What to Do About Leggy Beans? Causes and Control Methods Explained

Beans are one of the vegetables commonly seen on our tables. When growing beans, many vegetable growers know that they are difficult to manage and often run into a lot of problems. Leggy growth in beans is an extremely common phenomenon; leggy bean plants set pods poorly and may even drop their flowers and pods. So what causes leggy growth in beans? And how should it be controlled? Let's take a look.

1. Temperature too high

The main cause of leggy growth at the seedling stage is excessively high temperature, especially excessively high nighttime temperatures, which causes the plants to consume too much through respiration and very easily makes them grow leggy.

Control method: At the seedling stage, control the temperature reasonably. The optimum temperature for bean growth is between 25-35 degrees, and growth is fastest at 30 degrees, so keep the nighttime temperature from exceeding 25 degrees to avoid leggy growth.

2. Sowing too densely

The period when the bean seedlings' cotyledons open is the fastest-growing period and also the period most prone to leggy growth. At this time, the cause of leggy growth is mainly sowing too densely, or failing to remove the covering in time, which makes the seedlings grow too crowded and leads to leggy growth.

Control method: After emergence, thin the seedlings and transplant in time, improve light penetration and ventilation in the field, and manage temperature and humidity well. Low temperatures can keep the seedlings from growing leggy. Once leggy growth appears in the seedlings, a chlormequat chloride solution can also be sprayed to control it.

3. Improper fertilisation

Besides temperature and humidity, the main cause of leggy growth in bean plants is improper fertilisation, mainly show as one-sided application of nitrogen fertiliser or excess nutrients. To speed up plant growth, some farmers apply large amounts of nitrogen fertiliser when planting, and when the proportion of nitrogen in the soil is too large, it causes excess nutrients in the plants and thus leggy growth.

Control method: When planting, apply less quick-acting nitrogen fertiliser; instead, apply farmyard manure or organic fertiliser rich in organic matter, which can continuously and steadily provide the nutrients the plants need for growth. On the other hand, when combining with pest and disease control, spray the plants with hormone preparations such as mepiquat chloride and chlormequat chloride, which are extremely effective at suppressing leggy growth.

The above are the causes of leggy growth in beans and the methods to control it. We hope this helps you. To learn more about growing, please follow us.