French beans dying

Hi All,

We just got our first allotment this April and have enjoyed it very much. There is so much to learn, but we're beginning to get a few crops already.

I just got the first small harvest of French/Dwarf beans today - delicious - but I noticed one of the plants on the end of the row was looking sickly - very yellow and dropping its leaves. Any ideas what might be wrong and should I pull it to avoid problems spreading?

 

Try firming the soil around it - maybe a mole has burrowed under it.

I'd water it too (unless it is already sodden )

 

I've got heavy clay soil and clay particles migrate to the plot edges where the water runs to, forming a sticky, suffocating strip of soil, and the end plants (if planted across the plot) always seem to grow worse there.

The other reason I get for a few plants dying here and there is ants building a nest amongst their roots.

If you pull it out, carefully examine the soil for the likes of a cutworm underneath eating the roots.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, no sign of moles, and a light soil, but there was a yellow ants nest next to the plant. How do they damage the plant? The roots looked small but not too damaged. Hard to compare unless I uproot another healthy one. The other plants are still looking good, so fingers crossed its just a one off. A nice 400g of beans off them today so very happy.

 

No more total plant casualties but a few leaves on a couple and a few beans going yellow and soft before they are fully grown. I picked those off since they're not going to be edible. Not a big problem as we've a big crop, but still wondering what might be causing it. The photos might help.

 

Ants like dry conditions for their nests. They move the soil particles around and disturb the roots of the plants preventing the roots from functioning properly.