A green plant is one of the staple plants in many of the vegetable gardens across the globe. It requires a minimal space in the garden and can be easily grown. The water requirement for the plant to grow is also very minimal compared to many other plants.
In the morning, before the regular watering routine, check moisture content in the soil approximately 3-4 inches from the soil surface near the root of the bean plant.
If this is still having moisture content then the plant doesn’t need much watering at this stage. If the soil gets completely dry, only then the plant needs some water.
Watering Green Beans
The Green Beans plant doesn’t need much water to grow and thrive. But it needs a soil that is constantly moist enough to match the water uptake of the roots of the plant.
If the plant is placed in hot sun or in sunny weather, it will need to be fed with water as and when the soil gets dried by the heat of the sun.
You may test the moisture content in the soil by sticking your finger for 3-4 inches into the soil near the roots. If the soil appears to be completely dry, then you may give some water to just wet the soil. Adding too much water may cause water logging and this may affect the growth of the plant further.
If the plant is placed in a region which witnesses rain showers often, place it in a shelter so that the soil doesn’t get too much water which actually hinders the growth of green beans and its pods.
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If the plant is placed in a pot, make sure the pot has enough drainage holes and the soil has more breathing space, so that there is no waterlogging in the soil and supports evaporation of excess water in the soil.
The soil required for growing beans can be a little sandy. To maintain the moist levels of the soil you may even spread mulch on the surface of the soil.
The Green Bean plant doesn’t need much nutrients as it is capable of absorbing its required amounts of nitrogen from the soil itself. However, if the soil has become too sandy or acidic, you may think of introducing some vegetable fertilizer or replacing it with a good quality soil for the plant growth.
The plant needs more water during its germination and during its pod growth period. In other stages of the plant growth, a minimal water supply is provided to the plant just to ensure the plant grows well further and produces a very good harvest.
It is always advised to water the plants in the morning hours to give the plant sufficient time to absorb enough water in the day. If there is more moisture in the soil towards the end of the day, the plant may run into diseases.
Mid-day watering is also not advisable as the water evaporation losses are too high at this time of the day. Plants may not absorb enough water if it is watered in the mid-day and the growth of the plant may not be upto the mark. Hence, it is advised to water the plant in the morning hours.
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Signs of Overwatered Green Beans
When the green beans plants are overwatered, they start showing signs of looking dull, the lower leaves in the plant start turning yellow in color, they start sagging and they lose the turgor in them.
The leaves may also look very soft and limp.
Research has shown that portions of the leaves have turned brown or they have become wilted which might have been because of overwatering or high growing temperatures.
How to Revive an Overwatered Green Bean Plant?
When you feel your plant is overwatered, try to move the plant to a place which is having more sunlight throughout the day.
Do not water the plant until you feel the soil near the root of the plant upto 3-4 inches below the surface level is dry and has very less moisture (almost dry soil) content.
Signs of Underwatering Green Beans
If the soil near the root of the plant appears to be dry with absolutely no moisture content and if the leaves of the plant look crispy and light, it means the plant is being underwatered.
Under such circumstances, the number of pods produced decreases and the maturity of the pods also decreases gradually.
Researchers have shown that, under extreme conditions where the water is scarcely available the quality of the harvest produce will not be up-to the mark. In other words, the plant can be seen producing less number of pods which are not fully grown or fully matured.
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How to Revive an Under Watered Plant?
Check the moisture content in the soil near the root zone of the plant. If the soil appears to be dry upto 3-4 inches from the surface of the soil, then make sure you give enough water to the plant to make the soil wet. Keep checking every now and then, if the soil is getting dry again. Whenever the soil gets dry, ensure the moisture content is retained back in the soil.
By giving the required water to the plants timely, the under-watered plant can be brought back to life soon thereby making it a happier plant again.
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How to Water Green Beans? (Watering Technique)
According to a research, pulse drip irrigation system with saline water has been found to be more reliable and more effective in watering green beans
Pulse drip irrigation is nothing but adding a timer to the conventional drip irrigation system to be able to reduce the watering duration and to increase the frequency of watering.
This helps maintain exactly the required amount of moisture and salinity in the soil and the plant at any given point of time.
This helps the crop produce a very good harvest at all times. (Source)
These days, as the availability of water resources is decreasing, a proper management of available water resources is very important to cope up with increasing water requirements in agriculture. Pulse drip irrigation is one of the irrigation methods which effectively and economically uses water.
There is one more drip irrigation method known as the Subsurface Drip Irrigation method (SDI).
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In this method, the regulated amount of water is introduced to the plant slightly below the surface of the soil.
This solves the problem of water being evaporated quickly from the surface of the soil which happens in case of surface drip irrigation method.
In this method, a drip tape is installed near the root zone of the plant which is usually slightly below the surface of the soil.
Through this tape, small amounts of water is given to the plant at short intervals thereby maintaining the required amount of moisture in the soil at all times. This improves the Water Use Efficiency(WUE) on the whole. (Source)
Conclusion
A green bean plant is an easy to grow plant in one’s own garden. Growing them fresh and using them raw or cooked as fresh as it is, is a blessing. The bean plant doesn’t need too much water. Well, too little water also makes the plant run into diseases. The bean plant needs a good amount of watering during its development and also during its pod growth period.
By watering the plant at the right intervals, not too much and not too less, by placing the plant in the right soil, we can grow a happier and a healthy green bean plant thereby helping the plant produce a good harvest. Happy gardening!