Who wouldn’t want to plant bush beans in their backyard? They’re delicious, nutritional, and beginner-friendly.
So, you set your garden up, plant the seeds, and give them all the necessary care to grow healthy leaves. Everything goes smoothly until the plants stop growing all of a sudden.
You keep asking yourself: Did I do something wrong? Why are my bush beans not growing? How can I fix this?
Don’t worry. Today, it’ll take you through all the potential causes and show you how to fix them. Let’s get right to it.
Why Did Your Bush Beans Stop Growing?
Let’s explore the potential causes that prompt your bush beans to stop growing.
1- Extreme Temperature
Although numerous factors go into bush beans’ care routine, temperature might be the most decisive one. After all, it affects photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and germination.
Temperature fluctuations can disrupt all these processes, preventing the plant from absorbing the necessary nutrients to grow. Hence the stunted growth.
Extreme temperature doesn’t just affect chemical processes, though. It can also cause unfavorable physical damage. If the temperature is too high or too low, it’d stunt your bush beans, causing them to stop growing.
2- Poor Soil
Look, you can create the ideal growing environment for your plant. If your soil isn’t perfect, though, don’t expect it to grow properly.
Would you be happy if you lived in an ugly apartment with deteriorating walls, a broken TV, and an uncomfortable bed? Of course not! You’d probably be miserable.
That’s what it feels like for a plant to sit in soil that doesn’t meet its needs. You see, soil allows plants to receive the necessary amount of water and nutrients to grow properly.
Since different plants require different water and nutrient intakes, each type has specific soil standards.
If your soil doesn’t meet bush beans’ standards, it won’t be able to supply them with the necessary nutrients to grow healthy leaves. Eventually, your beans will stop growing and might even die.
3- Inconsistent Watering
At first glance, watering might seem like the easiest part of plants’ care routine. You just water the soil every day and watch your plant grow the most stunning beans, right?
That’s not entirely true. Plants require a specific amount of water at certain times. Some need water every week. Others need it every three weeks.
You want to identify your plant’s water needs and adjust your care routine accordingly, or you’ll over/underwater it.
Overwatering your plant prompts root rot. The roots will be too dead to absorb or transfer water to the leaves, stunting their growth.
The same thing happens when you underwater your bush beans. You can’t expect a plant to grow without sufficient water, can you?
4- Pest Infestations
I’m sure you already know how troublesome pests are, whether it’s aphids, two-spotted spider mites, or Mexican bean beetles.
Aphids and spider mites can suck the sap in bush beans’ leaves, causing them to lose their vitality and slowing their growth. Mexican bean beetles feed on the plant’s leaves, hindering its development.
5- Diseases
You know how you stop functioning like normal humans when you get a cold? The same thing can happen to a plant when it experiences fungal or bacterial infections.
Bacterial Infections
You’ve probably already heard of bacterial blight. It’s a bacterial infection that can prevent the production of chlorophyll.
Without chlorophyll, your bush beans won’t be able to carry out photosynthesis. So it won’t receive the necessary energy and nutrients to grow.
Fungal Infections
The most common fungal infection bush beans face is powdery mildew. It prompts the growth of fungal patches on the leaves of your plant.
Unfortunately, these patches prevent the leaves from absorbing sunlight, inhibiting photosynthesis and stunting the plant’s growth.
6- Overcrowding the Soil
You want to grow as many crops as possible, so you plant too many bush beans next to each other. It’s not a big deal, right? It is.
When too many bush beans grow next to each other, they steal water and nutrients from each other. As a result, some of them won’t grow properly or at all.
How to Restimulate Your Bush Beans’ Growth?
I assume you want to know the factors that stunt your bush beans’ growth so you can restimulate their development. Here’s what you can do.
1- Use Proper Soil
Ideally, you want to use well-draining soil that strikes the perfect balance between moisture retention and water drainage.
Avoid alkaline soil. Bush beans prefer a slightly acidic-neutral environment. You want to use soil with pH levels ranging between 6-7.
You can also add some compost and manure to improve its water retention abilities.
2- Water Your Plant Moderately
I know I made watering bush beans sound complicated, but it’s actually easier than you think.
All you have to do is touch the surface of the soil once in a while and water it when it feels dry. Don’t wait until it dries out, as you’d be putting your plant’s life at risk.
3- Provide Ample Space
You want to provide your bush beans with ample space to absorb enough water and nutrients to grow healthy leaves.
It shouldn’t be too hard. Just leave 2-3 inches between each plant and 18-30 inches between each row.
4- Grow Your Plant in a Warm Environment
Bush beans prefer warm environments. So, grow them somewhere with temperatures ranging between 65°-85℉.
That’s the ideal range that allows them to carry out their chemical processes without hindrance.
Keep in mind that temperature isn’t just about the atmosphere. You want to avoid planting the bush beans before your soil’s temperature reaches 60℉.
5- Manage Pest Infestations
The obvious way to manage pest infestations is to provide an ideal growing environment that doesn’t prompt pests to target your plant in the first place.
That includes watering bush beans moderately, ensuring proper air circulation, and regularly checking for signs of pests.
Things don’t always go that smoothly, though. If your plant is experiencing pest infestations, you can use ladybugs and wasps to eliminate them. They’ll feed on these pests without harming your plant.
That’s a natural solution, though. You can always go the classic chemical route and use insecticidal soap or pesticides.
6- Prevent Potential Diseases
I know it’s easier said than done, but managing diseases isn’t that hard. You can avoid bacterial blight by ensuring a clean environment and avoiding overhead watering.
Fungal infections thrive in high humidity. So, keep the humidity levels in your garden as low as your bush beans can take.
Final Thoughts
Now you know all the factors that might cause your bush beans to not grow properly. Identifying the underlying cause won’t be easy. So, work quickly and efficiently until your plant regains its vitality.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.