Spots on Scarlett runner beans

[ForeverCharmed]

So I was misting my scarlet runner today an I noticed it has 10 or so browning spots on each of its oldest biggest leaves. They are no more than 2mm in circumference, and when you look close you can see that they arent brown, they are transparent. any idea what is causing this? I can't imagine it has to many pests on it since it is in my dorm room, I don't see any aphids or anything, nor can I imagine how they would get in as my one window has a screen and it JUST started to get warm outside


I hope its not a blight, I don't have the fungicide to treat one ><

[Kisal]

There are many plant diseases that cause spots such as you describe. A common one that affects bean plants, including the scarlet runner, is Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli. It's a bacterial disease, and usually results from planting infected seeds or using infected soil.

There are others, as well: Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae are two that are very common.

You might find this article from the Extension Service of interest:

https://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/921.pdf

[ForeverCharmed]

If its a bacteria, what do you think of adding some milk to my water? Even if its not bacteria, it will at least prevent it. I'm just not sure of the ratio when it comes to milk

[Kisal]

The milk & water solution is for fungal infections. It can be mixed anywhere from 1 part milk to 10 parts water, up to a strength of 1:1. It won't do anything for a bacterial infection, though. You bean plant may well survive without any treatment. It will just have some less-than-perfect foliage, and the bean pods may have discolored spots.

If you want to treat it, you have some options. This article from the Extension Service offers advice for organic control and treatment:

https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/diseasemanagement.html

This article from Cornell University offers suggestions for chemical treatment:

https://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Beans_Bacterial.htm

[ForeverCharmed]

I woke up this morning to find white fuzz on the top of my soil..I didnt do a milk spraying on the leaves or anything so it cant be that...what the hell is happening to my babies lol

[Kisal]

The white fuzz is a fungal growth. It usually appears on container soil that is being kept too wet. How often do you water your plants? Inadequate air circulation around a plant can also lead to the appearance of mold on the soil.

Plants prefer to be watered thoroughly, until water runs freely out the bottom of the container, and then allowed to dry out for about 5 to 7 days. That's "general information" that applies to the majority of container-grown plants. Some species, though, prefer to be kept "evenly moist" all the time, and need more frequent watering, and others prefer to be allowed to dry for a longer time, up to a couple of months for desert cacti. Scarlet runner beans would do best with the "general" level of moisture, I believe.

If you aren't watering too often, then it may be that the soil you used doesn't drain well enough for use in containers.

If you have been overwatering, then that may be the reason the plants succumbed to a bacterial infection. Overwatering for an extended period of time causes a plant's roots to rot. That stresses the plant and lowers its resistance to disease.

HTH!

[ForeverCharmed]

I tend to wait untill its mostly dry, I test it by picking up some soil with my thumb and index finger and squeeze, if water comes out I let it be if none does I water it again. so I'm thinking its a drainage issue or something down below. They were mostly dry when I dug down past the white fuzz(which I removed) so I gave them a light watering in a very mild h202 /h20 mix, about 1/50, a little oxygen and bacterial clearing might do them good, I can always molasses the good bacteria back haha.

[Kisal]

If you're able to squeeze water out of the soil, then it's far too wet. Except for the few minutes immediately after you have watered the plant, while the excess is draining out the holes in the bottom of the container, the soil should feel cool and barely damp to the touch, never "wet".

How large is the container the runner bean is in now? If it's 4" or larger (diameter measured across the top), then the soil should be dry to the touch, almost kind of "scratchy", to about 1/2" below the surface. Dig your finger(s) into the soil to test it, before you water.

[ForeverCharmed]

I think I was unclear about the squeeze method I use. The soil always looks dry but when you touch it its lightly damp, and I need to squeeze a section of soil VERY hard to produce less than a droplet of water, it just builds up around the fingers that I'm using, sort of like an olive press haha.

the box it is in is about 9 inches deep and when I wend down to the middle , it was damper than the top, so I may be over watering, ill try letting them dry out a little more before I water. If I go over board and they droop, some water will spruce up the turgor pressure. Better to have them go under watered and be wilty for an hour or so than drown them, cant really take water our of the soil if theres too much <,<

Thanks for all the help, ill let you know how things go