Vegetable Gardening--pole beans question

[havnfun]

I am having a real problem with my blue lake pole beans this year. They came up great and have had great folage. I did get one picking from them but only enough for one meal. I have them growing on an arch so I can go down underneath and pick them in the shade. They are blooming like crazy and have been since the first picking, but I am not seeing many new little beans coming on. What is going on? The are getting pleaty of sun and there are plenty of bees to pollinate. Who can help me?

[rainbowgardener]

Blossom drop, where the flowers drop off without setting "fruit", is in general a stress reaction in the plant, whether it occurs in tomatoes, squash, beans or whatever. When the plant is stressed, it sheds the flowers to focus on plant survival.

For pole beans it seems like the commonest cause of this is heat stress-- has it been hot lately where you are? I found this:

If air temperature goes above 90°F during the pollination period, pollen production and growth can be reduced. Unpollinated blooms may drop off. Blossom retention can be increased by maintaining adequate soil moisture and by keeping a good leaf growth on the vines. Poor pollination can cause pods to be misshapen. https://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C626/C626.htm

Other causes are not having enough moisture and too much nitrogen fertilizer after there are blooms on the plant. Nitrogen stimulates the plant to grow stems and leaves, but inhibits flower and bean production.

[2cents]

Rainbow, good post

[havnfun]

Hey,

thanks for the replies about my pole beans. I just look and look at the bean arbor and I am amazed at how pretty the foliage is. But still I can't seem to see very many new beans. Most other gardners in our area are having the same issue, but one friend said hers are doing fine, she planted rattlesnake beans, and I planted Blue Lake Pole. Do you think that has something to do with it?Our weather has been better this week in the low to mid 80's, do you think the bean will start to form again?

[gixxerific]

Most likely what rainbowgardener said. Probably due to heat. It has been hot here as well. I don't have any beans but my neighbor does. All her beans were doing great tons of flowers that it got really hot and not enough beans to even talk about were harvested if any. The plants still look good but I don't know if they will produce again.

Good luck Dono

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, if the weather stays in tolerable ranges for the plant, it will go back to making beans. Don't fertilize, especially not with high nitrogen (the N of N-P-K), just let it do it's thing.

[applestar]

I was going to start a new thread, but it might be more useful to keep the pole bean questions together, so:

My Marvel of Venice pole beans and possibly also the Purple Podded pole beans seem to have reached their maximum height and have produced beans to the very tip. I'll be harvesting the last of the MoV beans today. In the case of MoV, 75% the leaves have become spotty and are looking tired, and some of the lowest leaves have yellowed and dropped. Should I wait and see if the beans produce side branches? Will they pick up?

I had thought that pole beans continue to produce until frost, but maybe that's not the case? Should I call them done and plant something else in their place?
This spot had pole peas in the spring. At this point, could I start fall pole peas here or would I be better off rotating with something else... like cukes, maybe?

[applestar]

Bumping my question about pole bean succession.