BROAD BEAN 'BLACKLEG' ?

[Wellie]

Hi There !

Wondering if anyone can tell me why my Autumn-Sown Broad Beans are looking a bit 'iffy'....
They were sown direct into my chosen raised bed to overwinter (Aquadulce variety) and a good proportion of them have AGAIN this season developed a blackened basal stem and appear to have keeled over and semi-snuffed it.
They are in a completely different bed to last year. The bed is raised and therefore unlikely to be sodden. Presumably it's a viral rather than nutrient-related problem, no??

Your wisdom would be much appreciated if you can spare the time, thank you.
Wellie

[Sue]

Stem rots like the one you describe are usually fungal rather than viral and there is no option but to pull up the plants and destroy them to prevent spores spreading. Drainage can be a factor, but if you have raised beds you should be OK.

Fungal diseases can target plants under stress, so by incorporating more organic matter and fertiliser, you might crack it. I have read that digging in brassica waste can help, but have no proof whether that works or not.

If you have the space, raising in pots and then planting them out gives you stronger plants that are more likely to come through and a bit of fleece cover also helps. I've never got direct sown plants through the winter, but my soil is pretty heavy.

[Carole B.]

Could be damage incured by windy weather...plant a bit too tall perhaps,waves around in the soil and becomes damaged,in goes the fungus.The plants usually make a little 'Well' around the base of the stem where they've gone round and round.Next year try sowing a little later if you think this is the case so your plants are shorter.Mine are only about 1 to 2" high at the moment.
Carole.

[Wellie]

Thank you both...

Last year's were raised in root-trainers and suffered badly so I binned them, which is why I tried direct sowing this Autumn. Think I'll admit temporary defeat and start another lot off in Loo Roll inners in the grown-up girls' greenhouse, then transplant into yet another 'different' raised bed, of which I'm going to run out of pretty shortly !!!

Wellie