Podless beans

[Shearwood Forest]

Planted soybeans for the first time this year. 1 acre of Game changer forage beans next to 1.5 acres corn, I understand the forage beans won't put on as many pods an ag bean would and while I planned to e-fence (also my first attempt at fencing as well) I wanted the best of both worlds since I planned to take down the fence and let them binge on leaves starting a few weeks prior to our archery season.

Planted June 10th in zone (5a/5b) by mid August they were a minimum of 3ft tall many spots 4ft and looking incredible, lush dark green. I fertilized at planting and once the last week of July. In mid August I still didn't have any pods or flowers showing but the buds where the flowers should open were all there. 3 weeks later still no pods, a few weak flowers and the beans are looking pale and slumping. They then got hit with about 3 nights where the temps dropped to 38-39 degrees, no frost but pretty chilly and they seemed to worsen and start the yellowing and brown down process.

Are my beans done? Struggling to understand what I did wrong to get an acre of beans over my waist I not get a single pod and now I might not even get the forage aspect. I planned to pull the fence around them and my corn Sept 13. I has been hot and dry but the field overall has had and held some moisture, corn and clover next to it have done great.

Would love to learn what I can do differently if I choose to plant beans again.

Pictures attached, the worst one was after the chilly nights and was from the lowest and worst looking spot.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[Bill]

If your fence is working that well I would plant regular ag beans next year. Or at least mix some in. When I planted eagle forage beans years ago they didn’t make many pods.

The yellow has me confused. I thought forage beans lasted longer into the fall. Mine did and I couldn’t really overseed with rye.

 

[Bill]

But there is a lot of green in those beans.

 

[Mortenson]

Some kind of a disease coupled with a bean that doesn't pod much to begin with. I'd probably try some super bushy ag bean next year. Find a friendly young seed dealer in your area who is happy with a 2 unit sale. He'll know what to pick for your soil. Ag beans are chest high with nodes of pods overlapping each other this year.

 

[Telemark]

I don't think you can get pods from that bean in Zone 5. You would probably have to plant a much earlier maturity group, and plant them early in the year, if you want pods from soybeans that far north.

If you're planting a southern forage bean, you probably shouldn't fence them for the summer. It would be a better use of your money to let the deer forage on them through the summer months.

You could always plant 2 or 3 different varieties of soybean as well, then broadcast rye over the beans in fall to keep the forage component in the field.

 

[goatman]

You're fine with a June planting in zone 5. They plant beans after wheat harvest all the time. Don't know anything about forage beans but those little yellow spots on the leaves don't look normal. The plant with brown leaves ain't right. Should be yellow before brown. I would take the fence down now. Took my electric fence down weeks ago.