I haven’t been too hot on pest control this year so far and unfortunately it shows on my broad bean patch. My broad beans have become victim to both black soot and chocolate spot.
Black soot
This year my broad beans have become victim to a massive black fly assault and as a result a black, powdery soot-like mold is covering the leaves, steam and is present on the some of the pods.
Black soot occurs after the black fly (or white fly) suck out all of the glucose and sugar from the plant, with the mold growing off of the excess sugar and glucose.
The black mold can be particularly damaging to your plants the mold can block out any light reaching the plant which will lead to a growth deficiency.
Sooty mold will also attract other pests including ants, aphids and more black and white fly. I need to first address the pest problem before I look to eradicate the mold problem.
Chocolate Spot
To add to my black mold woes, I’ve also got a dose of chocolate spot on my broad beans. Chocolate spot is a fungus and is spread via the air and the rain.
In recent weeks we’ve experienced very wet and humid conditions which has caused a secondary bout of chocolate spot.
Chocolate sport performs well at a temperature between 15° and 22° – and guess what, that’s been the average temperature of the UK over the past few days!
Chocolate spot is a little brown spot that appears on the leaf of the plant but can also affect the stem of the plant, which will eventually lead to the plant collapsing in a horrible brown heap.
Because the leaves will begin to shrivel and I’ve pretty much got the most out of my plants (crop included) I can’t say that I’m too fussed about seeing them go.
It’ll free up some space and I can look to use the area for crops that I want to grow in the autumn or winter.
Leave a Reply