2021 Little Easy Bean Network - Bean Lovers Come Discover Something New !

[ZoeV]

I'm so glad you posted this. One of my gardens was partly dedicated to soybeans, about 1/3 of it. I planted Gaia, Chiba, Grand Forks, Black Jet, Hokkaido Black & Sayamusume. I have watched in near horror this past week to see the shortage of sprouts appearing. Some of this seed was from last year, so very fresh. I just couldn't believe it and had no idea what to attribute it to. I haven't a single sprout for 3 of them. It's discouraging.
I feel a wee bit better knowing that this may in fact be tied to the weather, and not some kind of soy malediction. I planted only exactly what I would grow, and didn't double up, 'cause I didn't trust that I'd be able to tear out the extras. Big mistake to have done it that way this year. Well, on the bright side, the few that do come up will have a fast maturity with all that space to themselves.

What a variety of soybeans... Do you have Kura Hira Mame or Gangui Black soybean?

 

[Zeedman]

What a variety of soybeans... Do you have Kura Hira Mame or Gangui Black soybean?

I've never heard of those, and can't find a reference. Could you provide more info, on where you first saw them?

 

[heirloomgal]

What a variety of soybeans... Do you have Kura Hira Mame or Gangui Black soybean?

It's only my 2nd year growing soybeans @ZoeV, so I don't really know of many varieties. I'm just starting to build a little collection. I haven't heard of those ones, but @Zeedman, is very knowledgeable about soybean varieties and has grown many...


It's surprising sometimes how things can turn around. Thought at least 1/2 of my soybeans would be lost, and all that garden space wasted....but today I found a bunch of sprouts. That seemed to take REALLY long, but better late than never.

@Bluejay77 If I had known how dependable & successful a method it is to start beans as transplants, I would have done all my network beans that way. I cannot believe how much further along the transplants are compared to the seeds planted in ground. My last 3 network Vaquero beans are almost stuck, or frozen in time, like this:

I have no idea why they are stuck like this, it's been a week. The 6 transplants however are big, green and lush. I hope the little ones grow! I've seen quite a few beans this year, not network beans, come up with really bad looking heads, rotten cotyledons or just one cotyledon. Or not great cotyledons that open and have no leaves emerge. I have no idea what the reason for that might be. Maybe underground bugs, or heat.

Last pic
Jack's POV

 

[Zeedman]

My last 3 network Vaquero beans are almost stuck, or frozen in time, like this:

I have no idea why they are stuck like this, it's been a week. The 6 transplants however are big, green and lush. I hope the little ones grow! I've seen quite a few beans this year, not network beans, come up with really bad looking heads, rotten cotyledons or just one cotyledon. Or not great cotyledons that open and have no leaves emerge. I have no idea what the reason for that might be. Maybe underground bugs, or heat.

It appears that those seedlings have lost their growing tip. The one on the right could have been nipped off; but most likely, the tip broke off underground during emergence. Hard soil or planting too deep are possible causes. The bean on the left certainly doesn't appear to have been nipped, but rotted from within. The cotyledons should be gently opened up to absorb more sunlight. Both plants may re-sprout above the cotyledons... but it may cost more in time than your season allows.

Lots of thunder outside as I type this. The "rain train" is back, which signals the end of our long dry spell... storm after storm following each other. We needed the rain (especially the local farmers) but I hope this deluge doesn't drown out my second soybean plantings... or wash away the soil I brought in to raise up the low end of the rural garden.

 

[Artorius]

View attachment 41420
I have no idea why they are stuck like this, it's been a week. The 6 transplants however are big, green and lush. I hope the little ones grow! I've seen quite a few beans this year, not network beans, come up with really bad looking heads, rotten cotyledons or just one cotyledon. Or not great cotyledons that open and have no leaves emerge. I have no idea what the reason for that might be. Maybe underground bugs, or heat.

@heirloomgal
There are midges in Poland, the larvae of which damage the germinating seeds. Their Latin names are Delia florilega and Delia platura. The damaged beans look like in your photo. I don't know if these pests are found in North America. Perhaps you have similar ones.
This is one of the reasons why I make bean seedlings.

 

[flowerbug]

it is amazing how long a bean stem can survive with no growing tip if it gets enough light. sorry, but stuff happens, not always able to know what caused it without being right there. for me it is often a small groundhog that does that in the unfenced gardens. the bigger groundhogs eat up higher so they normally leave the lower growing points alone which can then sprout out again. the younger ones eat at their own level. chipmunks can also do that kind of damage. rabbits and cut worms will take it right off and often no chance of recovery. that's why i usually plant only some of the more critical beans outside the fences and instead put in the bulk beans where if a few get eaten or trampled i still have a chance of some success.

bugs, fungi, soil issues. all possible here as the heavier soil gardens will crust over when it gets dry, but since i water them once or twice a day when there isn't enough rain to keep them moist i can usually see if a bean is struggling to get out of the ground and aim the hose spray at it to blast off the cap. i think i had a few beans that got stuck and have a curl in them now where there is a good chance they'll root again out from the curled over stem.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Little Less than a half inch of rain around 4 am this morning. I think this was the first time I've heard thunder and saw lightning this year. Hope it's the start of some type of regularity of rain.

Both 960 square foot raised beds are now pretty well filled out. I stuck a few seeds in here and there on a couple of varieties. Second bed will go back and stick in a few more seeds of one variety.

West Bed Built last year. Planted June 5th. Each bed is 40 feet long 24 feet wide. 16 rows spaced as close to 30 inches that I could get. Plants spaced 6 inches apart. The narrowest row measured 28 inches. Time to trim my weed fabric. Cultivate out the weeds and install the fabric.

East Bed Built this year and planted June 7th.

 

[baymule]

Those are some beautiful bean beds Bluejay77!

 

[heirloomgal]

The funny thing is about those seedheads/cotyledons or lack thereof, is some of the beans I started in pots had them too. You'd think starting mix would eliminate the possibility of those issues, minus perhaps the seeds being planted too deep, which I may have done here or there by accident. It wasn't that many compared to the total planted, but many more than I usually see. I wonder if older seed is more prone to this? Or if older seed is more susceptible to underground insect damage. Most of the seeds like this were from seed companies. I'm going to do some research @Artorius and see if I have some kind of midge as you describe.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

it is amazing how long a bean stem can survive with no growing tip if it gets enough light. sorry, but stuff happens, not always able to know what caused it without being right there. for me it is often a small groundhog that does that in the unfenced gardens. the bigger groundhogs eat up higher so they normally leave the lower growing points alone which can then sprout out again. the younger ones eat at their own level. chipmunks can also do that kind of damage. rabbits and cut worms will take it right off and often no chance of recovery. that's why i usually plant only some of the more critical beans outside the fences and instead put in the bulk beans where if a few get eaten or trampled i still have a chance of some success.

bugs, fungi, soil issues. all possible here as the heavier soil gardens will crust over when it gets dry, but since i water them once or twice a day when there isn't enough rain to keep them moist i can usually see if a bean is struggling to get out of the ground and aim the hose spray at it to blast off the cap. i think i had a few beans that got stuck and have a curl in them now where there is a good chance they'll root again out from the curled over stem.

Tell me about it. Of the three mystery lima beans I managed to get to germinate, only one actually DID anything. the other two had NO growing tip when the cotyledons opened, just a wad of dead tissue. But they just stayed there. I ended up having to hand pull them in order to make more room for the good one