My pole beans drop their blossoms and won't set on. What can I do. Thanks?

Answer 1

Whenever air temperatures exceed 90°F during pollination, pollen production will be reduced and the unpollinated blooms will fall off. Since there isn't much we can do to control the weather, we can help a little by doing some of the following to help improve production and eliminate some of the blossom-drop.

1) Try keeping your soil moist while your beans are pollinating. Since beans do better in well-drained soils, I'd recommend roto-tilling some compost into your soil prior to planting. An application of mulch around your plants after they become established will help prevent the soil from drying out too quickly.

2) Overhead watering will also cause blossoms to drop and affect pollination. Try watering deep and as close to the roots as possible.

3) It's advisable to make an application of fertilzer (such as a 5-10-10 fertilizer applied at a rate of ~3 pounds per 100 square feet) at planting followed with 2 to 3 light applications of ammonium nitrate during the growing season. Not only will the fertilizer help the plants to produce more beans, it will help get produce more foilage so the plant can provide adequate shade to itself during the afternoons.

Hope this information was of some help. GOOD LUCK with your beans!