Runner beans leaves going yellow.... Help!

Hi guys , I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on my runner beans.
The bottom leaves of my beans are going yellow. After trawling the Internet I thought it must be over watering but the person who gave me the beans (who grows loads every year) said no, you must water, water, water!!! I'm going to try upload a photo taken a couple of days ago, however I think they are even more yellow now
Thank you

 

Hi,

As long as the top growth is continuing to climb and stay green, would not worry about those bottom leaves, the slugs and snails usually get ours anyway.
Some Copper tape around the stem and cane about 300mm up usually stops them.

Probably those yellowing ones were formed when growing inside and do not like the change to outside, paricularly as its turned colder the last few days, runners like it warm!

 

Thank you so much for replying @ricky101. They started off growing quite quickly but I think they have showed down, however they look ok at the top. Should I be feeding them? I can't see any evidence of slugs, all the leaves are whole, unless they are attacking from below...

 

Hi,

No need to feed until they are flowering, should be more than enough goodness in your soil.

You do not say what area you are in but here in the north, most things are growing very slowly with this colder overcast weather, unlike the other week when it was so warm and sunny.

 

Oh sorry, I am in Somerset. Yes the weather has certainly turned. Ok, thank you , I will await the flowers

 

Runner bean weather coming up apparently warm and wet.

 

@shiney thank you so much for your reply, it seems I have been going wrong on both my soil preparation and my watering.
I had new raised beds filled with topsoil (well, some earth dug out from somebody's drive. 'Topsoil' sounds all light and fluffy to me, but this was just like crumbly mud??). Anyway I put loads of bags of compost on top and raked it in a bit, I certainly didn't mix it all in like the double digging, so I guess my roots want to stay at the top with the compost...... Oh dear!
Then as for the watering I have been watering every day. To be fair the weather was scorching but I continued to water but I stopped for about 3 days when I saw them going yellow. That's when I was told not to stop and to 'water water water' ha ha. So I did, then it has been raining quite a lot since, so them roots aren't needing to dig are they?? Can I redeem myself do you think? Shall I not water for a few days if it doesn't rain?

 

One thing to ask, you lined the sides of wooden raised bed with black plasic, good, but did you put some across the grass or soil you put the bed on ? hopefully not ? and that you dug the soil over, or it was already loose before you put the bed on there ?

Do not worry about underwatering, as @shiney says, every few days will be fine, and then give them a good drink, not just a teacup.
If they are not getting enough water they will let you know as you will see the leaves starting to wilt.
Its when the pods begin to form at the top of the canes that they really need the most water.

Also don't worry about the soil and compost, folk have been growing beans and everything in plain soil for generations without todays fancy composts.
If you do want to improve the soil , then look at using the bags of composted ( not raw) farmyard manure rather than the fluffy peat or non peat stuff.

 

@ricky101 I put the bed straight onto very short grass. I didn't put anything on the bottom and I didn't do anything with it before I piled the soil in as I thought it was deep enough Should I put manure on it now it should I leave that for next year. Oh I forgot, I did put some chicken manure pellets in..... a week before I planted the beans.
Out of interest also, my daughter has a beef farm, could I grab some of their manure (it will be mixed with straw bedding), and I hear people saying 'well rotted' manure, do you know how long that takes please...?

 

Hi,

It would have been better for this year if you had forked over the grass, but nature will do that for you this year anyway.

If you already have a compost heap that you can add farm manure to, then it would probably be useable next year, though to be honest for the smaller garden its hardly worth all the trouble, just buy the odd bag of ready made like Growsures (wickes , homebase) or similar which you can top dress with anytime, would avoid the b&q horse manure, that looks rough stuff and too raw.

While some such manure as a top dressing would be good when the beans and other plants are really growing strongly, for now would just let them get on and do their thing.

Like many plants, too much feed and fusssing can lead to all leaf and little fruit /beans/flowers.
eg , some excess weedy looking Strawberry runners that we said rather than throw away lets put them in that bit of unused soil last year, and were just ignored, have just given us the first and biggest, sweetest fruits ever !

 

Oh that's good news then, thank you @shiney, I was turning my nose up at it thinking it was going to be awful. I have learnt so much in just a few days on here. I have started composting actually, it's great, I don't feel quite so wasteful when I empty my fridge of stuff that I forgot I will grab some cow manure from my daughters farm and shove a bit in for next year's boost! I guess you do this digging in before you start planting, and how long before you plant should you do this? Does it need to sit for a while or can you get straight in there...
Oh my goodness me, look at all those wonderful beans!!! I'd be so chuffed if I got a fraction of that lot, well done!! Thank you so much for your advice, my fingers are crossed as we have had tons of rain lately here in Somerset

 

Thank you @ricky101 I do have a compost bin I started this year, so I will shove some manure in there for next years supply!
I do find myself fussing and faffing, I guess I need to stand back a bit and wait and see.... That's amazing that those strawberries produced so well, how lovely!
Thank you for the pictures, I will look out for some, but in the meantime I will leave them grow (I do have a few, rather 3 little bursts of flowers on my beans , yay!). Thanks!