Sickly broad beans

[Incy]

I was chatting to a fellow plot holder yesterday and he was admiring someone's broad bean plants as his weren't doing well at all.
When he showed me the plants they really were looking very sorry for themselves.
I'm definitely not an expert on broad beans having only grown them once but I am guessing this may be a nutrient problem given how yellow and weedy they look compared to all the healthy ones around the site.
Does anyone know what he might be able to do to rescue them.

[Two_Sheds]

They look weedkillered

[Incy]

There hasn't been any weed killer used nearby as far as I am aware and the plants in the beds around them are fine. Will check this evening with him just in case but he spent a lot of time removing weeds by hand yesterday.

[lottie dolly]

could it be contaminated compost???
looks like it starved of goodness

[Incy]

They haven't added anything to the soil for over 12 months and the manure they put in then was also on the potato bed which is looking extremely healthy.
It does look starved of goodness. What would be a good feed to try to see if that's the problem.
Interestingly 2 or 3 plants (in the same bed) look fine although I didn't think to take pics of those.

[rustylady]

Manure? Aminopyralid?

[Incy]

That's what I thought but no not if the spuds are looking as healthy as they are and they had a lot more manure apparently than the bed the beans are in.
Apparently that bed is very wet and doesn't seem to have had a lot of added goodness in recent years. Could it simply be that the nutrients have washed away?

[Matt94]

Could it simply be that the nutrients have washed away?

Thats a possibility - especially in a raised bed. I would give them a bit of general fertiliser, like growmore, chicken pellets, BFB.

[Incy]

Thanks Matt I'll pass the advice on this evening when I see him.

[Matt94]

your more than welcome

[alldigging]

Fascinating site!

Color Photos of Mineral Deficiencies in Bean Plants

[Incy]

Thank you all digging, you're right it is fascinating.

[Two_Sheds]

Apparently that bed is very wet

Aha. Maybe the roots are rotting or weak? Could he pull one up and see how the roots are looking?

(my chillies have been very poor this year, and when I potted them on they had hardly any roots at all, just the one spindly frail thing)

[Incy]

Don't see that he has anything to lose by pulling up one of the worst ones. I'll suggest it. Thanks TS.