Do any of you know why the leaves on bean plants would turn crisp and yellow? These are runner beans, known in the south as Greasy Backs and the lower leaves turn yellow and crisp up. I take them off as soon as I see them. I read that it might be sunscald. Never heard of it before. The couple who live in SW Michigan, and use Heritage seeds, please PM me as I too am interested in saving seeds that are pure.
GP... could you send a close-up foto? If they are runner beans...you may not know that they need huge amounts of water and feeding throughout the season unlike the french beans sorts. This could be one cause, anoother could be that it's simply the time of season for them to do that. Mine started doing that about two weeks ago.
Sjoerd, I may find time over the weekend, I hope. Just now, I have no pics nor time to take any. I have kept them watered faithfully and they have been fed. I planted them late. They're growing quite well and have beans. They are runner bens and have vines running about 15 feet, up the TV antenna in fact. I just am bothered by the leaf loss. Thanks for the feedback.
:-D They are called Greasy Backs down south. A runner type and I am going to try to post a pic. I am unable to get the hang of posting pictures here. My picture is in my documents, but I cannot copy and paste, so I haven't a clue as to how to transfer it here.
Bean leaces No. These are seeds I saved from my brother's planting. They are from South Carolina and down there they are called Greasey Back beans. I have been saving them since 1998 each year.
Ok...I understand. Well, they no doubt tast wonderful. I really have a weaknss for runner beans and have growen several types over the years. Now I mostly grow the 'Sunset' for three reasons: They bloom and crop very early, they have beautiful salmon-coloured flowers (unique among runners) and I find them the tastiest. I have the idea that it's simply time for them to begin wrapping-up their season. As I said mine are doing it now.
Sjoerd, I believe my beans may possibly have a fungus or blight, yet the plants continue to put out new leaves as the old fall off. The beans are growing, so perhaps I won't be overly concerned about the leaves.
Ok then, GP. My beans don't get many diseases, only the mosaic virus some years. I'm hoping that those beans will just keep on producing for you. There's still alot of time yet , I suspect.
here's a link to some pics of the viruses beans can get growingpains...go to the bottom of the page for the pics. you can click on them for a larger pics. do any of them look like your leaves? http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell. ... _Beans.htm
Bunkie, thanks for the web site. None of the pictures look exactly like mine. The leaves first turn pale, them sort of yellow to tan , dry up and fall off. A few of them get brown spots, but mainly they turn those colors and dry crisp and fall off. I am putting the leaves in the trash, not the compost and I will plant the beans in a different area next year. I appreciate your answer.
Boy...I'd loe to see a foto of some of your leaves, GP. I wonder if you have picked beans while the leaves were wet from a rain.
