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Help needed with decimated Broad Bean crop.
saxonrocksDfbH1czk
Posts: 4
Hi all,
Posting on behalf of my grandad who has had a problem in his garden with broad beans. Usually a big shining light of his garden, he had a huge problem with the crops and they are all but wiped out. He's wondering what has happened and is looking for advice.
From what he's told me, the roots were soggy and he's wondering if with the extended heat & dryness over March / April / May that could have caused rotting with the roots. He's also had a worm / bug invasion and isn't sure if that is connected to the possible rotting or the cause of the problem overall.
He'd love the ID of the worms and if anyone has any theories of what might have happened
The garden is located in Lowestoft, Suffolk if that makes a difference, pictures below and any help kindly appreciated.
Saxon
Posting on behalf of my grandad who has had a problem in his garden with broad beans. Usually a big shining light of his garden, he had a huge problem with the crops and they are all but wiped out. He's wondering what has happened and is looking for advice.
From what he's told me, the roots were soggy and he's wondering if with the extended heat & dryness over March / April / May that could have caused rotting with the roots. He's also had a worm / bug invasion and isn't sure if that is connected to the possible rotting or the cause of the problem overall.
He'd love the ID of the worms and if anyone has any theories of what might have happened
The garden is located in Lowestoft, Suffolk if that makes a difference, pictures below and any help kindly appreciated.
Saxon
0
Posts
A couple of questions while we get our thinking caps on ...
1. When were they sown?
2. Were they sown indoors or direct into the garden?
3. What stage did they get to before disaster struck?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
'The beans were sown mid february and grew well to full blossom mid May when they looked slightly yellow and drooped. The sun was strong and there was rain at odd trimes.
After some two weeks I dug up the worst examples where the roots were soggy. Wether the roots were rotting due to heat and water before the little smotth worms attacked is one question.
The smooth round wormlike maggots are up to 25mm length of sowing needle diameter 1-2,mm. I note two small feelers at the front. Could it be they were feeding on the rotting tap root?
They were sown directly into the garden which is my usual method of many years, out of 40 seeds sown, 8 did not appear. I dug up each of the 8 and found they had been attached by mature maggots of same format but of 2-3mm diameter'
Thanks again for any help
And agrees with the poster above that on closer inspection the 'worms' do have legs on the undersides
I think the millipedes may be feeding, as you say, on the rotting matter.
Could it be these little pests? It seems that they attack the bean seed in the ground ...
I know it says mainly french and runner beans ... but in my experience the pests don't read the books ...
https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/bean-seed-fly
https://www.thompson-morgan.com/pests/bean-seed-fly
If it's not them we'll keep thinking ... someone will know what it is ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.