Detailed Explanation of Common Bean Planting Techniques and Management Methods

Key Points for Planting Common Beans

First, dig and level the field, then make a bed 1 meter wide. On the two rows of the bed surface, dig small holes with a hole spacing of 25—30 cm and a row spacing of 65—70 cm. Then pour some water into the holes, which helps the seeds germinate. Next is sowing, with 2 seeds per hole. When the seeds germinate and grow two true leaves, carry out the first weeding.

Before the common beans start to vine, carry out intertillage, clear the furrows, and bank soil around the base of the plant stems to promote the development of adventitious roots. Intertillage should be shallow, to the extent that the root system is not damaged. Then cut some weeds and spread them at the base of the plant stems, which can retain moisture and keep the ground from drying out easily. When they begin to vine, cut some relatively hard wooden stakes 2—5 meters long and set them up as an A-frame trellis.

During the growth period of common beans, appropriate fertilization is needed. Apply some farmyard manure or compound fertilizer. Only with good nutrient absorption can they grow better. Pest and disease control should also be done well. When pests and diseases appear during the pod-setting stage, some low-toxicity pesticides can be purchased and sprayed.

Planting Methods for Common Beans

Selection of varieties

When planting common beans in early spring, choose varieties with cold resistance, strong disease resistance, high yield, and good quality.

Selection of soil

Common beans have low requirements for soil. They can grow well in both loam and sandy soil. As long as the field has good drainage and irrigation, it can be planted, but fertile soil can achieve high yield.

Seedling raising techniques and seedling-stage management

1. Because common beans have relatively strong cold tolerance and do not need high temperatures (temperatures above 25℃ affect flower bud differentiation), common bean planting generally uses greenhouse seedling raising and small-tunnel transplanting.

(1) Seedling raising time. For small-tunnel planting, sowing can be done around February 10.

(2) Bed preparation. First, break up the seedling bed soil finely, and make a bed surface 1.2 meters wide with a ditch depth of 20 cm. The bed length can be determined according to the sowing amount. Water thoroughly to moisten the bottom, then use a sand board to smooth the surface, use a nylon string to mark lines 9 cm wide, then use a knife to cut 9 cm×9 cm squares, and in the middle of each square use a knife to make a hole 1-2 cm deep.

(3) Sowing

① Seedling raising: Sow 4 seeds in the holes of the squares, and cover with a handful of fine soil. In fields with underground pests, phoxim at 1000 times dilution can be used when watering. After completing one bed, lay a layer of plastic film flat on top, cover with a small tunnel, and after the seedlings break through the soil, the plastic film can be removed. If there is sun, the small tunnel can also be opened. When the seedlings grow to 2 true leaves, they can be transplanted into the small tunnel (if not using a small tunnel and only using plastic film, sowing and transplanting can be 10 days later).

② Direct seeding: Common beans can also be directly sown in the field, but the sowing time should be postponed until after February 25. Open beds at 1.4 meters in a fertilized field, with a hole spacing of 35 cm-40 cm, and direct seed two rows per bed (seedlings 20 cm from the bed edge), place 4 seeds per hole, then cover with soil. After sowing, lay the plastic film flat on top, press the edges firmly with soil, and after the seedlings emerge, tear a hole in the plastic film aligned with the seedlings and guide the seedlings out. If the soil is relatively dry, holes can be dug first, poured with clear water, and after the water dries, sow the seeds.

Field preparation and fertilization

1. Field preparation

① Weeding: Fields with severe weed problems can use manual weeding or chemical weeding. For chemical weeding, herbicides such as Roundup and Gramoxone can be selected and sprayed in the open space after the previous crop is harvested, with 50 ml per 667 m2 diluted in 25-30 kg of water. After 7 days, plowing and bed preparation can be done.

② Soil disinfection: Fields with more diseases can use 3-5 grams of dizhiing per 1 square meter or 100 kg of quicklime per 667 m2 for broadcast application, then plow and mix evenly.

③ Pests: Fields with more soil pests can use phoxim mixed with soil for broadcast application.

2. Fertilization. Apply sufficient base fertilizer at one time, and no additional topdressing may be needed later, which saves labor and time and also gives good results. The specific fertilization formulas are as follows, and any one can be chosen according to actual conditions:

① Apply 3000 kg of decomposed human and livestock manure, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 25 kg of potassium fertilizer, and 10 kg of urea per 667 m2.

② Apply 1000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 100 kg of decomposed oil cake, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 10 kg of urea per 667 m2.

③ Apply 3000 kg of decomposed chicken and duck manure, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 20 kg of potassium fertilizer per 667 m2.

3. Bed opening. After evenly applying the fertilizer into the field, use a tractor or ox to plow and evenly mix the fertilizer into the soil, then prepare the beds. For small-tunnel planting, beds are generally opened at 1.5 meters (including ditches), with a ditch depth of 20 cm.

Transplanting and management

1. Transplanting

Before transplanting, first dig holes on the prepared bed surface, with two rows per bed (the centers of the holes 25 cm from the bed edge), and a hole spacing of 35 cm-40 cm. When transplanting, the topsoil of the square seedlings should be level with the bed surface. Water thoroughly to settle the roots, lay the plastic film, guide the seedlings out, then pour a small amount of water on the plastic film and cover with the small tunnel. (The length of the bamboo strips for the small tunnel is equal to the width of the film. A bamboo strip width of 2 cm is more suitable, and inserting one every 1.5 meters is enough.)

2. Trellising

Common beans can generally be trellised when they grow to 20 cm. Each hole should use one stake (the stakes should preferably be no lower than 2.5 meters) to form an A-frame trellis, fixed with a horizontal pole in the middle.

3. Harvesting

Harvesting should preferably be done when the pods change from flat to round. Harvesting too young affects yield, and harvesting too late reduces quality.