look great, with flowers throughout, but the set beans seem to be growing to about an inch and half and then stopping. Some of them have remained at this size for multiple weeks. So I have some short, half-moon shaped beans, and no long green beans, I'm trying to figure out why they are growing that way and how I can get the beans to grow out to the full size. Is it an excess of nitrogen in the soil? Should I pick all the beans and try to get a new set to grow? Should I be patient and wait some more to see if they will get any bigger?

Here is a picture. The variety I planted is Tendergreen Improved, Garden Bush Beans by Ferry-Morse.

Thank you!

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Comments (7)

seysonn
10 years ago
It depends on the variety. Those Half Moons should be picked. If you don't pick, the bush wont grow much more. Just pick them. No need to plant again. Also feed them once every other week or so, lightly.

I have a small patch. I have planted 3 varieties:
Green: They get a lot of Half Moon shapes.

Purple : They stay mostly straight
Yellow: They stay mostly straight.

But like most plants, if the bush gets old and tired and they dont get what they need (food, water) then they will produces smaller and off shapes.
hudson___wy
10 years ago
Jade Bush Beans are a good option - we have had great success with this bean - long & straight!

{{gwi:110113}}
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User
10 years ago
Jade keeps going and going. Mine has gone three full flushes this year. But when they get real old and tired, they'll put out some stunted ones like that. If the OP's beans are newly-planted, it's a sign they aren't growing well.

Definitely don't leave them on the plants. Healthy beans grow very rapidly. I'd give them some fertilizer boost and a good watering-in.
GreenSerenity
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you for the suggestions. Any tips for a good organic fertilizer to use? I know I shouldn't use a high-nitrogen one.
woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
10 years ago
GreenSerenity: Most organic ferts are slow release and should be added to the soil months before planting. If you're looking to add an organic, fast release fert that's relatively low in N, but virtually lacking in P and K, blood meal is about your only choice. Fish fertilizer is probably your best choice at this point --- 5-1-1 NPK and not nearly as slow as the "meal" ferts. Maybe some kelp and/or alfalfa meal, which are relatively fast

There might be some water soluble organic ferts out there that hydroponic growers use that are fast.

Here's a list of common organic amendments.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: list of organic ferts
User
10 years ago
Blood meal is high nitrogen, not a good choice. Bone meal would be a better choice, if applied earlier. But I think you need a good quality liquid fertilizer for fast action if you want beans yet this season from those plants. Fish emulsion may be your best choice if you insist on organic.

Looking at the leaves, they look like young, healthy plants that ought to be producing better fruits.
carolync1
10 years ago
I see that you live in Texas. Your beans were probably stunted by summer heat. They are probably hard or leathery. Or maybe even hollow. Take them off and see if the plants will produce more. Most green beans prefer temperatures from about 75 to 80 degrees. The varieties developed in New England are total failures in my garden. I think Tendergreen has reasonable heat tolerance for an older variety. But some newer varieties are much better in heat.

The best advice I can give from my experience in hot summer bean-growing is to try Contender for your first crop (before the soil is warm enough for white-seeded varieties). It resembles a "blue lake" type when young and is a stringless Southern "beany" type green bean if you let the seeds develop to about half their mature size. Seeds are larger than with most "blue lake" types, and if any pods get away from you, you can shell the seeds out as "shellies". Don't plant it in the fall. Cool weather makes the pods very fibrous.

Second crop could be Brio, Festina or Espada. Festina and Brio are concentrated-set varieties. Espada has a more prolonged harvest and some later beans may be affected by heat. You could probably get some beans from Tendergreen if planted early enough.

Nash does better in hot summer weather than any variety I have tried. Beans still curled when temps went above 104 degrees for a few days. I pulled the plants in July.

For fall, Brio works well with a late August sowing here if the seeds sprout successfully. Matador is also recommended. You can also plant varieties which can be used as shellies if cool weather toughens the pods, like Black Valentine or Coco Rose de Prague. Dark-seeded beans may have trouble absorbing water and sprouting in light, hot soil.

This post was edited by carolync1 on Mon, Sep 23, 13 at 11:34